June 19, 2023 • 28 mins
House and land packages are a popular option for people who want more control over the look of their new home. But what does that process look like and what do you need to know before you start on that journey? On this episode, Jessica Ricci is joined by Ellen Nurse, a New Homes Consultant from Homebuyers Centre. Ellen explains how house and land packages work and what's involved, so you can make an informed choice.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Property Playbook would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians
of the lands of where this podcast is recorded. There
were wondry people of the cooler nations acknowledging the culture,
the history, and the connection to the lands of what
we call home. Let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hello, and welcome back to The Property Playbook, the podcast
where we take you from A to V of all
things property. My name is Jessica Ricky and hopefully one
day I will have my own home. But until then,
I'm bringing you guys on the journey where I talk
to some of my favorite experts to learn a little
bit more about the process. Today, I have the beautiful
Allen Nurse, who is a new homes consultant from Home
(00:49):
Buyer Center, which is a building company here in Victoria
and across a couple of other states as well. Allen,
Welcome to the show. Thank you, thank you for joining me.
It's so exciting. Because none of our team have any
experience in the house and land space, we thought it
only made sense to bring in an expert who could
take us through the process. I've got a whole heap
of questions here from the community to ask you, and
(01:10):
I am so excited on a personal level to pick
your brain. Perfect, let's jump into it. I'll start off
by kind of starting at the start. Can you tell
me a little bit about what the process of building
via a house and land package, what that looks like. Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Absolutely so, I guess it all depends on firstly and
foremost what building you're speaking with. So every builders will
change on their inclusions, their process, their time frames, etc.
But when speaking about home buyers Center in particular, like
we're set up to cater towards your first home buyer
or your downsize or investor. So the process we follow
and from our experience that the best way to start
(01:48):
is finance first, and that's really speaking with a construction
loan specialist and getting an idea of you know, what
sort of title, time frame works for you, what sort
of budget you're working tools, and what really works for
your particular situation, because as you know, everyone's situation is
completely different.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Once we get that guardance from our brokers or our
construction loan experts, it gives us tailored advice to kind
of go out and find you the best solution. And
then that's packaging up. I guess house and land packages,
so you know you're fixed and final price gives you
the guidance to go back to your broker, get an
idea if it works, and yeah, just just sets it
(02:27):
up to give you the best outcome and to be successful.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah, amazing. You're talking about packaging up house and land.
So I think for a lot of people when we
think about house and land or land and house is
what we call it here on this podcast, because sometimes
the land comes first. Do you have the option of
bringing your own land? So if someone's maybe invested in
some land in an area that they want to live
in but they're waiting for it to title, can they
come to someone like you guys, and then just put
(02:53):
the house on it, or do they need to do
it all together via the build up.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
No, So a lot of people out there will have
already purchased land and they don't know, you know, where
to start or how to get started. So they come
to us, They walk through our beautiful displays, fall in
love with a particular home, and what we then like
to do is get fixed pricing for them. So there's
a lot of variables when it comes to a block.
So what we want to do is check you feel
(03:17):
your fall, all the levels and all of the engineering
reports especially, and make sure it's a safe block to
build on and that we actually can build the design
you're looking at, because you know you might run into
things like retaining roles that could affect the size of
the home you're putting on your block. Yeah, what we
do really well at home buys is we give you
all the information up front, so you completely across everything,
(03:39):
so there's just no nasty surprises.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
That's the thing that a lot of people are worried about.
And something that came up when we put out and
asked for questions is people saying, oh my gosh, like,
do the price has change? Do things?
Speaker 1 (03:51):
You know?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Are there unexpected things? Because I think there have been
people who have had bad experiences, which is kind of
no matter what you're doing, there's people who have purchased
homes directly and had a bad experience, and I think
a lot of people are worried about those kind of
hidden costs. So you share all of that upfront, so
you go into it kind of knowing what that cost
is going to look like absolutely.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Like we know, especially with first home buyers, you've got
so many unknowns. There's so many moving parts to building.
So what we want to do is give you peace
of mind first and foremost, and that typically relates back
to finance.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
So as soon as you've.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Got your finance all sorted, it can be like that
moment of oh, like yeah, peaceful this, like you know
what your buying is achievable, you know exactly what you're
paying up front, and just having that peace of mind
will just help you sleep at night.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, incredible. Talking about land, you mentioned a whole bunch
of words for that. To be honest, I've never heard
of when we're looking at buying land other than things
like easements. What should people be considering? So if they
haven't purchased it yet, is there anything they can look
out for that maybe makes a block more ideal?
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Yeah, definitely read into you developers, see what, you know,
kind of work they're doing, what amenities they're offering within
a particular estate, because you know it'll change completely in
terms of price of where you're looking, what you're close to.
When you're looking at land, I guess in more detail
you want to check things like retaining roles, easements, like
(05:19):
you've mentioned orientation of the block as well, like if
you want a sunny backyard, you might yeah, you might
want a north facing g rear, or you know, you
might hate the sun and you want to change the orientation.
But some of the bigger things about you know, fill
and fall or just some of that uncertainty around soil.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Type what is feeling for No, no, no, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
So basically the developer will come in, they will flatten
the block and they'll make it appear flat. But that
fill or it's a bit easy when I draw a picture, sorry,
but that fill on the block is what we call
disturb soil. And what we've got to do is a
build is make sure we're drilling into it and hitting
the undisturbed soil and boring the slab on top so
(06:06):
it doesn't affect the foundation and move over time.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
So you want to be like dense. What you put
on top is like solid.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
For sure, So we don't want to be building on
top of soil that's going to move, you know, over time.
And that's just again setting up your foundation, which is
the slab the longevity of your home.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, that does sound very important because you don't want
to move in and then have it all shift around
on you a few months later. You mentioned before the
varying locations and prices. Somebody wants to know wider house
and land package prices very so much suburb to suburb
for the same design.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, So, I guess the easiest way to put it is,
you'd expect to pay a bit more for land in
Richmond than you would in you know, in an area
like Berrick in the southeast, as you would expect with anything.
