Everyone is eagerly waiting to see if the $25,000 Homebuilders Grant will be extended beyond the 31st of December .
At the moment you have to sign a build contract before the 31st of December(it must be dated after the 4th of June) .The building groundworks(ie site cut and clear) need to have commenced within 3 months of the date of the signed build contract ,as well as the first progress payment paid. 
​With my fixed priced and turn-key builders, the first progress payment is the 5% deposit(this deposit is paid when the plans are Council approved). But is seems that the $25,000 is paid only after the slab is down and the slab invoice, receipt and proof of the slab(ie a photo) have been submitted. However the slab, from what I can understand ,doesn't have to be poured within the 3 month timeframe.
Getting towards the end of the year is going to be very tricky with meeting the 3 month requirement to have plans approved and the site cut. Builders, certifiers, the Council all wind down at the end of the year and the building industry generally has a shutdown of around 3 weeks.
So if you are thinking of taking advantage of the grant now is the time...but you will need to buy registered land so that the timeframe can be met. There is no time to wait for land to "be made" it needs to be ready now. 
There are a few estates left with land registered mainly in the Hunter and the Central Coast, with a few blocks here and there around Newcastle.
Fingers crossed the Government addresses the grant in the budget , to help the construction industry and potential home owners  well into 2021!!
For further information on House and Land packages with registered land , give me a call.
Kerri-Ann 0402 107 194
*advice is of a general nature

Alot of the big display builders are offering large cash discounts at the moment. But did you know you will be paying for the discount later on in the build?
Most of the bigger builders' contracts are not fixed priced. Meaning that the build contract price will most likely be added onto during the build, due to extra site costs and extra Basix or Council requirements that are not covered in the contract. 
A common example is rock, alot of blocks have rock that needs to be removed when the builder is cutting the block. The builder needs to dig it out, which is costly and time consuming, the rock has to be loaded onto trucks and the rock needs to be disposed of. Most of the big builders have a rock clause in their contracts stating that they are not responsible for this cost , this can mean an extra bill of around $20,000....and remember it is not only when they are digging for the slab that they can strike rock, but also when the plumber is digging to connect the drainage that they can encounter this problem.
Another example is fill, either the import or export of soil is needed to level the land for your slab. This is another clause in bigger builder contracts that can cost up to $3,000 extra
A further example is piering, the majority of builders will set the amount of piering allowance. Piering is drilling down to solid ground so the slab can be stabilised. The majority of times the piering allowance is not enough and it is not uncommon to see a bill for $1000 extra.
In regards to Turn-key-it means that the builder provides everything inside and out, the client does not need to organise any trades to pour the driveway ,or put up a retaining wall, it is all completed.
Again most of the big builders do not provide this service, at the end of the build the client is left with a lovely house but they have to move a big pile of dirt from the front yard and have sheets at the window because the builder did not provide blinds.
The price of Landscaping without retaining and a driveway is around $20,000 and retaining walls could be anywhere from $3000-$5000 depending on what is needed. A big cost if your block has over 1 metre of slope.
Just ask the question when you receive the build quote from the big builder who is offering a huge discount, what isn't included in the build price?...and if you have an extras bill of around $50,000 at the end of the build ,how will you pay for that? Are you on a strict budget?
You may be surprised at how affordable a fixed priced and turn-key builder is, they may not have the gorgeous display homes to look through but their pricing is honest and genuine with no hidden surprises..it's worth thinking about!

I recently did some research for some clients who were looking for a good place to invest and wanted equity in the home once it was built.
One of my builders has some House and Land packages for $565,000 for a 4 bedroom design with a double garage and covered alfresco at Hamlyn Terrace.
Looking at the resales and rents in this area, I discovered it is an awesome place to invest!
The equity in the home once built would be around $50,000 and the rents in this area are around $530 a week with a very low vacancy rate.
The estate is near Wyong Hospital ,the M1 around 10 minutes drive away, Coles and Woolworths are 2 minutes down the road,there are several schools around and Warnervale Train station is only around 10 minutes away....and the beach is about 15 minutes away!!
The estate has alot of first home owners so it isn't all investment homes which is great and I can see why the vacancy rate is so low...it is a fantastic place for those working in Sydney ...who don't mind the commute so they can have their own home and their own turf!!
Definitely an area to consider!!