I’ve been looking into the cost of land and farmhouses, barnhouses that kind of thing.
The prices across the country are astonishingly high. Just ridiculous. 1000 wan, 2000 wan for small plots in the middle of nowhere not even touristy sites…Very disappointing to be honest. No value that I could find. My in laws have some land here but I want to purchase my own if I could.
And these prices are usually for NongShe, not even properly zoned houses. It means you could run afould of local authorities if you want to develop it , as mentioned below.
It’s better value renting places than owning, but it means you never have security.
If anybody has any tips about acquiring land more cheaply and putting in a nongshe please share.
Here is a relatively recent detailed article (in Chinese) about the state of play in 2023. As they say in the article, this is one of Taiwan’s famous ‘grey areas’ and much depends on local enforcement. You can see that Yilan issued more than 600 permits to use a nongshe but less than 200 in the last couple of years. Of course many people don’t get those licenses.
In practice, a number of foreigners have run into big problems because they bought land and built a nongshe but were later found to be not farming the land. The definition of what constitutes farming is quite narrrow. Planting a few fruit trees does not count. Taitung County is reportedly especially strict about this.
If it were me, I would definitely want to consult a lawyer with experience in this area before spending 10-20 million NT. Don’t be surprised if your lawyer also needs to work with a ‘land agent’ ( 地政士). These are professional specialized in land use and zoning. I’m always amazed at how many foreigners buy land or invest in businesses like restaurants without doing due diligence.
Have plans, but not executed yet. Daily lives getting in the way, ha.
The land is quite fallow now, although right behind us are rice paddies, and so would have to hire some bulldozers/backhoes to clear out the land. Money not a worry if/when to do it.
How big a plot you got?
In wife’s name?
What roadblocks are happening to you with county government?
You looking at every county, or which ones?
What are your objectives in regards
to terrain, long-term, plot size?
You open to any type of house?
Anyone here looked into 40-foot container style housing? Seen some nice looking ‘houses’ set up that way.
May I ask what kind of budget you have?
They have built them to be okay in the summer (A/C, insulated), so would not feel like a sauna.
I’m thinking they’re better at sustaining harsh weather like typhoons and earthquakes, along with perhaps be able to be locked up/down over extended periods of time to thwart unwanted ‘tenants’ of all kinds.
Kindly keep us updated if you research them more thoroughly.
I think the ghost stuff is just a stigma, in the end when you put cash on the table landlords will take it.
however, moving at old age, or "age proofing " the house for the elderly (e.g. for wheel chair, or bathing ) is much more difficult. my mom is in her 80s , i cant think how she will manage to move apartments if she had to for any reason.
I know the reasons but I’m wondering if anyone has any direct or indirect experience of this discrimination. I don’t. My pastor who is 82 can also rent with no problems. But he’s in great shape and could never know of his true age.
Yes pretty much. Would prefer in Pingdong or Kaohsiung at moment , also like Nantou, Chiayi, Taidong, but anywhere, yes.
What are your objectives in regards to terrain, long-term, plot size?
Small plot for relaxation, my own veg plot and garden, bbq area. Edge of village or in farmland is ok. Weekend use is priority.
You open to any type of house?
Pretty much, prefab type , fixer upper house is just fine
Anyone here looked into 40-foot container style housing? Seen some nice looking ‘houses’ set up that way
Yes I have seen some nice ones. Prefab type houses seek the best in terms of layout.
May I ask what kind of budget you have?
Could be up to 300k USD or up to 500k USD if we were to move to it. But really I would rather spend 100k USD on a glorified weekend shack getaway from the city. That’s my main objective. It’s not supposed to cost a fortune.
There are two plots - one is a house which we have to split up with relatives so that’s a whole mess. Since no one is willing to spend money to fix it up
Then there’s the farm land which my MIL tells me that the county government is trying to turn into a tourist zone (觀光地區) so there are more restrictions around what you can build. We were looking at a small shipping container house to start just to get a short term rental going. I’ve got a friend that did a bunch for a camping area and seems like a good way to start.
Latest issue is neighbors have been using a portion of the land for their own and need to get them removed.
