PeteY

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone is intending to, or has build a home instead of buying a pre-built/secondhand home?

What are the advantages/disadvantages, and can you save any money?

I know of only one person who has so far, near Adelaide, and he saved about $30k over similar houses that were 2nd hand, and got pretty much exactly what he wanted.

The downsides were the wait, and the teething troubles associated with a brand new home.

Can anyone reccomend any companies that project manage this kind of thing in oz?

Cheers for any help.

Pete.

kentcoast

Not an answer but a further question: Most of us know that as first time buyers in Oz we'll qualify for the $7k grant (just enough to cover the stamp duty) and that if we buy new we get $14k but where does self build fit in. Does a new house qualify if you have it built for yourself?

Perry

terryg

Perry

I'm not 100% sure but I beleive the 14k has been reduced to 7k for new homes


See http://www.firsthome.gov.au/

Gra.B

Not sure about in oz, but came across this site in NZ - www.maximbuilding.co.nz , great if you want something quick, they reckon complete build in 4 wks! Not sure if I like the idea of a house made of MDF, but it may not be as bad as it sounds. Found a few architects who use it.

Don't know if they have a place in oz though, might be worth looking.

Gra...

Stoney

Dont know where you are heading to but PB posted this one for Perth a few days ago, they come recommended.

www.wbn-homes.com.au

terryg

Hi Pete

You could try http://www.ozrealestateguide.com.au/...2294/Guide.asp

sassie

Hi Petey. Not sure where you are headed, but we were thinking about building on the gold coast in Queensland. Just come back from oz a few weeks ago, and spent half our time going around display home villages, etc to get some ideas. Although the houses were cheap enough to build, the land was the biggest problem. I know this will sound strange being Australia, but everywhere we went, we were told that there is virtually no land available. As soon as land is released, its being snapped up straightaway, and the land that was left was so ridiculously expensive, it wasn't worth it, so now we are having second thoughts about building. Another option we will be looking into is house and land packages. The advantages are that the house is brand new and is already built, so what you see is what you get.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

captaincook

the first time buyers grant is reduced to $7k now but covers not only new build but existing homes.

one of the main benefits of building is the stamp duties savings as you only pay stamp duty on the land and not the full asking price of a house. savings on new build can soon be eaten up from all those extra you want as usually (not always so worth checking) prices are for basic package - most say add min 10% to that to get it liveable with light fittings, insect screens, driveways, lawns etc. other disadvantages are dealing with the building process, maybe living in a new area amongst a building site for a time, buying offplan and not knowing who neighbours will be. having said all that its definately an experience and rewarding to do that few will get to experience in uk and worthwhile doing here if you have the chance but not at any price.

as somebody previously posted land is the big issue although more in the near city locations. in brisbane go out north or bayside and there is plenty available although prices are rising. usually the marketing agents like to keep it tight and you may have to put name on a list and listen to all their guff but you will be able to buy it especially if you let them know you are shopping around with competing subdivisions. dont expect any discounts at the moment though as everthing is selling.

there are loads of builders and architects. the bigger builders have completed homes in display type villages to view. however you buy from them unbuilt. other smaller builders build first and then try to sell which is where a lot of the land is going as they get builders terms and have a year to settle.

if you buy unbuilt one tip particularly if you are paying cash as some from uk may end up doing is employ a local building inspection company to act for you and keep the builders in line. as a foreigner you may be world wisely but you may be unaware of the local way of doing things and we felt they paid for themselves in buckets and had few problems with our home whereas loads of our neighbours had countless nightmares.

dotty

Land is only a problem because despite the vast size of OZ, most of it is unihabitable. 99% of people want to live in the same areas, close to a city or close to a beach. Hard to understand from the UK, but actually most Australians live in little pockets which are very suburban and crowded.

There are actually hundreds of little towns in every State that are full of land and houses going for an absolute song. Cheap as chips. Many people here say they are escaping crowding and people, but they are moving to the cities and suburbs.

Land an hour from Adelaide, Country Victoria, Country Qld could be incredibly cheap. Just two hours west of Brisbane you could probably buy thousands of acres for under 200 thousand. Housing blocks under $40,000. Trouble is nobody wants it they just keep piling into the cities etc. If I was really trying to escape the Uk, I'd be looking out west, country towns, Tasmania. There are thousands of Bargains to be had, might be a big opportunity for someone really keen to escape the rat race!

PeteY

Excellent, thanks for the tips and links guys.

Pete.

kentcoast

Thanks Terry - my info was out of date - anyone else interested it's explained cleary and with specific ref to self build at

http://www.revenuesa.sa.gov.au/fhog/home.html

Cheers

Perry