Stay updated with the latest trends, insights, and news in Australian property investment and development.
Three adjoining houses fetch one price sold separately and a larger one sold as a parcel, because a single narrow lot cannot physically use the floor space ratio the mid-rise controls allow and three lots together can. That difference is the assembly premium, and which side of the table keeps it is decided by how the group structures the sale.
The Low and Mid Rise amendment made residential flat buildings permissible on ordinary suburban lots, which means ordinary owners can now cross a threshold that used to belong to apartment developers. At three storeys and four dwellings the Apartment Design Guide starts applying, and the cost base underneath your feasibility changes with it.
A duplex is not a planning term. Dual occupancy is, and so is semi-detached dwelling, and the gap between those two definitions is where the money sits. What decides your return is not attached versus detached but whether the finished pair can be split onto two separate titles.
Native vegetation is the one cost line on a subdivision that can arrive without warning and without an upper bound. Three separate triggers can pull a project into the NSW Biodiversity Offsets Scheme, and two of them are decided by mapping you can check for free before you spend anything.
The NSW Low and Mid Rise Housing policy opened up a menu of housing types most owners have never heard of, and the names are legal definitions rather than marketing labels. A manor house is not a townhouse and neither is a residential flat building. Which one your block suits decides your title, your approval pathway and your end value.
A feasibility is four lines: what the finished project sells for, what it costs to deliver, the margin the project has to return, and whatever is left over for the land. The discipline is in the twenty-odd cost lines people forget. Here's the method, with a worked example and the sensitivity test that decides most sites.
Before you pour a slab, the council wants its share of the infrastructure your project will lean on. Section 7.11 and 7.12 contributions are a real, sometimes five-figure line in any development feasibility, and owners routinely leave them out. Here's how the two levies work, what they cost, and where to find your number.
A slope doesn't rule out development, but it changes the maths. Cut and fill, retaining, engineered footings and drainage all land before the first wall goes up, and they scale with the fall. Here's how to read a sloping block, what the earthworks realistically cost, and when the site still stacks up.
Before you get to knock-down-rebuild territory there's an earlier fork: renovate the tired house, demolish it, or step back and ask what the land is worth to a developer. Each answer suits a different owner, and choosing the wrong one can quietly destroy the very value you're trying to unlock. Here's how to tell them apart.
In a development joint venture you contribute the land, a developer contributes the money and expertise, and you share the finished project's profit instead of taking one payment upfront. Done well, it's how landowners capture the uplift developers normally keep. Here's how the structures work, what a fair split looks like, and the clauses that protect you.
Build a duplex and you still have to decide how to split the title: Torrens, with two fully independent lots, or strata, cheaper and faster but with shared insurance and a scheme to run. The choice quietly moves your resale price and your build cost more than most owners expect. Here's how to pick.
Developers don't value your property by comparing it with the house that sold down the street. They work backwards from the finished project using residual land value, and understanding that method is the single best negotiating tool a landowner can have. Here's the maths, with a worked example.
An easement is a legal right someone else holds over part of your land, usually for a sewer, drain or shared driveway. Some barely dent a development site; others quietly kill a duplex design. The difference comes down to where the easement sits and what runs through it. Here's how to find yours and read what it does to your land value.
Probate is done, the house sits empty, and you and your siblings own it together and don't quite agree what to do. There's no wrong pace to take this at, but a few decisions are worth understanding early, especially the two-year tax window and what the land might really be worth. Here's a calm way to think it through.
If your home sits within a few hundred metres of certain NSW train stations, a state-led rezoning may have quietly lifted what a developer can build on your land to six storeys or more. Owners inside these rings are getting letterbox drops for a reason. Here's how to check whether you're in one, and what to do if you are.
A knock down rebuild in NSW now runs from roughly $700,000 to well past $1 million once demolition, approvals and the build are counted. Sometimes that's money brilliantly spent. Sometimes selling the site, or partnering on its development, leaves you far better off. Here's how to tell which owner you are.
Subdividing your land can be taxed as a modest capital gain or as business income with GST attached, and the same block can fall either side of the line depending on how you go about it. This is general information, not advice, but knowing where the line sits tells you which questions to bring to your accountant before you lodge anything.
