Property Development Readiness Score

PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT
INSITE
The step before the step
propertydevelopmentinsite.com

Free Readiness Assessment

Are You Ready to Start
Your First Development?

Answer honestly across three areas — financial, knowledge, and lifestyle — and get your personalised readiness score.

3 pillars 12 questions Takes 4 minutes
Educational purposes only. This readiness assessment is a simplified self-assessment tool for general educational use. It does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or professional advice. Readiness scores are indicative only. Always consult qualified professionals — including a financial advisor, accountant, solicitor, mortgage broker, and town planner — before making any property development decisions.
Pillar 1 of 3
Financial Readiness
Be conservative here. Overestimating your financial readiness is one of the most common and costly mistakes first-time developers make.
How would you describe your current financial position?
Think equity, savings, and borrowing capacity — not income alone.
I have limited equity and savings — I would need to find investors or partners for any project.
I have some equity or savings but would need to stretch significantly to fund a first project.
I have reasonable equity and could access finance for a modest first project with some margin for contingency.
I have solid equity, strong borrowing capacity, and capital set aside for contingencies.
Do you have a 15% contingency reserve available beyond your project costs?
A contingency is separate to your build budget — it's for the things you didn't plan for. It is not optional.
No — I would be using all available funds for the project itself.
I could access around 5 to 10% contingency at a stretch.
Yes — I have approximately 15% contingency available on top of project costs.
Yes — I have 15 to 20% or more set aside as a contingency buffer.
Have you spoken to a mortgage broker about your development finance capacity?
No — I have not spoken to anyone about development finance.
I have had a general conversation but nothing specific to development finance.
Yes — I have spoken to a broker who works specifically with developers.
Yes — I have pre-approval or a clear borrowing capacity figure for a development project.
How long could you sustain your household and project costs if the project was delayed by 6 months?
Delays are common. This is about cash flow resilience, not just capital.
A delay of 6 months would cause me serious financial stress.
I could manage a 3 to 4 month delay but 6 months would be very difficult.
I could manage a 6 month delay with some pressure but without catastrophic consequences.
A 6 month delay would be manageable — I have sufficient buffers in place.
Pillar 2 of 3
Knowledge Readiness
You don't need to know everything — you need to know the right things and have the right team. But some fundamentals are non-negotiable before you commit capital.
Can you read and interpret a basic property feasibility study?
No — I would not know where to start with a feasibility study.
I understand the general concept but have never actually worked through one.
Yes — I can read one and understand the key metrics.
Yes — I can build one from scratch and know which assumptions to stress-test.
Do you understand the development approval process in your target area?
No — the DA and planning process is largely unknown to me.
I have a general understanding but have never been through the process.
I have attended a pre-application meeting with council or spoken to a town planner about a specific site.
I have a solid understanding of the process in my target area, including timeframes and requirements.
Have you built a team of key professionals for your project?
Builder, town planner, mortgage broker, solicitor, accountant.
No — I have not connected with any development professionals yet.
I have spoken to 1 or 2 professionals informally.
I have relationships with 3 to 4 key professionals who work specifically with developers.
I have a full team ready — builder, planner, broker, solicitor, and accountant with development experience.
How confident are you in your ability to manage a project and its professionals?
Not confident at all — I have no project management experience.
Some experience managing people or projects but nothing at this scale.
Reasonably confident — I have solid project management or coordination experience.
Very confident — managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders is what I do.
Pillar 3 of 3
Lifestyle Readiness
Most people underestimate the lifestyle impact of a first project. It's not just about hours — it's about mental load, relationships, and whether this suits your life right now.
How many hours per week could you realistically dedicate to a development project?
During active phases — planning, approvals, construction — the demand increases significantly.
Fewer than 5 hours per week — I am genuinely stretched right now.
Around 5 to 8 hours per week for exploration, but limited during a live project.
10 to 15 hours per week consistently, including during active project phases.
More than 15 hours per week — I have significant capacity available.
How does your household support a major financial commitment at this point in your life?
My household circumstances make a major financial commitment very difficult right now.
It would be possible but would require significant adjustment and carry real pressure.
My household can manage it — there would be some pressure but it's workable.
My household is fully supportive and prepared for what this involves.
How would you describe your stress tolerance during complex, high-stakes situations?
I find high-stress situations significantly impact my health, relationships, and performance.
I manage stress but it takes a toll — I need time to decompress.
I handle pressure reasonably well and recover quickly.
I perform well under pressure — complex, high-stakes situations bring out my best.
Is this the right time in your life for a 12 to 24 month active commitment?
Think about major life events, career changes, family commitments, or other significant projects on your horizon.
No — there are significant competing commitments in the next 12 to 24 months.
Possibly — there are some competing commitments but it might be manageable.
Yes — my calendar is reasonably clear and the timing works.
Yes — this is actually ideal timing given my current life stage.