5 Things to Consider When Buying Vacant Land

by Carlisle Homes

Choosing the right estate and developer

The first things to consider when choosing a location for a block of land to build your dream home are the pragmatic aspects of daily life. Think about how you’re going to get to work, where your kids will go to school, how far away the nearest shops are.

Then, as you get closer to a final decision, you need to dig even deeper. Because, as Dowling points out, when you’re looking to buy a block of land in a growth corridor, there’ll likely be multiple developers selling land in the area, and you’ll be making decisions based on plans and future potential rather than anything concrete.

“I strongly encourage people to be thorough in their homework, and to get out and compare the different estates firsthand,” she says. “Then, before you commit to buy from a particular developer, visit other estates they’ve already delivered to see if they’re the kinds of communities you’d be happy living in.”

Dowling also recommends that you ask the developers lots of questions. “Things like, when will the new train station be completed? Is the local supermarket going to be a Woolworths, a Coles or an Aldi? Will there be a community house with a gym and spaces to hire for kids’ birthdays? Anything that you feel you’ll need for a happy life,” she says. It’s advisable to check if there are any powerline easements in the area too, as these could have different implications for obtaining financial approval in some areas.

Choosing the right block of land

Once you’ve settled on your preferred estate, the next step is to choose a specific block of land. And Dowling makes it clear that there’s potential for trouble down the track if you don’t exercise due diligence at this stage. “Firstly, you have to know the size of the home you want to build, to make sure that your block will be big enough,” she says.

“But you also have to review the developer’s guidelines to check for things like setback requirements from boundaries, height restrictions or challenges due to overshadowing, because these can all have an impact on the size of house you’re able to build.”

Other factors that can compromise the design of your dream home include choosing an elevated or sloping site, having an easement that prohibits construction on part of the block, or being located near an airport or train station, where a Design Development Overlay demands that you take extra acoustic measures. If you haven’t considered these things before you purchase land, you might not be able to build your preferred home design. Or if you can build it, it might cost a lot more than expected.

Getting help from the professionals

With all of these potential pitfalls, you can see why Dowling suggests that you seek help from the people who do this work for a living! Carlisle Homes can provide assistance no matter how you decide to proceed. For example, if you’re determined with buying a block of land and building later, a Carlisle Homes sales consultant will be happy to review your land documents before you make the purchase, to confirm what home designs will be suitable and to give you an idea of the site costs.

If you’ve chosen your preferred Carlisle Homes design, we will even be able to provide a fixed price for construction and site costs, so you can proceed with the purchase knowing that your dream home can be built on the site, and that you won’t have any unforeseen costs that blow your budget.

Your other option, an even easier way to get the best possible result, is to purchase one of Carlisle Homes’ predetermined house and land packages. That way, we do all of the work for you, to find the perfect block of land matched to your chosen home design.

And thanks to our Land Connect initiative, we can provide priority access to blocks of land as soon as they’re released by developers, saving you from the hassle and stress of competing for land in popular locations. Plus, you’ll enjoy the confidence that comes from having a fixed price right from the start of the process.

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