A development approval can lift what your site sells for, because the buyer inherits a project instead of a gamble. But getting one costs real money and the better part of two years. Here's the maths on when the premium beats the spend, and the middle path most owners never hear about.
Developers regularly pay 10 to 25% above what a home would fetch on the open market, because they're buying your land's future, not your kitchen. Here's how selling to a developer actually works, when it beats a normal sale, and the contract traps to avoid.
A duplex can clear a healthy margin or quietly lose money, and the difference usually comes down to one question: did you already own the land? Here's the full 2026 feasibility, worked two ways, plus the option that lets you build without funding it yourself.
A complying development certificate can be signed off by a private certifier in as little as 10 to 20 days. A council development application now averages around 122 days across NSW, and the slowest councils run past 250. CDC is faster and cheaper when you qualify, but there's a reason developers sometimes choose the slow path on purpose.
A battle-axe subdivision turns one street-front block into two lots, with the rear one reached by a long driveway handle. It can unlock real value, but the handle costs money to build, eats into your land area on paper, and the rear lot sells at a discount. Here's the maths that tells you whether it stacks up.
Subdividing a block in NSW typically costs somewhere between $50,000 and $150,000 for a straightforward two-lot split, and the range is wide for good reasons. Here's where the money actually goes, from council contributions to Sydney Water certificates, and the questions to ask before you commit.
For most standard blocks in NSW the answer is now usually yes. Dual occupancy became permissible across every R2 low-density zone after the recent reforms, and on the right lot you can build two dwellings and split them onto separate titles. Here's what's allowed, the forms it takes, and the handful of situations where the answer is still no.
In NSW a granny flat can be approved by a private certifier in as little as 10 to 20 days, rented out separately, and built on most standard blocks over 450 square metres. It's the easiest secondary income a backyard can produce. It can also quietly cost you a much bigger development, and that's the part nobody mentions.
Corner blocks command premium prices in property development, often achieving 30% higher returns than standard blocks. From dual street access enabling better subdivision to reduced overlooking issues and superior design flexibility, discover why developers compete fiercely for corner sites and how to maximise your corner block's hidden value.
Sydney's top development suburbs for 2025 combine new planning reforms, infrastructure investment, and untapped potential. From Western Sydney's growth corridors to inner-ring transformation zones, discover the 20 suburbs where developers are making 20-40% returns and why corner blocks near new Metro stations are today's gold mines.
The 2025 NSW planning reforms have revolutionised R2 low-density residential zones, allowing townhouses, terraces, and multi-dwelling developments where only single houses were permitted before. Discover how these changes could multiply your property's value and what you can now build on R2-zoned land across Australia.
Dual occupancy development can transform a single house block into two valuable properties, delivering 40-80% returns. This complete Australian guide covers everything from council approval costs to construction budgets and real profit examples. Discover why dual occupancy is the sweet spot for property development in 2025.
Your property could be worth significantly more than you think. Use this comprehensive 10-point checklist to assess your property's development potential and discover if you're sitting on a goldmine. From zoning and size to market demand and planning changes, we cover everything Australian property owners need to know.
Thinking about selling your property without an agent? Discover how for sale by owner (FSBO) could save you thousands in commission fees, plus learn about a revolutionary alternative that offers the best of both worlds - professional support with maximum returns through development potential
Sydney's property market is experiencing a transformative shift in 2025. With median house prices hitting $1.48 million and new planning reforms unlocking unprecedented development potential, savvy property owners are discovering their homes could be worth 15-25% more than traditional valuations suggest.
Life doesn't wait, and neither should your property sale. Whether it's a job relocation, financial pressure, or simply wanting to move on quickly, discover how to sell your house fast in Australia without sacrificing value - including an innovative option that could net you 15-25% above market value with settlement in just 21 days.
Get your development assessment or speak with our development experts today
Submit your details and receive your preliminary development assessment within 24 hours, guaranteed.
Our assessment and initial consultation are completely free with no strings attached. Only proceed if you're 100% happy.
Partner with us to maximise development potential through joint ventures, profit-sharing, or direct acquisition options.