Property education · 55 guides

Selling and holding

Explore selling, holding, rental income and project exit decisions. Each guide explains its scope; check local requirements and current official sources for your site.

• Before a Property JV Changes Course: Agree a Change-Control Protocol

  Define how partners propose, assess, approve and fund project changes before a variation creates conflict or unplanned exposure.

• Before You Approve a Construction Variation: Run the Five-Impact Check

  Assess scope, cost, time, downstream effects and exit impact before a construction change quietly rewrites the feasibility.

• Before You Buy A Prefab Pod: The WA Approval Checks That Protect Your Exit

  What WA property owners and small developers should check before buying a tiny home, modular pod or prefabricated dwelling for a site.

• Before You Buy the Site: Choose the Exit That Must Work

  Use an exit-first decision map to test who will buy, rent or fund the finished product before the land controls your strategy.

• Before You Commit: Separate Reversible Decisions from Irreversible Ones

  Move quickly on cheap tests while slowing down at commitments that surrender cash, control or exit options.

• Before You Demolish: The Asbestos Check That Runs Before Your First Development Decision

  Learn when an asbestos check belongs in Australian property development due diligence, how licensed removal thresholds work and why an older house changes a demolition budget.

• Before You Form a Property Joint Venture: Decide Who Can Say Yes

  Use a decision-rights matrix to clarify authority, spending limits, deadlocks and exits before money or relationships are under pressure.

• Build To Rent Australia Explained: A Growing Model Investors Should Understand

  What build to rent is, how it works in Australia, and why investors are watching this emerging property model closely.

• Buyers Agent Vs DIY Sourcing Australia: Which Approach Suits Your Property Strategy

  Weighing up a buyers agent against DIY property sourcing in Australia, including costs, time, and which suits different investors.

• Buying A Rented House To Redevelop: The NSW Notice You Have To Get Right

  In NSW a landlord can only end a tenancy on a prescribed ground, and the demolition and renovation grounds carry fixed notice periods, supporting documents and a re-letting exclusion period.

• Changing An Approved NSW Scheme: The Section 4.55 Test Before You Rebuild

  Halfway into a NSW project the design changes. Do you modify the consent or lodge again? Since 21 March 2026 the pathways have shifted, and the choice can cost you a year of holding costs.

• Company Title Vs Strata Title Australia: Why The Difference Matters For Finance

  The key differences between company title and strata title property in Australia, and why lenders treat them very differently.

• Contract Assignment Clause Australia: How Nominee And Assignment Rights Work

  A plain-English guide to nominee and assignment clauses in Australian property contracts and how investors use them.

• Council Zoning And Overlays Australia: How They Affect Property Development Deals

  Learn how council zoning and overlays affect property development deals in Australia and why investors should check planning controls before making an offer.

• Deferred Commencement In NSW: The Consent That Has Not Started Yet

  A deferred commencement consent is granted but does not operate until you satisfy council on specified matters. If you assume approval day starts the clock, you can buy or hold a consent that never switched on.

• Dual Key Property Investment Australia: How The Model Works And What To Check

  What dual key properties are, how the rental split works, and the key checks Australian investors need before buying one.

• Exit Via Wholesale Assignment Australia: How Investors Sell A Deal Before Settlement

  How wholesale assignment works in Australian property investing, allowing investors to sell a contract before settlement.

• From Childhood Home to Strategic Asset: What Oscar Piastri's Family Sale Teaches Australian Investors

  Discover how Oscar Piastri's family home sale reveals key property investment strategies for Australian investors seeking to move beyond traditional 'buy and hold' approaches.

• Going To Community Titles In Queensland? The Setup Decides Your Exit

  Queensland does not do strata the NSW way. The scheme, the by-laws and the lot entitlements are set at creation, and they follow the project into resale.

• GST At Settlement: When Your New Lots Trigger A Withholding Obligation

  If your subdivision creates new residential premises or potential residential land, the buyer may have to withhold part of the price and send it to the ATO at settlement. Model the cash before you sign the contract.

