Land seems like the simplest type of real estate: it has no roof, no utilities, and no tenants. In practice, however, when purchasing land as an investment, it can cause the most trouble, because its value is determined by factors that aren’t visible on-site. Below is a list of what we check for in every land transaction in Legnica and the surrounding area.
This is the first and most important factor. The local land-use plan specifies what can be built on a given parcel: whether it is designated for industrial, commercial, residential, or agricultural use. The same hectare along the same road can be worth many times more or less solely because of a single letter in the plan.
If there is no local zoning plan for a given area, a decision on development conditions is required, and this involves a separate procedure and separate risks: there is no guarantee that the decision will be what the buyer expects. Buying land on the assumption that development conditions will be granted is a gamble, not an investment.
The zoning plan is verified at the municipal office, and an extract and a map are the documents we always request before preparing an offer.
When selecting a site for manufacturing or warehousing, the deciding factor is not whether utilities are available in the area, but whether they can be connected and at what capacity. An electrical connection with insufficient capacity can derail an investment that would otherwise be suitable in every other respect.
So we check: the availability of electricity and its actual capacity, water, sewer service, gas, and—for manufacturing facilities—rainwater drainage as well. The terms of connection are issued by the utility provider, and this is a formal document, not a seller’s declaration.
Land without legally guaranteed access to a public road is land on which it is impossible to build. The mere fact that the site has been accessible via a dirt road for years means nothing if that road belongs to someone else and no right of way has been established.
With commercial properties, there’s a second consideration: whether the access road can handle heavy truck traffic, whether a truck-trailer combination can enter, and whether there are weight restrictions. These are questions that buyers in the logistics industry ask at the very first meeting.
The land register should be reviewed in its entirety, not just the first section. We are interested in: who the actual owner is, whether there are any registered mortgages, transmission easements, claims, life estate rights, or references to pending proceedings.
Transmission easements are particularly common with land and are sometimes not visible on the ground. A power line above a plot or a gas pipeline beneath it defines a strip where construction is prohibited, and these can take up more usable area than would be apparent from their route alone.
Higher-class agricultural lands are protected, and their conversion to non-agricultural uses requires a formal procedure and involves fees. It sometimes happens that a plot is formally located within a development zone, but its soil quality class adds a step to the investment process that the buyer was unaware of.
The slope of the terrain, the groundwater level, and the bearing capacity of the subsoil directly affect the cost of foundations and construction site preparation. For large-area industrial buildings, a difference in elevation that looks insignificant at first glance means thousands of cubic meters of soil to be moved.
Geotechnical surveys are an expense that pays for itself immediately in larger projects, as they either confirm the initial assumptions or allow the buyer to back out before signing the contract.
We examine not only what’s next to the property today, but also what the local zoning plan permits on adjacent lots. Land zoned for commercial use next to an area designated for heavy industry is a different investment than the same land next to a green space, even though they look identical on the day of the site visit.
Demand for manufacturing and warehouse land in the Legnica region is driven by the Legnica Special Economic Zone, which has been operating here for over thirty years. A company that receives a decision granting support then needs a specific plot of land, and this translates into actual inquiries about lots in the city and neighboring municipalities.
A second factor is the location along the A4 highway, between Wrocław and the western border, which is important for companies serving the market on both sides of the border.
If you’re considering purchasing investment land in Legnica or the surrounding area, start with two documents: an extract from the local zoning plan and a copy of the land and mortgage register. These documents provide the most clarity and quickly weed out plots that only appear to be suitable at first glance.
We handle land and commercial transactions in Legnica, Lower Silesia, and neighboring provinces. If you have a specific plot in mind or are looking for land for an investment, call us at 510 630 900 and tell us about your plans.
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