Agents urged to help ‘normalise’ self-build for buyers

Potential self-builders are struggling to find suitable plots and many are planning to turn to estate agents for support.

A survey by Suffolk Building Society has found a third of people are still considering self build, which is only a small decrease from 35% last time the survey was undertaken in July 2020.

However, one in ten have been put off a self-build project due to difficulties finding suitable land, and over two-thirds (69%) of potential self-builders do not know that some mortgage lenders will allow them to borrow to purchase land where planning permission has been granted.

The Society suggested estate agents could benefit by discussing self-build options with their clients. 

Its poll found 36% of potential self-builders plan to turn to estate agents and land agents to help them secure that perfect plot of land. The next two most popular methods to search for land were via their own research such as visiting planning departments and using Google Maps(29%) and land and property auctions (28%).

The areas most likely to see the highest demand for self-build plots and properties were the South East (20%), followed by Greater London (17%) and the East of England (12%). 

Richard Norrington, chief executive at Suffolk Building Society, said: “Self-build is considered a fairly standard route to homeownership in countries such as Hungary, France, and Sweden, and with better education and awareness from lenders, and the property industry as a whole, self build could become more mainstream here in the UK too.”

“As a country, we need to normalise self-build, encouraging regular people to build good homes, thus helping to reduce the housing shortage in the process and improving the collective carbon footprint of our housing stock. 

“There are undoubtedly more hurdles in this process than in a standard house purchase - particularly at the moment with high labour and material costs. However, being able to design a property that meets your needs both in terms of function and aesthetics is hugely rewarding. We would like more people to know that some lenders are ready and willing to lend on land as well as for the build itself, and secondly, that self-build is more accessible than they might have previously thought.”