So it's always location, location, location, So I guess what
drives pricing.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Is is the land.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Again talking about the states and developers, it's what amenities
they're offering, what transport access they're offering, what you know,
school zones they're in. There's multiple factors. But the best way,
I guess, especially if you're looking for land and shopping
for land, come and speak to us where the professionals
will help guide you.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
We'll have a chat to you.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
We're not just gonna, you know, one box fits ole solution. Yeah,
We'll figure out what's important and will provide you with
a relative solution.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
One of the things I think that is really intimidating
as a first home by myself and someone who has
looked into building and has looked into kind of all
my different options. Is it is a very involved process.
It feels like building a house, and it's hard to
know when it is and isn't appropriate to ask someone
for help. So, for example, I walked through a home
by a center build and that's how we met and
(07:53):
how we got you on the pod. But I walked
through one and the person there was so lovely and
I had heaps of questions, and I wanted to get
that kind of final costing because as you said, it
varies by suburban location and facade and all of these
different things. But it's a very lengthy process, I suppose
for someone on the other side to put that all
together and cost it up. Is it okay for people
(08:16):
to get in touch with a new home consultant and
get something costed up, even if they're not entirely there.
So if they're looking at land and they go, oh,
I think that I might want to purchase this block,
but I want to make sure that I can afford
it and the home. Is it okay for us to
ask people that or is it kind of just too
much work?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Oh my gosh, No, absolutely not.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
As a new homes consultant myself, there's nothing that gives
me more pleasure than helping someone understand if they can
actually achieve it or not. And when looking at first
home uys in particular, like typically they think they're so
much further off than what they actually are. All it's
about is getting the information to them, making them feel
(08:56):
comfortable in their decision, and giving the finance you're backing
to know that they can actually achieve what they're looking at.
That's the peace of mind you get. But you'll only
get it when you know the final price.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Right, Yeah, one hundred of And there's so many factors.
I didn't realize how many little things and we'll talk
about this a little bit later, but how many little
changes or details there are that cost money.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Yeah, and there's so much Like I said earlier, like
there's moving parts to building. Until you know everything, you're
not sure if it is the right decision for you,
So come and speak to us. We'll get you fixed pricing.
It's not as hard as people think. It only takes
us a couple of days to fix a price on
a particular block. We've got amazing experts in our office
(09:42):
that will look at blocks of land, fix your site cost,
give us a good breakdown of what's actually involved in
preparing the land for the home design you've chosen. And
once you know all that information, we just refer back
to our construction loan experts. And like I said, it
just gives you peace of mind. It gives you that
moment to kind of take it breath and go oh,
(10:04):
for what I'm doing is completely achievable. I know what
I have to do to get in and I know
I can do it.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yeah, And I think that's the most stressful part, right
It is like knowing can I can? I not. It's
not like where you see generally just a set price
on an established property. So I think it is really
important that people do feel confident talking to someone and
asking those questions. Yeah, somebody else has asked are their
low cost options available to build? And I guess this
(10:30):
comes from something that I have heard from actually people
when I've been talking about my own journey and talking
about the fact that I was looking into building, and
for everyone listening at home, if you don't know, the
reason I looked into building was because I'm really fussy
and I wanted something that suited what I wanted. But
so many people say building is so expensive, like you,
(10:50):
you know, for this half the price, you could maybe
not half the price, that's an exaggeration, but for significantly
less you could purchase something established and you could renovate,
or you could do whatever. They're lower cost options available
if you do want to explore building.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yeah, there's definitely lower cost options. So with Home Buyers
Center in particular, we're targeted towards getting first home buyers
into the market. So we understand that right now, affordability
is the biggest barrier.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
So what we.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Offer you projects like town homes or medium density, so
our available options it's a five percent deposit, so a
really small deposit to get started, and then when you're
working with our experts in finance.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Will work with you towards that deposit.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
We'll speak to developing partners, we'll figure out if we
can get you sort of payment options to get in.
But again going back to that guidance, it's about speaking
to your trusted building partners and helping them get you there.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Okay, and talk me through townhouses a little bit. So
they're obviously generally like the two story on the slightly
smaller block. What makes them a really good option for
FoST home buyers.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Affordability, absolutely so. Our town homes are typically in the
best locations in the best of states. We've got some
that are park facing. You're typically getting a larger home
than what you would in comparison to house and land,
and you're saving a significant price. The beauty with our
town homes or our mediimtensity product is that they're not
(12:19):
under any body corporate, so you're not paying additional money
in insurances or anything like that.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
It's your own home and it's a big home. Yeah. Yeah,
that's the main thing.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Incredible Already, Well, let's head to a really quick break
and when we come back, I want to talk to
you a little bit more in depth about what the
process of actually designing and building the home looks like.
Don't go anywhere already, guys, Welcome back today. I am
chatting with Allan Nurse from Home Buyer Center to learn
all about the process of house and land or as
you know, we like to call it land and house
(12:50):
and what that kind of looks like, particularly for someone
like me who's a first home buyer. Now, Alan, one
of the questions that came up a lot is how
much flexibility is there when buying a house and land design?
So I think you know, if you build with an
independent builder, you can control every little detail, whereas a
lot of the time with house and land packages it's
(13:11):
relatively set. So people want to know can they customize
the colors, can they move walls or change fixtures? How
much room is there to be a little creative.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
We love creative people, but obviously with land and home
packages as you like to call them, there is limited flexibility.
But again it goes back with what builder you're speaking
with and also what developer the packages in. So with us,
we'll let you pick your own colors, we'll let you
customize the floor plan. But again, how much do we
(13:43):
let you customize? We've got I guess forty two different
home design options and four to five designs from within
each floor plan.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Yep, I think that gives you.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
That's a lot.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yeah, it's over two hundred. There's definitely room to make changes.
