There are many things we look for when finding a suitable property other than the basics of location.
Here are a list of attributes to look out for when purchasing a property:
Frontage
When you are buying property – you are buying land. Where that land is is very important but how the land is configured is also important. Generally, sunlight is limited when the frontage of a property is reduced. You can’t have a large house on a narrow lot without building a second storey. If you put taller, narrower houses together more tightly, there is less sunlight for main levels and less sunlight for the spaces between the houses.
Blocks with larger frontages allow for better parking within the property. The garage doesn’t take up a lot of facade and the driveway allows for guest parking – when was the last time your guests arrived for Christmas on a bus?
CDC Construction
Complying Development (CDC) in NSW allows people to ascertain the permits for a single dwelling and dual occupancies (main dwelling with a secondary dwelling) via a private certifier without having to go via the council and having objections from neighbours.
Its an easy and quick process that will certainly save you a lot money in holding costs and revision of plans, etc. The last thing you want to do is wait for 3 months just for the council to pick up your plans for assessment. 3 months in building world is like 3 years in the human world – it feels like a very long time.
To assess if a property is suitable for CDC construction you will need to ascertain a copy of the s194 Certificate (this is located within the Contract of Sale) and have your Certifier review to see if its CDC compatible. You need to look at if the property is flood prone, bush fire prone (if so what is the BAL rating), location of easements, etc.
Slope of the Block
Blocks are either flat, falling away from the street or falling towards the street. Blocks falling away from the street are the least valuable for a number of reasons. Firstly you need to check if there is an easement in place to catch the water from the OSD and/or if an OSD (onsite detention) tank is required. Then you need to look at things are the cut and fill and retaining walls. Lastly, the facade of the block will be affected if the house is lower than the street level.
Trees and Easements
Location of trees is important as depending on the council and the tree species, it may be impossible to remove and thus impacting your floor plans. This is also the case with the location of easements as you cannot build over easements unless they are encased and this only adds to the cost of construction.
Saci Projects 