What to Consider When Choosing a Waterfront Plot

Estonia has approximately 3,800 kilometers of coastline, and when you add centuries-long maritime and fishing traditions to this, it's completely understandable why proximity to the sea is important to many people. When searching for a suitable waterfront plot, a well-known rule applies: good preliminary work guarantees the best results!

If your ancestors once made their living as fishermen or you've already managed to acquire a cottage whose steps allow you to practically dip your toes in the sea, then allow yourself to be congratulated – you belong to a select few! For those who still have thoughts of a waterfront property brewing in their minds, I'll highlight several matters that taking into account will save you from both later disappointments and unnecessary drains on your wallet. Where to start?

Location

Which region is closest to your heart? Are you looking for privacy or do you prefer a developed area where everything is at hand? Location is something you won't be able to change later! It's also worth considering whether you want a turnkey house on the plot or if you'll build gradually yourself. If you're building yourself, are there familiar acquaintances or relatives nearby from whom you could ask advice and help or borrow tools if needed? There's an important difference between driving 150 km to rent a chainsaw or walking 100 meters to a friend's house.

Your Own Eyes Are the Best Judge

View the plot in person, if necessary several times! The advertisement photos and the land office's geoportal aerial images don't give a true picture, and besides, when finding your future cottage or property, the right gut feeling develops right on the spot.

Distance from Your Permanent Residence

There's a big difference between having to drive two hours by car and one and a half hours by ferry to your summer cottage plot, or being able to get there in 30 minutes. In addition to travel time, a more remote location also strains your wallet. Distance from larger populated centers does affect land prices, but not always. In general, waterfront plots near major centers are still significantly more expensive than, for example, at Sõrve Peninsula or in Häädemeeste.

Waterfront or Near the Sea

Is your vision of a waterfront (cottage) property one where you step onto your dock with a coffee cup, or are you willing to spend, for example, 30 minutes walking to reach the beach? In that case, it's more of a near-waterfront property, but this doesn't always have to be a disadvantage. Especially financially.

Search

Once you have some vision in mind, open a real estate portal and filter out listings at suitable prices in a region you like. Using map search, you can find them more quickly. If you don't find something suitable on the portal, you can search for interesting plots from the land office's geoportal and use the e-land register and Google to contact the owner directly. This requires stepping out of your comfort zone, but you do want to find the most suitable property for yourself, right? Also ask acquaintances, friends, and colleagues – Estonia is small and someone surely knows someone who knows a person who wants to sell exactly your dream property!

Restrictions

Once you've made your choice, you need to find out whether you're allowed to build anything on these plots. Mysteriously affordable waterfront plots are offered for a reason, so always do a two-stage check. First: in the land office's geoportal you can add filters to the desired cadastral units, which will show general restrictions. The building prohibition zone is typically 100 m on the mainland in scattered settlement areas and 200 m on islands and in Narva-Jõesuu, but it's worth noting that the land office's geoportal does not reflect restrictions set by local authorities. More detailed information about building prohibition zones can be found in the State Gazette, from the Coastal and Shore Protection Act.

Second, definitely contact the local authority, send them the cadastral numbers, and inquire about building possibilities. You may be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised, since municipalities have the authority to make exceptions in their general plans. It may happen that a plot where building was not allowed a year ago can now have a house built on it. If possible, request a written response. One particularly pleasant exception is that if a plot contains the foundation of some pre-ice age building located directly on the seashore, the building restriction does not apply. Quite possibly you can use the foundation for building a house and this regardless of the building prohibition zone.

There may be other circumstances that limit construction (nature conservation, cultural heritage, electricity lines/facilities), but you'll find answers about these too from the land office's geoportal, and ask for clarifications from the local authority.

Access

Best of all if the plot is accessible from a public road. If it's via a private road, you need to find out whether access is secured by an easement or if agreements with landowners have been made in another way. The existence of an access road is especially important if you're using a bank loan to purchase the land – without it, you may not get the loan. The existence of easements, as well as mortgages and other restrictions placed on the property, can be viewed from the land register's register extract, which costs two euros.

Electricity

We can't imagine life without electricity, so before purchasing you need to ask about the cost of electricity connection. A rule of thumb is that if the nearest connection point (substation) is up to 400 m away, you only have to pay the connection fee based on the desired amperage, with 1 ampere costing 156 euros. If the substation is further away, you also need to pay a certain percentage of the line construction cost.

Water and Sewage

In scattered settlement areas, there is no central water supply. If the plot lacks a well or borehole, you'll need to create one yourself. The price depends on the depth of the borehole and the soil, with drilling costs between 75–85 euros per meter and the well depth approximately 30 meters. Local sewage septic tanks start at 1,000 euros, with the cost of pipes and installation added on top.

There are quite a few aspects to consider when choosing a waterfront plot. Fortunately, it's always possible to use professional real estate broker services if you're short on time!

Find a selection of waterfront plots here>>

Article source: Arco Vara Real Estate Office