And then if there's anything on top of that that
you want to change. I always say, just ask the question. Yeah,
ask the question and your builder will try.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
And help you.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Yeah. I remember when I was chatting with the consultant
that I was having initial conversations with. It was really
interesting because we were looking at a particular block of
land and he said to me, oh, by the way,
because of the orientation of the property, we recommend just
flipping the whole four plan. Like people would do that
and you get better lot. And I was like, I
didn't even know that that was a thing that was
an option. So it's cool to know you can do that.
(14:28):
I guess it is obviously really specific to the design
and the land and stuff like that. But is there
the possibility for people to if they said, oh, I'd
rather this room be a little bit bigger and the
one next work be a little bit smaller. Is that
sometimes an option being able to make those small adjustments
by shifting a wall out ever so slightly, as long
as you're not changing big structural things.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Yeah. So most builders won't like to change your wet areas. Yeah,
but if you're just extending a room out, given that
the land allows for it, we can change. We can
change to the floor plants lightly. It's just about asking
the question. We go to our office and we ask
the question, and if it's achievable, why not, We'll look
at it.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
I love that it's like you're on our side, which
is really nice.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Yeah, for sure, Well, we want you to have you know,
the perfect home, like we're building first home buyers homes. Yeah,
we want to make homes happen. So give us all
the questions, give us all the you know changes, and
we'll just try and make the best solution come true.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Oh that's so nice to hear. A lot of people
have been asking how challenging or time consuming is the
process of building from scratch as a first home buy
because speaking for myself, I have no idea what I'm doing, Like,
it is very overwhelming, which is why I'm hosting this
podcast and hopefully helping some other people feel a bit
more comfy. But it seems like potentially the process of
(15:46):
building a house is very involved, Like there's lots of
little details and like wolves and land and all of
these things. How difficult is it for somebody who's got
no idea what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Yeah, building can be difficult, It can be hard, definitely
can be challenging. But what we like to do is
just simplify the whole process and make it as easy
as possible. And by doing that, it's holding your hand
and guiding you.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Through each step.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
So obviously some people will be more particular than others,
and with that we just have to adapt ourselves to
help them through it. So, if it's with colors selection,
we'll take you through a color showroom, will help you
with colors, We've got expert guidance from the girls from
the block. Yeah, so we've got the professionals, like, we've
(16:34):
got all the experts to help you, and that just
makes it easier instead of going to a million different parties,
whether it's external finance, external solicitors, conveyances, etc. Were the
one stop shop. We've got everyone there that's set up
to help you, and that's just to make the experience
as enjoyable as possible for beginners.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Yeah, talking about colors, this is something I had a
conversation with one of the girls in the office about
this very recently. How do people figure out what looks
good together? And this is probably a personal question as well,
but you walk through these display homes and they look
really beautiful, and they've obviously been put together by experts
and interior designers. How do people kind of figure out
(17:16):
what their vibe is because it feels like when you're
putting down a tile or you're painting a wall, it's
a very final decision and as someone like me who
gets very overwhelmed, that's tough and scary. Is it something
that you know you see a lot of people struggle
with and can your experts kind of help provide guidance
(17:36):
on interior feeling as well? We had an interior designer
on the show earlier in the season, the beautiful Alison Lewis,
and she's so good at what she does and I
remember saying to her, I just could never do that,
And I feel like walking into a color showroom would
be just like mind bogglingly overwhelming for me. Is there,
like you say that you have those experts kind of
(17:58):
there and available to help. Are they able to guide
you on creating I suppose the feeling that you want
to have in your home?
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Yeah, definitely. So currently we've got six color schemes and
are hand selected by the experts Yen Lessandra the Twins,
and what you'll have from that is the flexibility to
customize from within each color scheme. The beauty of having
the color schemes is they're put in all of our
display home. So what you're actually walking through in real
(18:27):
life is what you can have in your own home,
and you'll be able to see it furnished. You'll be
able to see, you know, and touch and feel the
splash back and all the pretty feature tiles, and that's
what we put in our home. So what you see
in display is genuinely what we give you.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
That's really good because I remember walking through a display
home once and I asked the consultant who was there
and wasn't a home buyers one obviously, I said, oh,
like how much? I just kind of assumed it was
an upgrade because it's a beautiful tile, so how much
would it be to add this in to the existing
plant or whatever? And they're like, oh, we don't off
of that, and I was like, why is it here? Yeah,
(19:02):
why is it there? And it's just to give you
a demonstration of what you could do. And I was like,
but I can't exactly.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
And that's and that's where first home buyers get super
confused and, like I said, super overwhelmed. And that's why,
you know, it's a different experience when you're going through
someone that's set up to guide you with you.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Know, finance, land home.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
Colors like we help you with everything. We know how
stressful it can be, so our goal is to just
take all the pressure off you, absorb all the stress
so you can actually enjoy the process and experience.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
That sounds really nice. Can you talk me through a
little bit what is and isn't included in a build?
Because I think a lot of people, including me, when
I first started looking, I'll put my hand up here,
go oh, everything like a house and land package, it's
all done like you buy it. But that's actually what
a turnkey property is. Not all house and land packages
(19:58):
are that. So what generally is and isn't included because
then I guess those are additional costs that we have
to be factoring into our price.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
So I guess if you jump online and you're inquiring
on some house and land or home and land packages
or whatever it is, what you want to be keeping
an eye out for are things like fencing and landscapings
that most things builders won't include. Yeah, but the key
things that you want to make sure are included, especially
if you're a first home buyer, are things like your
floor coverings and your driveway because they're realistically what you
(20:31):
need to get started. So any building you're speaking with,
just make sure if there's any advice, those two things
are included. So, yeah, your driveway and your floor coverings.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
The floor one is actually really funny because I remember
speaking to somebody and sorry, I'm just like totally interjecting
my whole personal experience into this episode, but I remember
talking to somebody and they pointed out the fact that
floor coverings weren't included, and I was like, what do
you mean the house that I'm building doesn't have flaws?
