Q&A

Your property questions answered.

Buying a bit of neighbours' garden

We are extending our house at the back and the architect has suggested that we approach the neighbours, whose back garden backs onto our back garden, with a view to buying around 2 metres of their (quite long) garden. How do we go about this? Does the architect negotiate this for us? What should we pay?

You, as the homeowners are the best people to do the deal and your best course of action is to be as upfront and honest with your neighbours as possible. In any neighbourhood where gardens back on to each other, people rightly get nervous at the prospect of any building activity. Arrange to call around to your neighbour with the plans so that they can see exactly what you intend to build. That way your neighbours' fears about your extension will be allayed and they will be in a better position to understand why you want the piece of garden. As for what you should pay for these two metres, well that's entirely down to what the piece of land is worth to you. When you say that your architect has suggested that you buy the piece of garden - has he or she simply "suggested" the purchase or have they told you that you absolutely need the extra land. It could be that the extension as designed can only go ahead if you get the extra footage. To prevent people building on every square foot of their garden, planning regulations require that an extension should not reduce the open space at the back of the house to less than 25sq m, which must be reserved exclusively for the use of the occupants. Don't assume, incidentally, that just because this neighbour has a long garden they're not going to miss a couple of feet - people tend to be very attached to every square foot, especially if they are in any way keen gardeners. Negotiations over garden sales often break down because one party goes in with an unhelpful "sure you won't miss it" attitude coupled with a derisory offer. If you've chosen a local architect he or she might have experience of similar purchases in the area and can advise you of the price range you should be operating in. Have any of your neighbours done what you are proposing? If so, you could always sound them out so that you have a price range in mind. You should also reassure your neighbour that you will build a new wall and possibly plant a border of their choosing in their back garden.

Which agent will show house?

Can a seller stipulate exactly who will be showing their house? We ask this, having been at several house viewings recently where the person showing the house didn't seem to have the first clue about what they were selling.

At the top end of the market, agents pitching for the business always make a point of telling the homeowner that one of the agency's senior people will be handling all the viewings. It's this personal service that seals the deal. Sellers of less valuable properties sometimes get a raw deal and at busy times of the year it's all hands on deck in some agencies with even temporary staff pulled in to handle Saturday viewings. When you are shopping around for an agent, be very clear that you want the agent who is negotiating the sale to be the one who is handling the viewings and that you want to meet and fully brief that person before viewings start.

Send your queries to Property Questions, The Irish Times, 10-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 or e-mail propertyquestions@irish-times.ie.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.