If you're looking in say the middle suburbs a good starting point (but by no means a certainty) is 1:300m2, so you should expect a 900m2 allotment to yield three dwellings. However, there are many different outcomes and it may pay to seek the advice of a planning consultant before you purchase.

The suitability of a property for the purposes of subdivision rests on a few major considerations:The size in the context of the planning scheme.The zoning of the property and any special overlays.The proximity to transport, schools and other amenities.Knowing who has the deals. Agents settle a lot of these "off market".A many minor…[Read more]

Research!Houses cost a lot of money, they are a serious investment. I've seen people put more effort into buying a car than a house.So my advice is to hit the streets in an area you like and see what's out there, and to also do some research on the costs involved in value adding – from simple cosmetic work, to renovations/additions, to…[Read more]

Tell them exactly what you have told us.

Allow around $1,500 – $2,000/m2 for additions. A bedroom might be say 4m x 3m = 12m2 = say $24,000.A toilet will cost far less than $30,000!

No problem swapping to gas/gas the feed will already be there. You'll need a plumber in any case.

I'm sure there are any number of builders or designers that can help you (hopefully someone from this site will see your post) to document and arrange the work. You could try a local kitchen/bathroom specialist.

Perhaps your parents could borrow the money, secured against their own assets, and give you that money for a deposit? In this way they are only "exposed" to your position to the extent of that loan rather than guaranteeing the whole loan.

Good advice as ever from JacM. This is a big undertaking you are talking about and the tax implications alone can sink this type of proposal before it starts. Perhaps try to write down your intentions (what you want to do and why) and then consider how this can be achieved and what structure is best. A larger development like this might, for…[Read more]

No worries, I hope it works out well.

I can give you details for a surveyor we use if you like, just PM me.It sounds like you may also need to talk with someone about ensuring you have understood the process and have made arrangements for the issues to be dealt with. Generally the subdivision and building works are dealt with simultaneously and a contemporaneous issue of subdivision…[Read more]

I don't think I answered your questions well enough in the last post, so I'm having another go!Yes, a land surveyor can prepare the proposed plan of subdivision and help you out with the necessary compliance issues.The proposed plan of subdivision, along with your TPP application and approval, should be enough for a valuer to provide a valuation…[Read more]

There are different rules from state to state however assume the following:The planning permit should allow you the "right" to subdivide the property into new titles. Your town planner should be able to guide you through this process fairly simply.The proposed plan of subdivision setting out the agreed property boundaries will need to be certified…[Read more]

That's an interesting conundrum!The most obvious way is to strata title the two "dwellings" so they are each on separate titles. The costs for strata titling are not expensive (say $10,000) but there are other costs for compliance that can add up to a healthy bill – things like fire separation and noise attenuation to name just two. There are…[Read more]

What you are proposing is achievable, and probably desirable! As Jen1 points out, your intentions need to be clear and accommodated by the contract you put together and partitioning may be the answer. Generally if your consortium were to buy together you would do so as tenants in common. This would suggest that a single facility secured by the…[Read more]

When rendering over foam the renderers often apply a mesh over the whole surface prior to rendering. This acts to unify the whole surface and guard against cracking, and maybe worth considering in this type of application.

One advantage of a subdivision is the additional value extracted from the land (rather than the dwellings) simply by subdividing. In real terms, and especially in banking terms, the land is the appreciating asset and the building is the depreciating asset. This is also the case in accounting terms. If you have one allotment and make it into two or…[Read more]

One advantage of a subdivision is the additional value extracted from the land (rather than the dwellings) simply by subdividing. In real terms, and especially in banking terms, the land is the appreciating asset and the building is the depreciating asset. This is also the case in accounting terms. If you have one allotment and make it into two or…[Read more]

In some ways, the question explored here comes down to buying for now, or buying for later. Although there may not be a need or desire to become a "developer" right now, the land itself holds this promise. Urban sprawl will continue, but for the foreseeable future the development potential of new estates is pre-considered, whereas older areas…[Read more]

This is generally referred to as third party security and is not uncommon for aggregated loan positions. The biggest issue is that you end up with a pile of guarantees you can't see over! For the financier it's always the same issues: security (and their unimpeded access to it), your ability to service the debt, and a risk free LVR. Oh, and they…[Read more]