# A neighbor wants to buy part of my lot. OK, what next? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2026, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411 "2026-05-26T19:16:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/41 "2026-05-26T23:33:13Z")
What you need to know is: What is the total acreage of your lot? What are the dimensions (x feet by x feet)? What is the road frontage? I don’t see any of that in your photos. Does your specific area have minimum lot sizes and dimensions? If so, what are they? What are their setback requirements? Is there a maximum lot coverage (by buildings and/or impervious surfaces)? Would selling that strip to your neighbor make your lot less than that area or than those dimensions, if such restrictions exist? Would selling that strip prevent you from yourself building anything you’re likely to want to build in the future? (This might be an issue even if your area has no land use regulations.) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/42 "2026-05-26T23:39:55Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Viburnum, Iron County, Missouri Viburnum city codes, apparently on an insecure website. I haven’t tried reading them. > **[Viburnum City Codes](http://www.viburnum.net/citycodes/Viburnum_City_Codes/viburnum_city_codes.html)** ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/43 "2026-05-26T23:49:48Z")
Don’t assume your real estate agent knows what they’re talking about. A few years ago when I needed to sell a property I interviewed two RE agents before deciding who to choose. They both gave estimates of what they thought the place would fetch and what they would recommend as an opening price. The numbers from one were over $250,000 more than the other. We went with the agent who gave the higher estimate, and she turned out be correct in her estimate of what the place would sell for. We sold rather quickly at very near the initial asking price. To this day I marvel at how clueless the other agent was, and I wonder what financial losses she might have caused to any sellers who selected her and took her (obviously terrible) advice. Moral of the story: Not all RE agents are geniuses. Don’t believe what one person has to say, talk to several and see if they say different things. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/44 "2026-05-27T00:38:53Z")
Just remember that, after all is said and done, this person will still be your neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/45 "2026-05-27T01:02:21Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > It looks like you have a double lot and he has a single lot. As mentioned above, there could be advantages at some point to having a true double lot. This. Plus you currently have a nice buffer (with trees!) between you and the neighbor, who could always sell a year or five from now—and you might possibly get a new neighbor with a teenager who plays drums in the garage. If it were me, I would likely not go forward with this. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/46 "2026-05-27T01:06:52Z")
Totally outside my area of knowledge but wondering how stupid this idea is … Could they not change ownership but create instead a long term lease of that portion of property? Neighbor can use the property and if lease is dissolved, say if Hey Homie sells, has to be recompensed for some depreciated value of the garage that he has paid to be built? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/47 "2026-05-27T01:09:12Z")
> [@robby](#): > > It seems to me that if the neighbor wants this, then they can pay for everything, including the survey. > > They should be extremely grateful that you are even considering the offer. Most people with a typical city lot would simply decline to subdivide and sell part of their lot. > > I would also make _very_ sure that going through with this doesn’t adversely affect your lot so far as required setbacks and the like, for any structures currently on the lot as well as any you might contemplate installing in the future. That also goes for driveways, sidewalks, landscaping, trees, etc. > > Or that doing this doesn’t make your lot dramatically decline in value (i.e. more than you are getting from the neighbor), or make your lot smaller than the minimum for the city for a buildable lot. You’d presumably be grandfathered, but might not be able to remodel or rebuild in case of a loss. > > Presumably there was a reason the lots were drawn the way they were for you and your neighbor. > > Just saying I would proceed with caution. All good advice > [@LSLGuy](#): > > 100% of the expense and hassle belong on the buyer _in this instance_. Once the buyer has spent enough money on surveys, government permits, lawyers, etc. to know who much this will cost them, they’ll decide how badly they want to keep spending money to perform the subdivision and pay you whatever king’s ransom you can extort from them for their garage. > > Or they’ll decide they don’t need it that badly. > > But that’s the framework you should have in mind for the division of labor and division of expenses. IOW: all on them, period. Right. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/48 "2026-05-27T01:17:57Z")
Twenty years ago we discovered that our driveway cut through a section of our neighbors property. We ended up paying an amount many, many times the per acre value of land. E.g. the lots were 1.5 to 2 acres. And the land value was assessed at 150k-200k. So $2.25 a square foot. Mostly because 90+% of the lots are not buildable for hydrological reasons. We ended up paying almost $15,000 (including survey and legal fees) for a 150 square foot easement. Because we couldn’t sell our house without the easement. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/49 "2026-05-27T01:28:44Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Could they not change ownership but create instead a long term lease of that portion of property? This is the most sensible solution, IMHO. OP, _you_ build the garage on your property, then lease it to the neighbor for his use. You retain control over your land and the building usage, so if something doesn’t work out, you’ve still got the final word on what happens. I would no how, no way carve off a piece of my property and sell it to my neighbor, no matter how much I liked them. Such a scheme is often a can of worms best left unopened. By the time you trawl through the lot line issues, sub-standard non-buildable lot issues, loss of control over property you’ve always owned, compliance with county regulations (and there may be many!), potential easement concerns… all to save a little bit of mowing? No, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/50 "2026-05-27T01:33:51Z")
> [@robby](#): > > The new owner—who knowingly bought a non-buildable lot at a bargain-basement price—was sure they could get an exemption from the town. Something similar happened with my parents. A builder had bought three lots side by side, but due to a surveying error, he built a house on lot #1 that encroached onto lot #2 by 6 feet. He was sure he could get a variance to build on the narrower lot, but the city wouldn’t grant it. Meanwhile, my parents had bought lot #3 and my father was in no mood to take lot #2 off the builder’s hands.The builder ended up turning lot #2 over to the city and my family and the family in house #1 ended up taking care of lot #2 to keep it from becoming a weed-infested dumping ground. TL;DR Don’t mess with non-conforming lots. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/51 "2026-05-27T01:47:34Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > he stated that I’d need a surveyor to divvy things up. I think this statement alone means you should walk away. It sounds like he wants you to do all the work, which is significant, and take on all the costs, which are significant, in order to make the sale. I’m getting the impression that he is not cognizant of how much money and effort it will take to get the lot line moved. Not surprising, as I’m sure we’ve all learned a lot about what might be required from this thread that we didn’t know before. I get the sense that in his mind, all he has to do is give you $5k and then he can start pouring the foundation the next day. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/52 "2026-05-27T02:01:23Z")