• How to Find Property Opportunity by Solving Vendor Friction

  Look beyond discounts and learn to identify timing, certainty, complexity and control problems a responsible deal structure may solve.

• In Perth, a Panel Decides Some Applications Instead of the Council

  Western Australia sends many larger developments to a Development Assessment Panel rather than the local council. Know the thresholds, the election and the excluded classes before you lodge.

• Land Tax On Vacant Land In NSW: The Holding Cost Before You Build

  Land tax is charged on unimproved land value you hold at 31 December and is not reduced for part-year ownership. Test the holding cost before you buy a development site in NSW.

• Multiple BASIX Certificates In NSW: When One Certificate Covers The Whole Development

  For new dwellings the applicant lodges one BASIX certificate covering all of them. Separate certificates for different parts of a project need consent authority approval, and the timing rule bites at three separate stages.

• Native Vegetation And Tree Protection Australia: Test The Site Before You Design

  Native vegetation clearing rules and tree protection can change your development layout and approvals pathway. Learn the site test to run before you design in NSW.

• NSW Biodiversity Offsets: The Clearing Threshold That Changes Your Yield

  In New South Wales, clearing native vegetation above a mapped area clearing threshold can activate the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme. Test the threshold, the development footprint and the credit cost before you design.

• NSW Housing Pattern Book Eligibility: Fast-Track Opportunity or False Confidence?

  Understand NSW Housing Pattern Book eligibility, low-rise complying development and why a standard design still needs site-specific checks.

• NSW Low-Rise Planning Reforms 2026: Current Rules vs Proposed Changes

  Understand the difference between current NSW low-rise planning rules and proposed 2026 targeted assessment reforms before relying on them in a deal.

• Options Over Property Australia: How Property Options Can Help Control A Deal Before Buying

  Learn how options over property work in Australia, why investors use them, and what checks are needed before relying on an option agreement.

• Owner-Builder Permit NSW: What A Developer Gives Up To Save A Builders Margin

  An owner-builder permit lets you supervise your own build in NSW, but it removes builder insurance cover and attaches a consumer warning to the contract when you sell. Know the limits first.

• Property Development Exit Strategy Australia: Why The Exit Comes Before The Offer

  Learn why Australian property investors should understand the exit strategy before making an offer, including resale, refinance, wholesale and partnership pathways.

• Property Development Finance Australia: Holding Costs, Borrowing And Risk Explained

  Learn the finance and holding cost basics behind property development in Australia, including interest, borrowing, delays, contingency and risk.

• Property Trust Structures Australia: How Investors Use Trusts To Hold Property

  How Australian property investors use trust structures to hold assets, manage tax, and protect wealth across a growing portfolio.

• Public Housing Crisis: What Investors Need to Know About Rent Rise Fears

  Explore the union's call for a fivefold public housing increase amid 30% rent rise fears. Understand implications for Australian property investors and key due diligence steps.

• Queensland’s Four-Site Fast Track: What The New PPDA Changes—And What It Doesn’t

  Queensland’s final provisional land-use plan covers four state-owned precincts. Here is what developers should verify next.

• Regional WA Property Growth Leads as Kalgoorlie-Boulder Defies the Slowdown

  Regional WA dwelling values rose 2.1% in the three months to July, while Kalgoorlie-Boulder gained 6.4% and recorded a 7.7% gross rental yield.

• Rental Yield Vs Capital Growth Australia: Balancing Two Different Investment Goals

  How Australian investors weigh rental yield against capital growth, and why the right balance depends on your goals, not the market.

• Retention And Payment Claims: Protecting Your Money On The Build

  Retention is the security held back from progress payments, and in NSW the trust account rules for retention money apply only above a $20 million contract threshold. Below it, your protection comes from the contract.

