Bali's virtual directory of real property.

Accessibility

The accessibility of a property should be seriously examined. The first consideration should be access to the nearest public road. If a one-lane street leads to the property this could lead to accessibility complications. If there are cars on it, it can easily become blocked. This problem is eliminated on a road with two lanes. Also check to see if there are any major roads in the area nearby which experience heavy car and motorbike flow. For instance, properties located in downtown Seminyak can sometimes be difficult to get to because traffic can be quite considerable.

If a property is not in the immediate vicinity of a public road, i.e., is located behind other properties or buildings, immediate access to the property can come in several forms. Oftentimes one can either own one’s own access to the nearest public road, or one has rights of access provided over adjacent blocks of land. One must make sure that all those aspects have been carefully legally reviewed. Nobody likes to buy a block of land and suddenly discover it is impossible to get to by means of motor transportation.

Take note if a villa is close in vicinity to a temple. The Balinese are predominantly Hindu, and ceremonies are a part of day-to-day living. On ceremony days, which occur frequently, the surrounding roads can get congested due to religious processions. This translates to the potential of roads being totally shut down for periods of time.

Access to Water

There is town water in Bali, i.e., water provided by the municipality, but it’s availability is restricted and not available in many areas. The majority of villas are dependent upon bore water, i.e., private wells. In this case, one should consider how deep the well is in the house, and whether the water supply is adequate for the house’s needs. Another important aspect not to overlook is that only villas with back-up generators or water towers have the capability to provide water pressure during power failures, which are relatively common in Bali. This obviously has an impact on lifestyle and rentablity.

Banjar

One very important aspect in respects to the property that one is thinking of purchasing is which Banjar the property are located in. As one quickly discovers in Bali, all roads lead to the Banjar, or the community organization in each area. Having good relations with the local Banjar is a key to harmonious living in Bali. Certain Banjars are known as being easy-going, while others have reputations for being difficult to deal with, and characteristics will vary tremendously from area to area. Finding out the reputation of a Banjar in a given area is a very good idea before making a purchase there.

Beaches

If you are searching for land near the beach, closely consider why you want to be near the beach and compare and contrast these priorities with the nature of the beach near the villa you are looking at. One should carefully consider if one wants to be near the beach for the scenery, for walking or jogging, for swimming, for surfing, or for some other purpose. Although some beaches are picturesque, activities on certain beaches can be limited. For example, some beaches are great for surfing, but dangerous for swimming, and some beaches have tides so high that walking on the beach can be near impossible.

Building on Land

When buying land one must be conscious of necessary considerations in regards to building on the land later on. One must find out how the land is zoned. Land can either be zoned for agricultural purposes, tourist facilities, or residential complexes. The key thing is to ensure is that you will be able to get a building permit for the property and for the purpose you desire. A building permit in Indonesia is known as an IMB. Oftentimes, if a block of land is owned for agricultural purposes, one may want to make the purchase conditional to the owner having the use of the land changed from agricultural into residential.

If one is purchasing land in order to build a house, one must invest some thought into what kind of house that one is going to build. For example, if the land one is looking at is a block of flatland, this basically means one will have an internal, garden view, or a property surrounded by walls. One should notice if there is the potential for a house to be open, looking out onto adjacent rice fields, or if a house is built with two stories instead of one, if it would allow for a view of the ocean.

It is important to note that there are very few building restrictions in Bali. One of the only basic restraints is that one cannot build more than three stories high. In order to build, one must submit one’s design for a house to the local authorities in order to obtain a building permit.

Drainage

One should carefully inspect the drainage aspects of land. Bali has two seasons: dry and wet. During rainy season, a considerable amount of water falls on the island. There are areas that are known to be prone to flooding, and others that are not. Asking how well the land is drained and studying where irrigation ditches and such are located is very important to do when buying land. Also, if you intend to acquire land to build on, and this land has been used primarily for rice paddies, this will have an impact on the stabilizing of a building’s foundation, as by definition, paddies are mud.

Natural Orientation

Another key consideration is a piece of land’s natural orientation in respects to north, south, east, and west. For example, if you intend to build a house on the property and part of the topography of the land includes a hill, the house will be very well-aired a lot of the time if it is built on top of this hill, north to where to prevalent winds are. In addition, a lot of people like west-facing beachfront land because it means they are going to have fantastic sunsets.

One more thing to consider in regards to geographic location is that there has been a lot of investment in building in Bali over the last few years. One should entertain the thought that the rice-fields, which potentially are located around a block of land, could be developed later on. The natural topography of land can have dramatic influences on the enjoyment of a property’s location and surroundings. If the property has a hill, a house could be built on top to ensure that a view is always maintained. This is also one of the large arguments for buying beachfront land; nobody is going to build in front of you.

One should carefully consider the size of the land upon which a potential villa is built. If the purchase you are interested in making is for a 10-area block of land in the middle of rice fields, it may be great initially but if the surrounding land is built up in the future, you may not have much distance from your neighbors. One therefore may want to acquire a much larger block of land. This will ensure that there is good distance from all surrounding lands so that whatever is built will have minimal impact on the atmosphere of one’s land.

One of the other ways to protect the neighboring landscape around a block of land is a local custom known as “renting the view”. This refers to striking an agreement (in a contractual form) with adjacent landlords in which they promise not to sell or develop their land and continue to farm. This arrangement is normally very similar to a lease structure, however it’s purpose is more of a non-development agreement. It is a good balance because it allows the locals to continue managing doing what they were doing previously, i.e. growing rice and maintaining their land, while supplementing their income, and purchasers get to enjoy the atmosphere and scenery for years to come.

When purchasing a block of land, it is important to find out what the situation is with the neighboring blocks of land. It is very useful to obtain information about who owns these blocks of land (foreigners or locals), and if there any plans to develop them in the near future, as this potentially have an impact on your lifestyle and the potential for rental yield, amongst other issues.

Noise

One should consider the proximity of a property to noise, which can be tremendous if located on a major road, near chicken or pig farms, or if particularly close to temples. Considering the Balinese are predominantly Hindu, and religious ceremonies are a part of day-to-day living, on ceremony days, which are frequent, the areas around temples can get noisy from processions and gamelon music.

Also consider how close a property is to it’s neighbors. If you or your potential neighbors are interested in frequently throwing large parties, or practising loud musical instruments, this could possibly lead to disagreements if your neighbors are very close in proximity to you.

Location

The most obvious thing to consider when choosing land is its location. One’s own personal preferences play an integral role in the process of choosing a suitable location, so one must search for a location that suits oneself. Certain aspects to consider include how close the property is to the beach and to shopping, and the speed of access from the property to the center of town. One must also think about the intended usage of the land, and whether one is making a purchase purely for personal residential usage, and/or for rental. The potential usage of the land will necessitate the consideration of varying location criteria. For example, should one be purchasing land in order to build a primary residence, if one has children, the proximity to schools should be taken into account. If the land is ultimately to serve rental purposes, one should be think carefully about the location’s rental viability and its resale potential. In this case, it is wise to consider the location from a renter’s point of view. Holiday vacationers are normally concerned with access to shops, beaches, bars, and to nightlife.