What to watch when buying land: a 12-point corporate checklist

Land is the longest-lived but most misunderstood form of real estate. When buying a home, you see walls and a floor plan; when buying land, you see boundary stones, zoning maps and cadastral data. The 12 points below summarise the checks a corporate land purchase must include.

1. Title record and parcel type

The first stop is the Title Registry. Is the parcel registered as ‘land/lot’ or as ‘field’, ‘vineyard’, or ‘olive grove’? This distinction affects both the tax paid at acquisition and future use rights.

2. Zoning status

The up-to-date zoning document includes FAR (E), maximum height (Hmax), setback distances, subdivision conditions and plan notes. If the master plan is under revision, the active plan applies, not the prior one.

3. Share status and independent title

A shared title is not necessarily bad — but must be chosen consciously. On parcels with multiple shareholders, construction requires consent from all shareholders or a subdivision process. Independent title always provides higher liquidity.

4. Mortgage, lien, annotation

The title record may carry a mortgage, attachment, usufruct, sale promise or rental annotation. Title transfer is not safe until these are released. The nature and duration of every annotation must be analysed.

5. Road frontage and access

Parcels without road frontage cannot build even what zoning allows. Check the cadastral map for the parcel’s frontage, frontage length, and the ownership of the road (public, shared, etc.).

6. Elevation, slope, geological survey

Sloping land grants views but increases cost. Before any construction decision, elevation differences, drainage, soil type, and where required a geological survey must be evaluated. In zones close to seismic lines such as the Gulf of Edremit, this step is critical.

7. Infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage)

Water mains, transformer access, sewage or septic conditions, gas infrastructure — all determine cost and timeline. For vineyard and grove fields, irrigation water rights are separately examined.

8. Taxes, fees and other costs

Title fees (2% + 2% for buyer and seller), revolving fund fees, property tax, any zoning conformity fee and brokerage charges must be presented in writing up front. At Varko Arsa, every cost line is tabulated before signing.

9. Neighbour-parcel analysis

A parcel’s present value is set by construction, investment activity and plan changes on neighbouring parcels. Their title types, build ratios and ownership give the holistic picture.

10. Regional zoning trend

Transport investments along the Balıkesir – Çanakkale corridor (high-speed rail, motorway connections, new port capacity) directly affect long-term parcel value. Following the city master plan and major infrastructure projects is foundational.

11. Protected and special-status areas

Archaeological or natural conservation, military restricted zones, national park buffers, or olive-grove protection law coverage can limit construction and transfer. When ‘olive grove’ is registered, a 3-km protection band may apply — manage this consciously.

12. Contract and title transfer

The sale contract must include price, payment plan, late-payment interest, hand-over conditions and rescission clauses. Title transfer occurs in person at the Title Registry on the same day; transfers by proxy require a recent notarised power of attorney.