Project costs are geographically sensitive, but here's some benchmarking that may be useful:1. subdividing the land into three titles (and ongoing fees associated with having three titles) It's not the first part of the process, however, the subdivision costs in isolation are not great – say $5,000/allotment.2. bulldozing the existing house Give…[Read more]

Tommy,It's the (private) town planner's job to bring together the information and expertise required to complete a property development project. This might include, designers, architects, traffic engineers, structural engineers, landscape designers, surveyors and building consultants. The planner needs to put a coherent and compelling argument to…[Read more]

The planning permit should accurately describe (in either words or pictures) exactly what is currently permitted on the land. 1,200m2, in a suburban context, could be considered fairly large land for a 2 lot proposal. Generally speaking, a higher density, say 1:300m2 would be more common.

As an American friend says "cut bait or fish".

The council rarely "owns" a covenant. In order to have a covenant removed, the beneficiaries of the covenant must agree to its removal. There are, in essence, three ways to have a covenant removed, and one of these methods is by making a planning application to the municipal authority (council) to have the covenant removed and/or to develop the…[Read more]

Thanks Rick.

Jessica,Hope the research is coming along.A few things I would note from my own experience:Lower land value equates to lower margin. By this I mean that the margin is made by the subdivision of one lot into several, and the building on that land is simply to make the land viable, to give it a purpose.An estimate of $1,500/m2 for building works,…[Read more]

Nice work Vonny.If you can invest the time, and have fun doing it, I agree you can save thousands.But the "fun" part is what captured my attention with your post.It's easier to do the work described if a) you enjoy doing it, and b) you're making (or saving) money.A builder can't spend the time and effort in sourcing things without it costing the…[Read more]

You might consider using your land (properly secured) as equity in a JV project.

Wow, lots of great stuff….long thread.Here's perhaps a slightly different angle as an acquaintance put it:Build equity and cash flow into your investments by developing them yourself.That is to say, develop property as an investor.Start from the end point and work backwards.If the margin on a development is say 30% (as is common) then this can…[Read more]

Reading through this thread, there's much to consider.In terms of the planning or development potential I'll make a couple of points you may wish to consider:There more land you have, generally speaking, the greater scope for subdivision and development. This is especially true if you have a good street frontage.There may be an opportunity for…[Read more]

Simply, an architect or a drafts-person can prepare and lodge an application for a TPP.

If it is for the benefit of the children then consider making the children the beneficiaries of the trust.As regards the planning, Ms Ellis has done a great job setting out your options. One other option to consider is to get a TPP for the subdivision and enshrine the right to subdivide in the future.

Council will almost never refer to precedence in giving advice. In fact, we often get feedback from council that they cannot support a proposal because it will generate a precedent. So, to answer your question, yes the council (municipal planners) will give advice, but no, it will not necessarily match your intentions.It's my personal opinion that…[Read more]

Again I find myself agreeing with Breece! Bad precedents do not make good planning.The location would need to enjoy great amenity (close to transport, shops and public open space) and private open space and car parking will generally need to be accommodated.However, to your questions:If you intend to sell "with plans and permits" for four new…[Read more]

Learn as much as you can about money and risk. In my opinion property development has precious little to do with carpentry and building. I would recommend some accounting and legal studies to understand the basics. Most of the developers I work with know nothing about building, and don't feel they need to.

It may seem a little primative, but the best looking deals I see are explained quickly and clearly with pen and paper.

Hi Marcus,Consider contacting a town planner or designer local to (or knowledgeable of) the area. You will find they can either answer your questions or know someone who can. You don't need a detailed development plan, but you should have a clear idea of your intentions and a neat summary of the research you have done to date.

We handle a number of projects within heritage overlays. Breece is quite right in suggesting that a precinct-wide heritage overlay need not necessarily preclude development of one sort or another. If the overlay is specific to the property that can be far more restrictive, but again not necessarily the end of the road.Technically speaking an…[Read more]

What about a more radical re-design?The houses to both the north and south are both duplexes.The property has a long north boundary.There is lane-way access to the rear.I would propose dividing the existing dwelling into a duplex with garaging to the lane-way.The outcome would be two, three bedroom dwellings, each with garaging on separate…[Read more]