Like it just blew my mind that that was one
(21:02):
of those details. I think something else that I've heard
heating and cooling isn't necessarily always included as well, Is
that right?
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah? Correct, So just make sure you know what's important
to you is in their standard inclusions, and then anything
that's not, just make sure you're asking them to put
it in so you know exactly how much it's going
to cost you before you, you know, go and put
pen to paper or you know, sign your life away
or anything like that. You just want to make sure
(21:29):
you've got a full understanding, full transparency of what's actually
going in your home.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yeah, and what kind of additional costs do people need
to be factoring in beyond the advertisedbal price.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
A lot of first home buyers will kind of come
into displays, especially and ask the question of, you know,
what's the base price of this home? And that question
can be extremely misleading, especially if you're in a display
village where there's you know, ten twenty homes and you
just door to door, what's the base price?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I made that mistake.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Yeah, and it's common, and it's super super common. But
every builder on the street will give you a different
base price, for example, twenty five square home, and that
difference in price could be you know, site costs not
being fixed or included, your estate guidelines, not being factored in,
your council costs, your bushfire provisions. So I'm probably throwing
(22:23):
out all these random.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Yeah, can you talk me through what some of those
things are, because I think a lot of people who
are looking for the first time wouldn't have an understanding
of what they are, let alone what to look out for.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Yeah, for sure. So every block of land will be
in an estate, and every estate will have a different
guideline to follow. So where I'm currently working in Cloverton,
a state, they require things like high ceilings as a
requirement for this state.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
That's so interesting.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Yeah, so something like that.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
If that's not factored into the pricing up front, you'll
be finding out about it later.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
And if you're not finding it about it early, you
can't actually, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
And to build in the estate, the developer requires high ceilings,
so you have to have it otherwise you won't get
your permits. So the earlier and sooner you can find
out about these costs, the better because it will just
give you, I guess, the peace of mind one knowing
you've included everything that you have to and two it
(23:21):
works with your finance options.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Yeah, what about you mentioned bushfire? What's that?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Yeah, so bushfire provision.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
This is more so when you're looking at blocks of
land that is titling later or that's titling later, council
will deem it.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Basically, it's a big grassland.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
And it's a bushfire zone, so if anything catches a light,
the whole thing's probably gonna burn.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Once it gets closer to.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Tidle, council will kind of reassess the area and see
if it's still in a bushfire zone. If it's not,
that'll be lifted and we'll give you what we call
the bushfire provision back as a credit. What the bushfire
cost is is basically all the materials that as a
builder we have to change to comply with a bushfire zone.
So that's in seat of using you know, plastic fly screens,
(24:06):
will have to use steel mesh fly screens. Okay, Yeah,
so just little changes in materials.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
And is that the same for flooding as well.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Yeah, so like soil type, any sort of you know,
natural kind of thing will have to factor in for
the build. Yeah, and that'll affect your site cost, it
will affect your variations. But again that's just why you
want to be working with the builder that is looking
into every single thing, doing their due diligence up front, Yeah,
and just giving you that final price before you know,
(24:34):
paying a deposit or locking anything in.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Yeah. Due diligence is one of our favorite phrases on
this podcast. We cannot say do your due diligence loudly
enough from the rooftops. Speaking of the building process, though,
there's a lot of I guess media kerfuffle right now
about the cost of materials because inflation combined with you know,
the backlog of imports and COVID and all of these
(25:00):
different factors seem to have culminated in this really annoying
little bubble where materials are just becoming more and more expensive.
So somebody asked, can prices change during a build? For example,
if inflation causes the cost of materials to go up,
will the overall cost of my build increase?
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Yeah, so goes back to who you're building with. Prices
absolutely have been changing in the last couple of months
or last twelve months, I should say they've changed significantly.
That's why, depending on who you've chosen as a builder,
you've either signed a fixed price contract.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
Or a variable price.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Okay, so if prices go up, you just want to
make sure the contract you've signed is a genuine fixed
price and you're not going to be affected by any
of that.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And where do people, if they are looking into a
particular builder, where do they find that information regarding whether
or not it is in fact a true fixed or
a variable contract.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
You've got to read the fine prints on.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
You could not the answer I wanted to.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Yeah, I know it is tricky because a lot of
builders will tell you it's a fixed price and then
you'll you'll read, unfortunately, the small print underneath and it'll
say subject to a bunch of different things.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
So yeah, just just read your.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Contracts, read this fine print, and just make sure you're
asking questions.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Yeah, and that's something I think that you potentially could
talk to your broker about as well, if you're going
through that process, or if you have somebody else on
your home buying team. Definitely worth asking. But reading the
front print is probably a very good idea when you're
buying something so expensive.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
For sure, especially if you're dealing with, like we were saying,
a construction home specialist.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
They'll be able to tell you.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
They'll point out all the flags in your paperwork if
you're dealing with one of those.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
The last question that I have alan for you before
I let you go is what should people do if
they are considering house and land packages? Who should they
speak to? Where should they start? What is your best
advice for people basically exactly like me?
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, just do your research online. Do you do diligence
in checks, reputations, everything. In this current market, it's obvious
there's bad media everywhere on the building industry. Do your
research and just don't pick your builder by design or price.
That's my biggest thing. Pick a builder on reputation, experience,
(27:21):
in quality. You want to make sure that they're going
to be there to build your home. If you guys
are looking in Victoria, come and speak to me. My
name's Ellen. I work for the Home Bias Center. We're
Australia's second largest builder and we're set up to guide
you through getting into home ownership.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Incredible. We'll pop all of Allen's information in the show
note if anyone does want to reach out and have
a chat to her. But I think that's everything. Thank
you so much for answering what feels like a million
and one questions from me. Okay, just before we head off,
let's quickly wrap the boring but important stuff. The advice
shed on the Property Playbook is generally in nature and
does not consider your individual circumstances. The Property Playbook exists
(28:00):
purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon
to make an investment or a financial decision. And that's
all for today, guys, so thank you so much for
joining me, and I'll chat to you in the next episode.
