Things to check before buying a home in the Central Coast

1. Flooding:

Here is a guide to working out if your property is flood prone.

If my site is flood prone, what should I do?

If you are planning to do an extension or new build on your property, then Central Coast Council will require you to build above the minimum habitable flood level. If your property has an associated flood risk then you will need to purchase a Flood Information Certificate from council which costs $370. You will also need a survey so that you can determine how much higher you need to build than the existing ground level. Here is a guide to applying for a Flood Information Certificate.

2. Bushfire:

Here is a guide to working out if your property is at risk of bushfire.

If my site is Bushfire prone, what should I do?

If you are planning to do an extension or new build on your property, then Central Coast Council or a Complying Development Application will require you to build to the appropriate bushfire protection level, so you will need to get a bushfire report to see what your BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) is. If you are BAL 40 or BAL FZ you cannot go through the complying development application pathway and need to lodge a Development Application and Construction Certificate. For bushfire reports I usually use Kristan Dowdle: Kristan@cdasurveys.com.au, it is fine if you have a different one though. Here is a good guide to fire resistant planting in Victoria, many of which are relevant in NSW.

3. Crime:

Here is a guide to working out if your home is in a high crime area.

4. Dog Areas:

Here is a guide to finding dog areas on the Central Coast

The Central Coast has many beautiful beaches and outdoor areas, about every second beach on the coast is a dog beach, its a great place to have a dog as part of the family. The only thing is that dogs are not permitted in many reserve areas on the Central Coast so its good to know that too. Here is how to access and read the Central Coast Council Online mapping that shows all these areas. 

5. Primary Schools:

Here is a guide to finding prinary schools on the Central Coast

It can be hard to know what the best school is - often it is the school that suites your kids really. 

Without that though we can only look at exam results. Here is how to find the best primary schools on the Coast based on NAPLAN results. Take this with a grain of salt, there is more to life than exam results. I have heard many good things about schools that are low on this list. 

Having good friends that live next door and not having a big commute to school can really raise your quality of life. Here are the results based on the NAPLAN results for year 3 only.

Go and visit the school to get a feel for it, see what your kids think as well.

6. Site Area and Land Evaluation:

Why does it matter how big my site is or what its value is?

If you are planning to do a project on your site such as a dual occupancy, there is often a minimum  site area that you need so its worth getting accurate information about the site area before you start a project. The land valuation also effects the council taxes and land tax, so its worth knowing before you buy. This is a simple way to find your site area and the value of the property.

Alternatively you can request a free site assessment here and we'll look up all these details for you.