House & Land Packages in Australia

House and land packages combine a vacant lot with a build contract for a home on it. They are sold two ways, and the difference matters: a single contract, where you buy the completed house and land as one transaction, or a split contract, where you buy the land first and enter a separate building contract with the builder. The split arrangement is the more common of the two, and it changes when you settle, how progress payments work, and how duty is assessed — worth confirming which structure applies before you go far down the path.

What is and is not included in the build price is the other thing to pin down. Base prices frequently exclude site costs, landscaping, driveways, fencing, floor coverings and window furnishings, and the gap between a base package and a finished, liveable home can be substantial. Ask for the full inclusions schedule in writing, and check whether the quoted price assumes a flat lot — sloping sites carry additional site costs that are not always in the advertised figure.