Sub dividing & building

[slamdunk]

Hello everybody,

I want to learn what steps are involved while sub dividing land, government/council regulations to comply, building code etc as a hobby. The problem is I don’t know where to start. Are there any publications/references available without going to Uni? I’m sure there will be lot of technical stuff involved but I’m willing to spend some spare time to learn. Anyone here who can point me in right direction?

Thanks!

[kincella]

well I dont know...I know of people who do it regularly....maybe you can glean information by googling the question.....each council can have different laws relating to subdivision.....some might allow under 5 hectares...others may not....
I subdivided a house block, and built another house there....there was a lot of interacting with council officials to sort everything out.....in another case I separated 2 shops that were on one title. to 2 titles....that exercise has taken over 2 years to complete.....and cost a large sum of money....
heres a guide...I googled 'subdividing land in victoria'...this looks very informative....
oh and google is a wonderful thing...plus google maps...so you can check out the roads and landscape
http://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Files/PTB_Preparing_and_lodging_an_application_to_subdiv ide_land.pdf

[Bronwyn]

If you have plenty of time and don't want to spend a lot of money on education, you can find a lot of info online or with the council. Some of the things you need to research are:


Local town planning regulations and schemes
Land zoning
Minimum requirement for lot size
Access to water, sewerage and utilities on each subdivided lot
Parks, open spaces and requirements for green zones and proximity limitations - this can include the rules about how far away industrial buildings must be from residential homes.
Easements that exist
Vehicle access to the site
Rubbish collection and utilities access to the site
Storm water requirements
Environmental considerations
Heritage considerations.


Usually to get the all-clear for your subdivision you will need to spend anywhere from $30,000 to $300,000 and above - depending upon the size of the land you're subdividing and the type of subdivision you're undertaking. Before you do any sort of development make sure you have done a feasability study so you know all the costs and what profit you can expect. If you need a bank loan to fund the project they will generally need to see that you are going to make 20% profit as a minimum.

Real Estate Investar has an online, on demand education package, My Knowledge, that covers sub dividing property in detail. It is going to be packaged in with our search tool very soon.

I am about to start a course on property development with CCorp which covers sub dividing. Once I have gone through more of the materiaI will let you know how it goes and if it is worth the cost.

[jayarr]

You will need about $10k for demolition and about $20 for division costs. Your first step is to go to the council web site and look up the smallest allotment size the council allows. Unfortunately there are many blocks for sale in northern Adelaide area, so I'd be talking to some local agents about the end value etc. With this particular scenario the biggest cost will be holding costs while your waiting on council approval. Normally we would rent the place out during this process. Of co**** you could sign a contract with a long settlement.

[Philip Thomas]

The first thing you need to do when considering subdividing land & buildings is to ensure the property you are considering is subdivisible. For this you will need to have a look at the Local Council / Local Government website to check out minimum areas, minimum building setbacks & other requirements. These items are contained in planning codes. Have a look for LEP (Local Environment Plans), DCP (Development Control Plans) or planning codes that relate to your area of interest.

If the block you are considering is subdivisible then you will need to do a feasibility. This is where you work out what the subdivided property would sell for & you subtract the total cost of the development (including holding costs).

If the site is feasible then a Development Application will need to be lodged with Council requesting approval to subdivide.

Once approval has been granted a land surveyor will prepare a subdivision plan & lodge it with the Titles Office for new titles to be issued.

Subdividing land & buildings is a great way to add value. Usually though you will get maximum value by subdividing the property then building on it. This requires a full feasibility.

For more detail on this check out the book Profit from Property. Its that latest book from global publisher John Wiley & Sons on adding value & property development.