When looking at land there are many considerations that take a back seat to budget. For all our Web visitors who are in the market for land we recommend you consider the following points when inspecting land. Good deals get snatched up quickly so its critical to ask the right questions and know what you are looking for. Conveyance lawyers make a living knowing what to look for and every property sale will involve them but knowing before they get involved is how good investors can act quickly and get the deal they are after while the competition is still thinking. Each of these points has individual value but they also relate and effect each offer in an intricate way and will determine the overall value of your prospect buy.
• Tile Covenants / restrictions
• Bush Fire
• Natural Site drainage / Easements
• Flood Zoning — Australian Height Datum for ocean or lake properties
• Survey package included
• Endangered animals or plants on land
• Boundary Setbacks
• Adjoining properties
• Previous Neighbour proposal rejections
• Land gradients
• Land size vs buildable area
• Land clearing requirements and costs
• Shadowing and privacy limitations for neighbouring properties
• Shape of lot and corresponding build requirements
• Sun and Air orientation
• Solar potential
• Orientation
• Services accessibility and mandatory requirements
• Road conditions
• Drive access and parking
The power of passive solar heating and cooling is not to be underestimated, good orientation, combined with other energy efficiency features, can reduce or even eliminate the need for auxiliary heating and cooling
Ideally, choose a site or home with good orientation for your climatic and regional conditions and build or renovate to maximise the site’s potential for passive heating and passive cooling, North orientation is generally desirable in climates requiring winter heating. Solar north deviates significantly from magnetic north throughout Australia and needs to be taken into account when orienting a home or determining a buildings thermal efficiency.
Orientation does not have to be precise: there is a degree of flexibility.
You can achieve good passive solar performance at minimal cost if your site has the right characteristics. Where possible, choose a site that can accommodate north-facing daytime living areas that flow to outdoor spaces with similar orientation.
The image below supplied by the Aus government housing initiative provides a visual representation on the most basic yet critical orientation design requirements.