50 by 100 plot

I am fairly certain that you have heard the phrase “50 by 100.” The term is so common that most people think it means a plot of land. I grew up hearing the phrase on radios and the popular “buroti maguta,” but that is for another day. Today let us get to know what the 50 by 100 actually means and dive into the history and facts about it.

Why do 50 -by-100 lots exist?

In easy English, 50 by 100s are plots or parcels of land that measure 50ft by 100ft. It is your basic eighth of an acre. This means that one acre of land contains 8 such lots of 50 by 100.

So why do these plots even exist in the first place?

You see, as cities began to grow, the then municipalities realized that hording large tracts of land in the towns actually slowed growth.

For this reason, they came up with an idea to lease or sell subdivisions of land in small sizes. These small parcels could attract individuals to buy and develop the land, creating cities. The results of this were that many people began buying and selling units, which has since led to massive development of towns into cities.

Why buy a 50 -by-100 lot?

With all this said, why should you buy a 50×100 piece of land? Well, there are many reasons, many being personal, that would lead you as an investor to buy such a plot. However, in this post I will be brushing through some of the reasons.

• You may be a speculative buyer aiming at timing the real estate market in a particular area. This means that you may buy the plot for future capital gains.
• For land banking purposes. This is common when you want to store your money as an investment asset or to make yourself less liquid and thus less likely to waste it.
• For development purposes. Many people buy such plots to develop rentals that serve as sources of passive income.

What can you build in such a lot?

There are a lot of different building typologies that you could erect on your 50 by 100 plot. This, however, depends on the reason you decided to buy the land in the first place. You could build a residential 4-bedroom bungalow comfortably or even a 5-bedroom maisonette on the residential side with some ample room for a compound.

For commercial purposes you could build a 5-story rental unit. This, of course, depends on your financial ability and zoning laws.

How many one-bedroom units can fit 50 by 100?

Developers often inquire about the number of units that can fit on a given plot. This is common with people seeking to develop either studios, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom rentals. Based on density studies and the most applicable sizes of your units,

• You could have 7 one-bedroom units, each with over 35 m² plinth.
• In terms of 2 bedrooms, 4 is an optimal number.

Should you buy a 50 -by-100 plot of land?

The answer depends on various factors, which include what you intend to do with the plot, your own personal preferences, and your budget. That said, there are many reasons why you could decide to buy, be it for development or as an investment.

What I discourage clients from is buying for the sake of buying, without any calculated plan and reasons to do so.