Land and farms for sale in Bab El Bhar

There are no farms in Bab El Bhar. The delegation covers central Tunis, fully built up for decades, and Berges du Lac, a district reclaimed from the shores of the Lake of Tunis and developed in stages since the late 1980s. The land for sale you find here is therefore urban lots, almost all in Lac 2 and the last developed phases, with a few isolated plots in Lac 1.

Supply is small, posted mostly by owners reselling a lot bought a few years ago, and sometimes by agencies specialised in the Lac. For more space or farmland, all the land for sale in the Tunis governorate remains the best starting page, before widening to Ariana or Manouba.

Three types of lots, three sets of specifications

The villa lot is the most sought after. In Lac 2, residential plots were laid out for detached houses with gardens, with precise rules on height, footprint, setback from the street and fencing. These rules are in the subdivision's specifications, which follow the land at every resale: ask for them before any price discussion.

The lot for an apartment building mainly interests developers. It allows a multi storey residence with underground parking, and sells at a price based on the buildable floor area rather than the plot size. Finally, some lots are reserved for offices, shops or public facilities. Buying them to build a house is not possible: land use is not negotiated with the seller, it is read in the zoning plan.

What sets the price of land in the Lac

The price per m² of land in Berges du Lac is among the highest in Tunisia and varies widely from one plot to the next. A lake view, closeness to main roads and company headquarters, orientation and the shape of the lot make considerable differences a few streets apart. Be wary of comparisons with listings in other districts: a Lac 2 plot only compares with its immediate neighbours.

Free lots get scarcer every year. Many owners bought to resell, and bare land serves as an investment more than a project. That explains listings that stay online for a long time at the same price, and sellers who would rather wait than cut. For the buyer, the advantage lies elsewhere: land in the Lac resells easily, and a well designed villa on a good lot holds its value.

Before signing: soil, utilities and title

The Lac is built on former wetland that was backfilled. A soil survey is essential before pricing the foundations, especially if you plan a basement: the water table is close, and deep foundations or tanking can add significantly to the building budget. Also check that the lot is connected, or can be connected, to SONEDE water, STEG electricity, ONAS sewerage and telecoms, and that the roads in the phase are finished.

On the paperwork side, the land title must be individualised in the seller's name, free of mortgage, and any developer conditions lifted: construction deadline, ban on resale before a given date, prior approval. Have all of this checked at the land registry by a notary or lawyer before paying any deposit.

Those who find land too slow to take through to construction can look at the houses for sale in Bab El Bhar, where a few recent Lac 2 villas sell barely finished. Investors aiming at business use will rather check the offices and shops for sale in Bab El Bhar.