Bye bye,
The Property Playbook would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians
of the lands of where this podcast is recorded. There
were wondry people of the cooler nations acknowledging the culture,
the history, and the connection to the lands of what
we call home. Let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hello, and welcome back to The Property Playbook, the podcast
where we take you from A to V of all
things property. My name is Jessica Ricky and hopefully one
day I will have my own home. But until then,
I'm bringing you guys on the journey where I talk
to some of my favorite experts to learn a little
bit more about the process. Today, I have the beautiful
Allen Nurse, who is a new homes consultant from Home
(00:49):
Buyer Center, which is a building company here in Victoria
and across a couple of other states as well. Allen,
Welcome to the show. Thank you, thank you for joining me.
It's so exciting. Because none of our team have any
experience in the house and land space, we thought it
only made sense to bring in an expert who could
take us through the process. I've got a whole heap
of questions here from the community to ask you, and
(01:10):
I am so excited on a personal level to pick
your brain. Perfect, let's jump into it. I'll start off
by kind of starting at the start. Can you tell
me a little bit about what the process of building
via a house and land package, what that looks like. Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Absolutely so, I guess it all depends on firstly and
foremost what building you're speaking with. So every builders will
change on their inclusions, their process, their time frames, etc.
But when speaking about home buyers Center in particular, like
we're set up to cater towards your first home buyer
or your downsize or investor. So the process we follow
and from our experience that the best way to start
(01:48):
is finance first, and that's really speaking with a construction
loan specialist and getting an idea of you know, what
sort of title, time frame works for you, what sort
of budget you're working tools, and what really works for
your particular situation, because as you know, everyone's situation is
completely different.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Once we get that guardance from our brokers or our
construction loan experts, it gives us tailored advice to kind
of go out and find you the best solution. And
then that's packaging up. I guess house and land packages,
so you know you're fixed and final price gives you
the guidance to go back to your broker, get an
idea if it works, and yeah, just just sets it
(02:27):
up to give you the best outcome and to be successful.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah, amazing. You're talking about packaging up house and land.
So I think for a lot of people when we
think about house and land or land and house is
what we call it here on this podcast, because sometimes
the land comes first. Do you have the option of
bringing your own land? So if someone's maybe invested in
some land in an area that they want to live
in but they're waiting for it to title, can they
come to someone like you guys, and then just put
(02:53):
the house on it, or do they need to do
it all together via the build up.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
No, So a lot of people out there will have
already purchased land and they don't know, you know, where
to start or how to get started. So they come
to us, They walk through our beautiful displays, fall in
love with a particular home, and what we then like
to do is get fixed pricing for them. So there's
a lot of variables when it comes to a block.
So what we want to do is check you feel
(03:17):
your fall, all the levels and all of the engineering
reports especially, and make sure it's a safe block to
build on and that we actually can build the design
you're looking at, because you know you might run into
things like retaining roles that could affect the size of
the home you're putting on your block. Yeah, what we
do really well at home buys is we give you
all the information up front, so you completely across everything,
(03:39):
so there's just no nasty surprises.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
That's the thing that a lot of people are worried about.
And something that came up when we put out and
asked for questions is people saying, oh my gosh, like,
do the price has change? Do things?
Speaker 1 (03:51):
You know?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Are there unexpected things? Because I think there have been
people who have had bad experiences, which is kind of
no matter what you're doing, there's people who have purchased
homes directly and had a bad experience, and I think
a lot of people are worried about those kind of
hidden costs. So you share all of that upfront, so
you go into it kind of knowing what that cost
is going to look like absolutely.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Like we know, especially with first home buyers, you've got
so many unknowns. There's so many moving parts to building.
So what we want to do is give you peace
of mind first and foremost, and that typically relates back
to finance.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
So as soon as you've.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Got your finance all sorted, it can be like that
moment of oh, like yeah, peaceful this, like you know
what your buying is achievable, you know exactly what you're
paying up front, and just having that peace of mind
will just help you sleep at night.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, incredible. Talking about land, you mentioned a whole bunch
of words for that. To be honest, I've never heard
of when we're looking at buying land other than things
like easements. What should people be considering? So if they
haven't purchased it yet, is there anything they can look
out for that maybe makes a block more ideal?
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Yeah, definitely read into you developers, see what, you know,
kind of work they're doing, what amenities they're offering within
a particular estate, because you know it'll change completely in
terms of price of where you're looking, what you're close to.
When you're looking at land, I guess in more detail
you want to check things like retaining roles, easements, like
(05:19):
you've mentioned orientation of the block as well, like if
you want a sunny backyard, you might yeah, you might
want a north facing g rear, or you know, you
might hate the sun and you want to change the orientation.
But some of the bigger things about you know, fill
and fall or just some of that uncertainty around soil.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Type what is feeling for No, no, no, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
So basically the developer will come in, they will flatten
the block and they'll make it appear flat. But that
fill or it's a bit easy when I draw a picture, sorry,
but that fill on the block is what we call
disturb soil. And what we've got to do is a
build is make sure we're drilling into it and hitting
the undisturbed soil and boring the slab on top so
(06:06):
it doesn't affect the foundation and move over time.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
So you want to be like dense. What you put
on top is like solid.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
For sure, So we don't want to be building on
top of soil that's going to move, you know, over time.
And that's just again setting up your foundation, which is
the slab the longevity of your home.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, that does sound very important because you don't want
to move in and then have it all shift around
on you a few months later. You mentioned before the
varying locations and prices. Somebody wants to know wider house
and land package prices very so much suburb to suburb
for the same design.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, So, I guess the easiest way to put it is,
you'd expect to pay a bit more for land in
Richmond than you would in you know, in an area
like Berrick in the southeast, as you would expect with anything.
