Surveyor Costs and Project Management Fees

[dprodigy]

Hello forum!

I am a newbie...both to the forum and the property market

1st Project ....Looking to buy a block of land approx 2400 sqm with an existing house in Sydney SouthWest Growth Centre very soon (currently in the contract drafting stage).

The plan is to retain the existing house (about 450 sqm lot) and subdivide the remaining land into 4-5 lots all subject to council approval. There are ongoing new developments under construction all around the property including the adjacent lot, so I am hopeful about the approval.

Been in touch with a local surveyor to quote his fees for surveying, DA approval, service coordination and project management and he has provided the following quote. The Question is are these fees reasonable?? Or is it just a case of an inexperienced and uninformed newcomer like me being targeted for a big margin? as I have no idea of what these fees would normally be for such a subdivision in these area.

- Detail and Contour Survey $3,330+GST

- DA plan and SOEE $3,500+GST

- Road Survey and Engineering Design $5,000+GST

- Water and Sewer Water Service Co-ordinator $8,000+GST

- Project Management $4,000+GST

- Site Supervision $2,250+GST

- Cadastral Surveying $6,400+GST

**The submission does not include any service authority fees or charges.

Any advise will be much appreciated!

Cheers n Good Luck to All!

 

[A Jeremy]

While the project management fee seems very low some of the others look exorbitantly high. I suggest you get some more quotes and compare them.

 

[dprodigy]

Thanks Jeremy, that helps

Is there a particular service in the list that is particularly high?

All the surveyor said when quoting was that the adjoining developer had advised him that the services in the area are very shallow. But shouldn't that mostly affect my costing for establishing the services?

Thanks again!

 

[A Jeremy]

Are all of those costs from one person or company?

I recently got quoted $3300 for an extremely simple engineered concept stormwater management plan. The second quote was $6000 and just before I lost hope in humanity the third one came back at $2200.

I'm not sure what 'SOEE' stands for but when I was doing my first development I was quoted around $4000 for a town planner to do my DA so I did it myself and have done ever since.

In hindsight some of the tasks that you've been quoted seem to entail a decent amount of work so I would stick to the old faithful - getting multiple quotes.

 

[dprodigy]

Hi Jeremy,

Its from a company.

Below is what I found about SOEE when I was trying to find out what the individual items in the list are..

Statement of Environmental Effects (SoEE): This is a statement generally in the form of a letter or report. The SoEE describes the proposed development and details how the proposal will affect various aspects of the environment. This needs to be lodged with the DA. You can have your builder or a planning consultant complete this.


And I am concerned about the amount quoted for the individual items like 1. Road Survey and Engg and 2. Water and Sewer bit. Are these standard industry rates? Sorry, can't help asking that questions even after your recent experience with the quote range. Also, is Cadestral Surveying required for my project??

Jeremy, I am definitely taking your advise on-board and getting more quotes to compare. Next step is trying to find more surveyors..Will keep you updated.

Thanks!

 

[A Jeremy]

Good luck. At the end of the day, you'll get your quotes and know how much those aspects will cost which you can then plug into your feaso and see if the project still makes sense.