Acquisition of a vacant farmstead in the outer area

Hello everyone,

I am still very new here and urgently need advice. We have fallen in love with an old farmhouse located in a district of our municipality (in Brandenburg). We like the farm particularly because it lies on the edge of several fields and the nearest residential building is estimated to be 50-200m away. Visually, the property clearly stands out from the settlement.

A few days ago, we learned that the current owner would sell us the farm. We immediately started doing research and scheduled an appointment at the building authority, which will take place soon. During our research, we came across the topics [Außenbereich] and [Splittersiedlung], which initially knocked the wind out of our sails, as we are generally only interested in such properties. The farm has probably been uninhabited for many years and apparently is not in a habitable condition (an interior inspection is still pending, severe damage to several roofs exists, exterior walls mostly look passable).

We really want to buy this property and are willing to fight for it if there is any chance of success. The land alone would be worth this ordeal to us, so the condition of the buildings does not really deter us. Both of us are skilled in construction, but as we have now found out, not in building law. Our initial idea was, of course, to demolish at will and build a new individual design house (the construction would take place no earlier than 2020). However, since we have read that the highest form of permission would be to restore the existing residential buildings in the same form and in the same place, we would also be content with that (although we do not yet know exactly what is currently considered living space and tend to be interested in converting one of the barns into a living room).

We are quite overwhelmed, desperate, and have only a few days to decide, as there are other interested parties. Could one of you perhaps tell us how we should best proceed, what we definitely should not do, and what we need to be careful about? Are there chances of success? We know this is certainly not a reasonable idea and that it will be a rocky road, but we want to try.

Thanks in advance!

How do finances look anyway? Sounds like buying a ruin and new construction with many restrictions. Brandenburg, rural and a property for enthusiasts. No bank will be lining up to finance that.

Are you or do you want to become a farmer, forester, horse breeder, or start a horticultural business? Otherwise, the prospects look rather bleak.

In some areas, you can get an exception; it's rather rare.

Demolition / new construction will also be difficult, as the same approval is required. Also for extensive renovations.

As already says, banks are not exactly lining up for such properties.

Or do you have that much equity?

Hello HilfeHilfe, hello Caspar2020,

thank you for your answers. To be honest, we make less of a fuss about the financing, as there is an above-average amount of equity and a comparatively high income in the region.

However, we do not intend to pursue any of the aforementioned activities. For the appointment at the building authority, I am rather looking for arguments against fragmentation. If in the surroundings of the property there are only agriculturally actively used areas extending for hundreds of meters in 3 directions, could one not argue that with a high probability no building land will result from this? On one side of the plot, there are several adjoining gardens of other farms, which are not located in the outer area. Of course, someone could come up with the idea of building a house there. We are still certainly too inexperienced in the matter, given the short time we have been able to spend on it.

That is a temporal dilemma. What I don’t understand is this object stands empty forever and suddenly there are 2 interested parties. I wouldn’t let myself be pressured if you don’t have clarity yet.

Building in the open countryside is generally not desired from a planning law perspective. Therefore, all provisions of §35 of the Building Code are to be understood as exceptions. Since you do not belong to the privileged professional group and do not wish to belong in the future, you can IMHO only argue with §35 (4) 4. All other points do not apply to you. The building authority will not fear the emergence of a fragmented settlement. They can simply say that it is not a building substance worth preserving and you are 'out.'