So it's always location, location, location, So I guess what
drives pricing.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Is is the land.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Again talking about the states and developers, it's what amenities
they're offering, what transport access they're offering, what you know,
school zones they're in. There's multiple factors. But the best way,
I guess, especially if you're looking for land and shopping
for land, come and speak to us where the professionals
will help guide you.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
We'll have a chat to you.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
We're not just gonna, you know, one box fits ole solution. Yeah,
We'll figure out what's important and will provide you with
a relative solution.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
One of the things I think that is really intimidating
as a first home by myself and someone who has
looked into building and has looked into kind of all
my different options. Is it is a very involved process.
It feels like building a house, and it's hard to
know when it is and isn't appropriate to ask someone
for help. So, for example, I walked through a home
by a center build and that's how we met and
(07:53):
how we got you on the pod. But I walked
through one and the person there was so lovely and
I had heaps of questions, and I wanted to get
that kind of final costing because as you said, it
varies by suburban location and facade and all of these
different things. But it's a very lengthy process, I suppose
for someone on the other side to put that all
together and cost it up. Is it okay for people
(08:16):
to get in touch with a new home consultant and
get something costed up, even if they're not entirely there.
So if they're looking at land and they go, oh,
I think that I might want to purchase this block,
but I want to make sure that I can afford
it and the home. Is it okay for us to
ask people that or is it kind of just too
much work?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Oh my gosh, No, absolutely not.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
As a new homes consultant myself, there's nothing that gives
me more pleasure than helping someone understand if they can
actually achieve it or not. And when looking at first
home uys in particular, like typically they think they're so
much further off than what they actually are. All it's
about is getting the information to them, making them feel
(08:56):
comfortable in their decision, and giving the finance you're backing
to know that they can actually achieve what they're looking at.
That's the peace of mind you get. But you'll only
get it when you know the final price.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Right, Yeah, one hundred of And there's so many factors.
I didn't realize how many little things and we'll talk
about this a little bit later, but how many little
changes or details there are that cost money.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Yeah, and there's so much Like I said earlier, like
there's moving parts to building. Until you know everything, you're
not sure if it is the right decision for you,
So come and speak to us. We'll get you fixed pricing.
It's not as hard as people think. It only takes
us a couple of days to fix a price on
a particular block. We've got amazing experts in our office
(09:42):
that will look at blocks of land, fix your site cost,
give us a good breakdown of what's actually involved in
preparing the land for the home design you've chosen. And
once you know all that information, we just refer back
to our construction loan experts. And like I said, it
just gives you peace of mind. It gives you that
moment to kind of take it breath and go oh,
(10:04):
for what I'm doing is completely achievable. I know what
I have to do to get in and I know
I can do it.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yeah, And I think that's the most stressful part, right
It is like knowing can I can? I not. It's
not like where you see generally just a set price
on an established property. So I think it is really
important that people do feel confident talking to someone and
asking those questions. Yeah, somebody else has asked are their
low cost options available to build? And I guess this
(10:30):
comes from something that I have heard from actually people
when I've been talking about my own journey and talking
about the fact that I was looking into building, and
for everyone listening at home, if you don't know, the
reason I looked into building was because I'm really fussy
and I wanted something that suited what I wanted. But
so many people say building is so expensive, like you,
(10:50):
you know, for this half the price, you could maybe
not half the price, that's an exaggeration, but for significantly
less you could purchase something established and you could renovate,
or you could do whatever. They're lower cost options available
if you do want to explore building.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yeah, there's definitely lower cost options. So with Home Buyers
Center in particular, we're targeted towards getting first home buyers
into the market. So we understand that right now, affordability
is the biggest barrier.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
So what we.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Offer you projects like town homes or medium density, so
our available options it's a five percent deposit, so a
really small deposit to get started, and then when you're
working with our experts in finance.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Will work with you towards that deposit.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
We'll speak to developing partners, we'll figure out if we
can get you sort of payment options to get in.
But again going back to that guidance, it's about speaking
to your trusted building partners and helping them get you there.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Okay, and talk me through townhouses a little bit. So
they're obviously generally like the two story on the slightly
smaller block. What makes them a really good option for
FoST home buyers.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Affordability, absolutely so. Our town homes are typically in the
best locations in the best of states. We've got some
that are park facing. You're typically getting a larger home
than what you would in comparison to house and land,
and you're saving a significant price. The beauty with our
town homes or our mediimtensity product is that they're not
(12:19):
under any body corporate, so you're not paying additional money
in insurances or anything like that.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
It's your own home and it's a big home. Yeah. Yeah,
that's the main thing.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Incredible Already, Well, let's head to a really quick break
and when we come back, I want to talk to
you a little bit more in depth about what the
process of actually designing and building the home looks like.
Don't go anywhere already, guys, Welcome back today. I am
chatting with Allan Nurse from Home Buyer Center to learn
all about the process of house and land or as
you know, we like to call it land and house
(12:50):
and what that kind of looks like, particularly for someone
like me who's a first home buyer. Now, Alan, one
of the questions that came up a lot is how
much flexibility is there when buying a house and land design?
So I think you know, if you build with an
independent builder, you can control every little detail, whereas a
lot of the time with house and land packages it's
(13:11):
relatively set. So people want to know can they customize
the colors, can they move walls or change fixtures? How
much room is there to be a little creative.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
We love creative people, but obviously with land and home
packages as you like to call them, there is limited flexibility.
But again it goes back with what builder you're speaking
with and also what developer the packages in. So with us,
we'll let you pick your own colors, we'll let you
customize the floor plan. But again, how much do we
(13:43):
let you customize? We've got I guess forty two different
home design options and four to five designs from within
each floor plan.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Yep, I think that gives you.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
That's a lot.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yeah, it's over two hundred. There's definitely room to make changes.
