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Option agreements for land in Exeter

If you own land in or around Exeter, option agreements is one of four ways you can sell it to us. Here's how it works and when it makes sense.

If your land could be allocated in a future local plan, an option keeps it moving towards development without you funding the work.

  • Free appraisal and written offer
  • Figures explained, so you can check them
  • No pressure to decide

Selling land near Exeter?

We'll check the title and planning, then call you.

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Free and no obligation. We're the buyer, so there's no commission.

Land around Exeter

Our appraisals for Exeter start with the EX2 postcode district and the OS grid square SX99, then widen out to Heavitree, Exmouth and Tiverton, all within about 12 miles.

TownExeter
CountyDevon
CountryEngland
Postcode districtEX2
OS grid squareSX99
Nearest towns we coverHeavitree (1 mi), Exmouth (9 mi), Tiverton (12 mi)
Distance from PlymouthAbout 36 miles north-east
Planning systemNational Planning Policy Framework and local plan
When you're paidOption fee now, price when the option is exercised
Planning costsOurs, sometimes recoverable from the price
Two people in outdoor jackets walking along a hedgerow, one pointing across the field

When an option agreement suits land near Exeter

  • Land being considered in a local plan review
  • Holdings where several owners need to work together
  • Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
  • Sites with technical issues that need time to resolve

Options are the usual way to bring larger sites forward. They let us invest in planning while you keep ownership and the use of your land.

The terms that matter

Option fee

A payment on signing, which you usually keep even if the option isn't exercised.

Purchase price

Often a percentage of market value with permission, less agreed costs.

Term

How long we have to secure permission and exercise the option.

Your obligations

Agreements set what you can and can't do with the land in the meantime.

How a sale works

  1. Tell us about your land

    Send the postcode or address and a rough size.

  2. We do the homework

    We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.

  3. You get a written offer

    With the main figures behind it, so your adviser can check it.

  4. The legal work

    Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.

Rules that apply in England

Planning framework

Planning decisions in England follow the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in August 2026, and the local plan, prepared by the council or, in a national park, the park authority. Plans are reviewed periodically, which is when new housing sites are usually allocated.

Section 106 and CIL

Larger schemes often need a Section 106 agreement for affordable housing or contributions, and councils that have adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy charge it per square metre of new floorspace.

When the land isn't straightforward

You want to be sure we'll actually pursue planning

Agreements can include obligations to use reasonable endeavours and set milestones.

You'd like your advisers' costs covered

Many option agreements include a contribution to the landowner's legal and agent costs. We'll tell you if ours does.

Useful to send us

  • The address or postcode
  • A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
  • Your title number, if you know it
  • Details of any tenants or grazing agreements

Questions from landowners near Exeter

What is an option agreement?

A contract that gives the buyer the right to buy your land within a set period, usually after planning permission is granted. You receive an option fee now and the purchase price if the option is exercised.

How is the price set?

Usually as a percentage of the land's market value once permission is granted, minus agreed costs, with a minimum price. The percentage and deductions are negotiated.

Can I sell to someone else during the option?

Not usually. The option binds the land, and it's normally registered against your title.

Can you visit land near Exeter?

Yes. Once we've looked at the title and planning position, we arrange a site visit if the land looks suitable. Send the address or postcode to start.

Find out what we'd pay for your land near Exeter

Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back to you.