The Free Tools at Your Disposal to Help You Find the Right Block of Land
Looking for a block of land? While location and size will come down to personal preference, the wrong block of land can turn dreams into a nightmare. Similarly to buying a house, you can buy a lemon of a block of land. And if you don’t do your homework you may find yourself spending more than you’d bargained for.
Whether you intend to build your dream home or an investment property, there are a number of free tools at your disposal to help you find the right block of land for you.
RP Data
This is the most useful tool when looking at property. It will give you insight into past sales and listings of the block of land and you can research recent sales on similar properties. All you need to do is create an account and you have access to a wealth of information. Use the free trial to conduct your research, then cancel your subscription if you don’t want to proceed.
Realestate.com
You can’t go past RealEstate.com for the most comprehensive listing of available properties and land. Do your research on available blocks of land in your preferred area as well as surrounding areas.
PD online
This is the local council search tool for self-help with planning and development. It enables you to access basic property information and discover information about development applications on other blocks of land. Go to your local council website and search for PD online. Then search streets near your potential block to look for any other development approvals you can review to glean vital information.
Research the estate, the developer and suburb on Google for any other information that might be useful. You may find some positive articles on your block of land or preferred area, or you may find some negative issues that you otherwise would have missed.
Before you make a final decision, you should have the site thoroughly checked out by a professional who can assess the cost of building a home and advise whether the block of land is a solid investment. They can also advise whether the house you’re hoping to build on it will actually fit and be properly positioned within the building envelope. It’s much easier and less costly to make changes earlier in the process.