And then if there's anything on top of that that
you want to change. I always say, just ask the question. Yeah,
ask the question and your builder will try.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
And help you.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Yeah. I remember when I was chatting with the consultant
that I was having initial conversations with. It was really
interesting because we were looking at a particular block of
land and he said to me, oh, by the way,
because of the orientation of the property, we recommend just
flipping the whole four plan. Like people would do that
and you get better lot. And I was like, I
didn't even know that that was a thing that was
an option. So it's cool to know you can do that.
(14:28):
I guess it is obviously really specific to the design
and the land and stuff like that. But is there
the possibility for people to if they said, oh, I'd
rather this room be a little bit bigger and the
one next work be a little bit smaller. Is that
sometimes an option being able to make those small adjustments
by shifting a wall out ever so slightly, as long
as you're not changing big structural things.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Yeah. So most builders won't like to change your wet areas. Yeah,
but if you're just extending a room out, given that
the land allows for it, we can change. We can
change to the floor plants lightly. It's just about asking
the question. We go to our office and we ask
the question, and if it's achievable, why not, We'll look
at it.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
I love that it's like you're on our side, which
is really nice.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Yeah, for sure, Well, we want you to have you know,
the perfect home, like we're building first home buyers homes. Yeah,
we want to make homes happen. So give us all
the questions, give us all the you know changes, and
we'll just try and make the best solution come true.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Oh that's so nice to hear. A lot of people
have been asking how challenging or time consuming is the
process of building from scratch as a first home buy
because speaking for myself, I have no idea what I'm doing, Like,
it is very overwhelming, which is why I'm hosting this
podcast and hopefully helping some other people feel a bit
more comfy. But it seems like potentially the process of
(15:46):
building a house is very involved, Like there's lots of
little details and like wolves and land and all of
these things. How difficult is it for somebody who's got
no idea what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Yeah, building can be difficult, It can be hard, definitely
can be challenging. But what we like to do is
just simplify the whole process and make it as easy
as possible. And by doing that, it's holding your hand
and guiding you.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Through each step.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
So obviously some people will be more particular than others,
and with that we just have to adapt ourselves to
help them through it. So, if it's with colors selection,
we'll take you through a color showroom, will help you
with colors, We've got expert guidance from the girls from
the block. Yeah, so we've got the professionals, like, we've
(16:34):
got all the experts to help you, and that just
makes it easier instead of going to a million different parties,
whether it's external finance, external solicitors, conveyances, etc. Were the
one stop shop. We've got everyone there that's set up
to help you, and that's just to make the experience
as enjoyable as possible for beginners.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Yeah, talking about colors, this is something I had a
conversation with one of the girls in the office about
this very recently. How do people figure out what looks
good together? And this is probably a personal question as well,
but you walk through these display homes and they look
really beautiful, and they've obviously been put together by experts
and interior designers. How do people kind of figure out
(17:16):
what their vibe is because it feels like when you're
putting down a tile or you're painting a wall, it's
a very final decision and as someone like me who
gets very overwhelmed, that's tough and scary. Is it something
that you know you see a lot of people struggle
with and can your experts kind of help provide guidance
(17:36):
on interior feeling as well? We had an interior designer
on the show earlier in the season, the beautiful Alison Lewis,
and she's so good at what she does and I
remember saying to her, I just could never do that,
And I feel like walking into a color showroom would
be just like mind bogglingly overwhelming for me. Is there,
like you say that you have those experts kind of
(17:58):
there and available to help. Are they able to guide
you on creating I suppose the feeling that you want
to have in your home?
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Yeah, definitely. So currently we've got six color schemes and
are hand selected by the experts Yen Lessandra the Twins,
and what you'll have from that is the flexibility to
customize from within each color scheme. The beauty of having
the color schemes is they're put in all of our
display home. So what you're actually walking through in real
(18:27):
life is what you can have in your own home,
and you'll be able to see it furnished. You'll be
able to see, you know, and touch and feel the
splash back and all the pretty feature tiles, and that's
what we put in our home. So what you see
in display is genuinely what we give you.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
That's really good because I remember walking through a display
home once and I asked the consultant who was there
and wasn't a home buyers one obviously, I said, oh,
like how much? I just kind of assumed it was
an upgrade because it's a beautiful tile, so how much
would it be to add this in to the existing
plant or whatever? And they're like, oh, we don't off
of that, and I was like, why is it here? Yeah,
(19:02):
why is it there? And it's just to give you
a demonstration of what you could do. And I was like,
but I can't exactly.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
And that's and that's where first home buyers get super
confused and, like I said, super overwhelmed. And that's why,
you know, it's a different experience when you're going through
someone that's set up to guide you with you.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Know, finance, land home.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
Colors like we help you with everything. We know how
stressful it can be, so our goal is to just
take all the pressure off you, absorb all the stress
so you can actually enjoy the process and experience.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
That sounds really nice. Can you talk me through a
little bit what is and isn't included in a build?
Because I think a lot of people, including me, when
I first started looking, I'll put my hand up here,
go oh, everything like a house and land package, it's
all done like you buy it. But that's actually what
a turnkey property is. Not all house and land packages
(19:58):
are that. So what generally is and isn't included because
then I guess those are additional costs that we have
to be factoring into our price.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
So I guess if you jump online and you're inquiring
on some house and land or home and land packages
or whatever it is, what you want to be keeping
an eye out for are things like fencing and landscapings
that most things builders won't include. Yeah, but the key
things that you want to make sure are included, especially
if you're a first home buyer, are things like your
floor coverings and your driveway because they're realistically what you
(20:31):
need to get started. So any building you're speaking with,
just make sure if there's any advice, those two things
are included. So, yeah, your driveway and your floor coverings.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
The floor one is actually really funny because I remember
speaking to somebody and sorry, I'm just like totally interjecting
my whole personal experience into this episode, but I remember
talking to somebody and they pointed out the fact that
floor coverings weren't included, and I was like, what do
you mean the house that I'm building doesn't have flaws?
Like it just blew my mind that that was one
(21:02):
of those details. I think something else that I've heard
heating and cooling isn't necessarily always included as well, Is
that right?
