Land Purchase and Build – 3 Bed, 2 Bath. DLUG.

 

Even with my success of solving problem properties, such as difficult blocks of land, steep, rocky or a complicated easement, I have found that some problems are unsolvable. Please be sure you have the solution first before using this value add approach (See also the Jack & Jill, Church Access, The Birds & Solve the Problems for Gain projects). 
Steep and ugly, this site sloped up from the road and was the last left in the estate, some five years after all other lots had homes established. Being steep it had nice views, but how to get up there? It also had sites above it, which (illegally) discharged their storm water overflow straight onto and down the site. At $30k though, the price begged sometime for a solution (this was the ‘90s, by the way). A chat with the neighbours about re-diversion and designated easement with them paying went well, then to design. A high-set three bed, two bath timber floor home with a great deck to the view, and DLUG under accessed by a snake for a driveway with a turnaround (back out) area did the trick. Total cost >$200k when the neighbours were valued at $300k so we soon joined them, nothing special about this, just solving problems. 

We rented the home for many years, but eventually learned a lesson. The steep driveway caused high tenant turnover, when it was wet cars would fail to grip the driveway and slide down (eeek!) despite our coarse exposed aggregate driveway treatment. We decided the solution was to sell to an owner occupier, expecting any buyer would assess 4WD’s were needed; they did.