Yes, twenty years ago, the surveying and legal costs of setting up our easement was almost $5000. While this sounds like a lot lower cost of living area, it’s still going to be serious money to do this right. And yes, a lot of the cost was to make sure neither lots became non-conforming as a result. If fact that is why we had an easement, not a sale. The lot line was really crooked because it needed to cut right in front of our house to give the neighbors lot the required 100’ of road frontage. The developer of the subdivision probably knew that he was putting our driveway on the neighbors’ land, but that was the only way he could put four houses at the end of the cut-de-sac. And indeed why the street was such a weird shape (basically a comma shape for no apparent reason). This is just an example of the kinds of things you can run into. Even if you keep the land and build a garage that they lease from you, you’re complicating the title on both the lots. Potential buyers hate these kinds of entanglements. How do you even negotiate a rent for a building that has a captive landlord and tenant, once one of the houses changes owners. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/53 "2026-05-27T02:10:32Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > The lot line was really crooked because it needed to cut right in front of our house to give the neighbors lot the required 100’ of road frontage. The developer of the subdivision probably knew that he was putting our driveway on the neighbors’ land, but that was the only way he could put four houses at the end of the cut-de-sac. Whoever approved that one fell down on the job. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/54 "2026-05-27T02:25:25Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > It looks like you have a double lot and he has a single lot. As mentioned above, there could be advantages at some point to having a true double lot We don’t actually know that. Suppose the minimum lot width is 100 feet and @HeyHomie has exactly 200 feet width. Then you’re right; as it stands HeyHomie has a subdividable lot but without that 35 feet they don’t, and that’s a big difference. But suppose that HeyHomie has 240 feet width; or that the legal minimum is 75 feet. In either case, transferring 35 feet to the neighbor won’t make that sort of difference. Or suppose that HeyHomie has that 200 feet, but the legal minimum is now 150, possibly having been changed or instituted after some narrower lots were created. In that cse, HeyHomie doesn’t have a aubdividable lot whether they sell the neighbor 35 feet or they don’t. You really have to know both the actual dimensions and the codes. You can’t tell from a picture which shows neither. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/55 "2026-05-27T02:27:32Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > The lot line was really crooked because it needed to cut right in front of our house to give the neighbors lot the required 100’ of road frontage. The developer of the subdivision probably knew that he was putting our driveway on the neighbors’ land, but that was the only way he could put four houses at the end of the cut-de-sac. I once had a remarkably similar circumstance. In a cul de sac. I had not tumbled to the idea you suggest, that the 10 foot error in placement of driveways versus lot lines was a way to squeeze an extra lot’s minimum frontage in there, but now in hindsight 20 years later … you nailed it. Mystery solved. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/56 "2026-05-27T02:35:04Z")
One other thing that made me think it could be a double lot is that there’s a missing address between the two houses. His is 59 and his neighbor is 63. I’m assuming his lot is 59 and 61 combined. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/57 "2026-05-27T02:59:40Z")
Maybe. My house number is well over 300. There’s no way you could fit 300 plus houses on this road. My nearest neighbor’s number is only two numbers off from mine. You could legally fit three more houses between us, not just one. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/58 "2026-05-27T03:09:00Z")
Consider a long-term lease. They get to rent a chunk of your land for a suitably long term, say 20 years, with option of renewal, and provision for cancelling if you sell or die etc. The legal fees will be waaay less than a subdivision (remember this results in two new property registrations with their associated costs). It can be defined by a fence or markers that you hammer into the ground and agree on. You might get some rent annually, but it will be much more clsoely aligned with the pro-rata square footage cost of renting land, and at the end of the lease either the garage is removed at their cost or you keep it and pay them for the joy of getting to keep it. Probably more paperwork, but this is a different kind of legal magic that does not change the status of land ownership, which means massive savings. If you ver want to sell out, then you get to sell your entire lot (which can be encumbered by the lease or not - its whatever you two agree). Given the low economic stakes and low overall land value, this is probably better and more proportionate to the overall costs. But absolutely do not do it as a handshake deal. Get a contract written up and markers hammered into the ground and measured in. Good neighbours can turn into dicks, people can forget, fences can fall down. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/59 "2026-05-27T04:05:59Z")
This _might_ work if the garage can fit on the OP’s property without straddling or getting too close to the property line. Failing that, no municipality is going to issue a building permit to any structure (including a garage) that straddles or gets too close to a property line, even if there is a lease involved. This violates setback rules. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411/60 "2026-05-27T04:17:24Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > He wants to buy from that line to the corner of my outbuilding. The outbuilding is a HUGE red flag. Many posts have already mentioned the word “setback”. It is usually illegal to have any structure touching a propertly line–there is usually a required setback distance. Even if it is only an outbuilding, such as a shed. You may find out that your shed is now illegal, and you can’t sell the property until you demolish it. What happens if in the future you (or a future buyer) want to improve that shed? Make it a workshop, add a water line to it, install a toilet, etc. Do not rely on any real estate agent. They are just like used-car salesmen, looking for a quick sale and a 6% commission. You need to meet with, and pay for , two half-hour meetings, and ask for professional advice. Meet with both a licensed land surveyor AND a real estate lawyer-- both of whom are experienced with the regulations in your county. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411.md?page=4)