• Rise And Fall Clauses In Victoria And WA: What Your Contract Cannot Do

  Victoria restricts cost escalation clauses on domestic building contracts and Western Australia prohibits them outright in the covered band. Test which regime applies, the thresholds, and what happens when a variation is a change of law rather than inflation.

• Site Classification Under AS 2870: The Test That Decides Your Footing Budget

  A reactive clay site and a stable sand site can carry very different footing costs. The classification is a documented step, and it belongs in your feasibility, not your build.

• South Australia’s Draft Application Rules: Use Better Documents to Protect Your Development Program

  South Australia’s draft miscellaneous planning regulations affect application documents, insurance, infrastructure schemes and land-division servicing. Here is a practical developer checklist.

• South Australia’s Draft Flood Mapping: Turn New Risk Signals into Smarter Site Due Diligence

  Use South Australia’s draft flood mapping as a disciplined feasibility input by separating draft rules from current law and pricing physical, design and contract risk.

• Subdividing And Selling Land: Why The Main Residence Exemption May Not Follow

  Subdividing land creates separate CGT assets, and selling the vacant block usually means no main residence exemption for that land. Here is the test to run before you subdivide.

• Swimming Pool Compliance Certificate NSW: The Pool In Your Subdivision

  A pool you keep, sell or subdivide in NSW brings a compliance certificate, a 90-day clock or a contract problem. Find out where it lands in your feasibility first.

• Tasmania’s Proposed 90m² Granny Flat Rule: Bigger Is Useful—If The Numbers Still Work

  How to assess Tasmania’s proposed increase in secondary-residence floor area from 60m² to 90m² without confusing a draft rule with approval.

• Tenants and Investors Navigating the 2026 Rent Hike Debate: What You Need to Know

  Explore the 2026 rent hike debate impacting Australian tenants and investors, with practical advice for navigating rising costs and policy changes.

• The 180-Day Cap On Your NSW Dwelling: Short-Term Rental Before You Count The Yield

  In much of NSW a non-hosted short-term rental can only run for 180 days a year under the exempt pathway. If your feasibility counted 365 nights of income, this is the assumption that has to be tested.

• The Long Service Levy NSW: The 0.25 Per Cent You Must Pay Before Work Starts

  NSW charges a levy on building and construction work of $250,000 or more, and the construction certificate cannot be released until it is paid. It is small, certain and easy to leave out of a feasibility.

• The Northern Territory Is Consulting on Smaller Low-Density Lots

  The Northern Territory has proposed reducing the minimum lot size in Zone LR and allowing more housing types. A proposal is not a rule — check the exhibited amendment and the current scheme before you buy.

• The Occupation Certificate: Why You Cannot Sell Or Lease Without It

  In New South Wales a completed new dwelling cannot lawfully be occupied, sold or leased until an occupation certificate is issued. The certificate is not a formality: it is only issued once every precondition in the consent is actually satisfied, which is where projects lose weeks.

• The Small-Lot Subdivision Where You Build Before You Can Sell

  On small lots under 300 square metres, some councils require the dwellings to be built or framed before the subdivision plan is released. That changes your cash flow entirely.

• The Weekly Number That Keeps a Development Budget Honest: Cost to Complete

  Update committed, spent and forecast costs together so emerging overruns are visible before invoices exhaust the contingency.

• Vendor Finance Property Deals Australia: How Investors Can Structure Deals With Less Bank Pressure

  Learn how vendor finance property deals work in Australia, why sellers may agree to flexible terms, and what investors should check before using this strategy.

• Western Australia's Clearing Permit: The Bushland Test Before You Design

  In Western Australia, clearing native vegetation is prohibited unless you hold a permit or an exemption applies. Test the vegetation, the land use zone and the offset exposure before you let a layout assume the bushland will simply be removed.

• Why 'Forever Renters' Are Missing the Property Development Opportunity (And How to Fix It)

  Discover why Australia's 'forever renter' trend is creating a massive opportunity for property developers using OPM strategies. Learn how to build a high-profit cashflow system without large personal capital.

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