House & land · Cranbourne
Short answer
In Cranbourne and Cranbourne East, two house-and-land packages can look alike on price and still end up costing different amounts once site costs are counted. Before you choose, ask each builder for site costs based on a soil test and survey of your actual lot, and whether they're fixed or an allowance. Also check title status and the estate's design rules. Turnkey Building Group (TKBG) is Victoria's leading builder broker, based in nearby Berwick. Every package we offer is full turnkey, at a fixed price, from a network of over 35 builders. The builder pays us from a share of its margin, so you pay TKBG no fee and using us costs you nothing extra.
Checklist
Cranbourne has established neighbourhoods alongside newer estates in growth areas such as Cranbourne East. Here's what to check on any lot:
For a wider view across Melbourne's growth areas, see house and land packages in Melbourne's growth corridors.
Titles
Titled land has a registered title. It can usually settle, and the builder can then do the soil test and survey that firm up site costs. Untitled land is waiting for its plan of subdivision to be registered. Any title date is an estimate.
That timing links straight back to site costs. On untitled land, some builders price site costs on assumptions and confirm them later, once the lot can be tested. Ask how the builder will handle any difference between the estimate and the tested result.
Before signing for untitled land, ask:
Read titled vs untitled land in Victoria, and have a conveyancer check your land contract.
Site costs
Site costs pay for preparing your lot for the slab and connecting it to services. They depend on the lot, so a package price quoted before the lot is tested may change. When you compare two Cranbourne packages, put them side by side on each line. Our guide to site costs for house and land in Victoria covers what they include and how to get them in writing:
| Site-cost item | What to ask each builder |
|---|---|
| Soil and slab design | Is the slab priced on a soil test of this lot, or an assumed soil class? |
| Fall of the land | Has a contour survey been done? Is any cut, fill or retaining included? |
| Rock or poor ground | Is rock removal or extra excavation excluded, capped or included? |
| Drainage and stormwater | Is the connection to the legal point of discharge included? |
| Service connections | Are water, sewer, power and NBN connections included, and how far do they run? |
| Driveway, paths and crossover | Are they included, and to the estate's required finish? |
| Fencing and landscaping | Are they included, and do they meet the estate's standard and deadlines? |
| Provisional sums | Which items are still allowances, and what happens if the real cost is higher? |
A package with a lower headline price and lots of allowances can end up costing more than one with fixed site costs. Ask for anything that's an allowance to be identified in writing.
Every package TKBG offers is full turnkey, at a fixed price. Still read the written inclusions before you sign. Our turnkey inclusions checklist lists the items to check.
Newer estates in Cranbourne East, like many growth-area estates, usually have design guidelines. They can cover façades, roof style, colours, garage setbacks, driveway finishes, fencing and front landscaping, sometimes with deadlines to finish after you move in. Ask whether the package already meets the guidelines, and who lodges the plans for developer approval. If a design needs changes to pass, ask who pays.
The broker
Comparing site costs across builders is slow and technical. Each builder words its quotes differently, and allowances are easy to miss. A builder broker puts the packages on the same terms so you can see the real differences.
With TKBG, you brief us once on your budget, timing and the lots you're considering. We draw on over 35 builders, shortlist suitable homes and packages, and compare site costs, inclusions and design-rule fit side by side. You choose the builder and sign the building contract with them directly. Some people call this a building broker; it's the same service.
TKBG is paid by the builder you choose from a share of its margin, so it costs you nothing extra. Read how builder brokers get paid. Then check any builder with our guide on how to check a builder in Victoria.
Why TKBG
Buying your first home? Read first home buyer house and land in Victoria. For our wider service, see builder broker Melbourne.
Looking at a lot next to the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne? See house and land in Botanic Ridge.
Looking at the new Woodhaven estate on the former Cranbourne Golf Course? See house and land in Cranbourne North.
Looking at Harli, the newest estate in Cranbourne West? See house and land in Cranbourne West.
Nearby suburbs: also see house and land in Clyde North and Berwick.
Questions
Each lot has its own soil, fall and service runs. One may need more fill, retaining or a different slab than its neighbour. That's why site costs should be based on a soil test and survey of your exact lot.
It means the builder has priced the site works for your lot as fixed for the items listed. An allowance or provisional sum is an estimate that can change. Ask which items are fixed and which aren't, in writing, and check the building contract before you sign.
Check the lot's title status, estate stage, design guidelines, site costs and any overlays or easements. Compare packages line by line on site costs, not just on the headline price.
Often only once the lot can be accessed and tested, which may be after titles. Ask the builder how site costs are estimated until then, and how any difference will be handled.
Yes. Every package TKBG offers is full turnkey, at a fixed price. Ask us to show you in writing what the price covers on your lot, and read the inclusions before you sign.
Yes. TKBG is a builder broker based in Berwick, near Cranbourne. We compare packages from over 35 builders for Cranbourne, Cranbourne East and across Victoria.
No. The builder you choose pays TKBG from a share of its margin, so using us costs you nothing extra.
Next step
Book a discovery appointment, or start at offer.tkbg.com.au.
Questions? Email info@tkbg.com.au