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah? Correct, So just make sure you know what's important
to you is in their standard inclusions, and then anything
that's not, just make sure you're asking them to put
it in so you know exactly how much it's going
to cost you before you, you know, go and put
pen to paper or you know, sign your life away
or anything like that. You just want to make sure
(21:29):
you've got a full understanding, full transparency of what's actually
going in your home.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yeah, and what kind of additional costs do people need
to be factoring in beyond the advertisedbal price.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
A lot of first home buyers will kind of come
into displays, especially and ask the question of, you know,
what's the base price of this home? And that question
can be extremely misleading, especially if you're in a display
village where there's you know, ten twenty homes and you
just door to door, what's the base price?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I made that mistake.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Yeah, and it's common, and it's super super common. But
every builder on the street will give you a different
base price, for example, twenty five square home, and that
difference in price could be you know, site costs not
being fixed or included, your estate guidelines, not being factored in,
your council costs, your bushfire provisions. So I'm probably throwing
(22:23):
out all these random.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Yeah, can you talk me through what some of those
things are, because I think a lot of people who
are looking for the first time wouldn't have an understanding
of what they are, let alone what to look out for.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Yeah, for sure. So every block of land will be
in an estate, and every estate will have a different
guideline to follow. So where I'm currently working in Cloverton,
a state, they require things like high ceilings as a
requirement for this state.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
That's so interesting.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Yeah, so something like that.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
If that's not factored into the pricing up front, you'll
be finding out about it later.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
And if you're not finding it about it early, you
can't actually, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
And to build in the estate, the developer requires high ceilings,
so you have to have it otherwise you won't get
your permits. So the earlier and sooner you can find
out about these costs, the better because it will just
give you, I guess, the peace of mind one knowing
you've included everything that you have to and two it
(23:21):
works with your finance options.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Yeah, what about you mentioned bushfire? What's that?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Yeah, so bushfire provision.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
This is more so when you're looking at blocks of
land that is titling later or that's titling later, council
will deem it.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Basically, it's a big grassland.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
And it's a bushfire zone, so if anything catches a light,
the whole thing's probably gonna burn.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Once it gets closer to.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Tidle, council will kind of reassess the area and see
if it's still in a bushfire zone. If it's not,
that'll be lifted and we'll give you what we call
the bushfire provision back as a credit. What the bushfire
cost is is basically all the materials that as a
builder we have to change to comply with a bushfire zone.
So that's in seat of using you know, plastic fly screens,
(24:06):
will have to use steel mesh fly screens. Okay, Yeah,
so just little changes in materials.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
And is that the same for flooding as well.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Yeah, so like soil type, any sort of you know,
natural kind of thing will have to factor in for
the build. Yeah, and that'll affect your site cost, it
will affect your variations. But again that's just why you
want to be working with the builder that is looking
into every single thing, doing their due diligence up front, Yeah,
and just giving you that final price before you know,
(24:34):
paying a deposit or locking anything in.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Yeah. Due diligence is one of our favorite phrases on
this podcast. We cannot say do your due diligence loudly
enough from the rooftops. Speaking of the building process, though,
there's a lot of I guess media kerfuffle right now
about the cost of materials because inflation combined with you know,
the backlog of imports and COVID and all of these
(25:00):
different factors seem to have culminated in this really annoying
little bubble where materials are just becoming more and more expensive.
So somebody asked, can prices change during a build? For example,
if inflation causes the cost of materials to go up,
will the overall cost of my build increase?
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Yeah, so goes back to who you're building with. Prices
absolutely have been changing in the last couple of months
or last twelve months, I should say they've changed significantly.
That's why, depending on who you've chosen as a builder,
you've either signed a fixed price contract.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
Or a variable price.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Okay, so if prices go up, you just want to
make sure the contract you've signed is a genuine fixed
price and you're not going to be affected by any
of that.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And where do people, if they are looking into a
particular builder, where do they find that information regarding whether
or not it is in fact a true fixed or
a variable contract.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
You've got to read the fine prints on.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
You could not the answer I wanted to.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Yeah, I know it is tricky because a lot of
builders will tell you it's a fixed price and then
you'll you'll read, unfortunately, the small print underneath and it'll
say subject to a bunch of different things.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
So yeah, just just read your.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Contracts, read this fine print, and just make sure you're
asking questions.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Yeah, and that's something I think that you potentially could
talk to your broker about as well, if you're going
through that process, or if you have somebody else on
your home buying team. Definitely worth asking. But reading the
front print is probably a very good idea when you're
buying something so expensive.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
For sure, especially if you're dealing with, like we were saying,
a construction home specialist.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
They'll be able to tell you.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
They'll point out all the flags in your paperwork if
you're dealing with one of those.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
The last question that I have alan for you before
I let you go is what should people do if
they are considering house and land packages? Who should they
speak to? Where should they start? What is your best
advice for people basically exactly like me?
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, just do your research online. Do you do diligence
in checks, reputations, everything. In this current market, it's obvious
there's bad media everywhere on the building industry. Do your
research and just don't pick your builder by design or price.
That's my biggest thing. Pick a builder on reputation, experience,
(27:21):
in quality. You want to make sure that they're going
to be there to build your home. If you guys
are looking in Victoria, come and speak to me. My
name's Ellen. I work for the Home Bias Center. We're
Australia's second largest builder and we're set up to guide
you through getting into home ownership.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Incredible. We'll pop all of Allen's information in the show
note if anyone does want to reach out and have
a chat to her. But I think that's everything. Thank
you so much for answering what feels like a million
and one questions from me. Okay, just before we head off,
let's quickly wrap the boring but important stuff. The advice
shed on the Property Playbook is generally in nature and
does not consider your individual circumstances. The Property Playbook exists
(28:00):
purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon
to make an investment or a financial decision. And that's
all for today, guys, so thank you so much for
joining me, and I'll chat to you in the next episode.
Bye bye,
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