S&L Consulting Property Due Diligence Specialists

Beware of Paragraph F ⚠️- (Duties Act 2000 (Vic) – Economic Entitlement Provisions)

In one of my most recent deals, I followed my usual process. My bread and butter

Pre-purchase DD---- liked the prospects of the site- -----Put it under contract with an and/or nominee clause- -----Then went deeper on DD

My solicitor calls me when I requested a small extension to DD and says:

“We need to be careful… this level of DD could be seen as adding value or developing the site before nomination.”

I was honestly bewildered. DD is what we do best.

That’s how we de-risk deals. That’s how we consistently deliver strong, above average profits.

A solid process I learned from Steve McKnight and one that has never failed me

My solicitor informed me (informally) there’s increasing talk that historical transactions are being reviewed.

Developers are being hit with double stamps for deals from 5–6 years ago!

Using AI and data matching to assess whether someone may have:

Added value

Had an economic entitlement

Or

Crossed into “development” before the entity was properly structured

If they deem you have then you could be up for unexpected stamp duty… years later. Because computer said so!

I didn't want to argue with a solicitor so we decided to engage the services of Victoria's best tax barristers

We reviewed everything — and confirmed I wasn’t developing or adding value in a way that would trigger duty under the economic entitlement provisions of the Duties Act 2000 (Vic) (where Paragraph F sits around rights to participate in development)

And I took away some key points to enhance and strengthen our process so we never cross the line

In summary the question to consider is whether your DD activity + intention + actions could be interpreted as stepping into development territory before the final entity is in place

In Victoria, the line is blurry. “Development” isn’t just building

It can include:

Planning work

Consultants

Early design

Anything that could be seen as increasing land value. Even during DD before nomination

This is where Paragraph F can come for you

And if that wasn’t concerning enough, the clause can be interpreted to capture value created before settlement. It’s not something I’ve ever done or needed to do — we don’t pursue deals where you lock something up on a long settlement and then go out and secure plans, permits, or approvals to flip it before we settle

That’s not our style. But it does happen… and more often than people think

Welcome to the future with AI in property. Instead of making life easier and processes more efficient, it’s being used to look back and find ways to charge more. All in the name of catching a few — while penalizing many who are doing the right thing

I paid good money for this advice — consider it a cautionary tale. This is general information only, not advice. Always seek your own independent legal advice.

https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/da200093/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Onwards and upwards

☝🏽👍🏽

Shehan Tambinayagam on stage demonstrating >>>

Strategic Flipping VS Buy and Hold

$238,000 each year over 2 years Vs
$39,236 each year over 10 years

A big thank you to everyone who joined us live for our free session last night 🙂

“How Many Lots Could Fit on This Block?”

It was fantastic to see so many people interested in understanding how developers actually assess a site before committing to a deal — and thanks for all the great questions!

A block that looks ordinary to most investors can sometimes become a serious opportunity once you understand its:

• Development potential
• Planning constraints
• Possible lot yield

During the session we walked through:

✔ How developers estimate potential subdivision yield
✔ The free tools professionals use for site analysis
✔ Early town planning signals most investors miss
✔ A live example of analysing a development site

A huge thank you to Julie Bowyer (Town Planning) and Ben Nobelius (Land Surveying) for sharing their expertise.

If you missed the session, the full replay is now available free here:

👉 https://youtu.be/DTN0I6i6abA

Want to Go Deeper?

This session was really just the introduction.

If you want to understand how developers evaluate sites before committing time or capital, we’re running a deep-dive seminar on March 28.

In that session we’ll cover: https://youtu.be/DTN0I6i6abA

• How professionals assess development feasibility
• Understanding planning overlays and zoning
• How to estimate lot yield and project viability
• The frameworks used to make smarter development decisions

You can see the details here:

👉 https://suburbselection.strategicflipping.com/sales-page

If you work in property, development, planning, surveying or investing, learning how to assess sites properly can completely change the opportunities you see.

And if you have a site or deal you’re looking at and want a second opinion, feel free to reach out or book a clarity call here:

👉 https://strategicflipping.com/

How many lots could fit on this site In the session we covered:✔ How developers estimate potential lot yield✔ The free tools professionals use to analyse sites✔ Early planning signals many inves...

A quick reminder that tonight at 7:30pm we’re hosting a free live session on how developers begin assessing a site.

How Many Lots Could Fit on This Block?

Most people look at property and ask:

“Is this a good deal?”

Developers ask a different question first:

“What could actually be built here?”

That single question can completely change how you view a property.

Tonight I’ll be joined by:

• Julie Bowyer – Town Planning expert
• Ben Nobelius – Nobelius Land Surveyors

In this session we’ll walk through:

✔ How professionals estimate potential lot yield
✔ The free tools used to analyse sites
✔ Early planning signals most investors miss
✔ A live example site analysis

If you work in property — or want to start thinking more like a developer — this will be a valuable session.

📅 Tonight
🕢 7:30pm AEDT

Join here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pwZs3wFJT8uOulkvIyMMww

Potential.

Before experienced developers look at numbers, they ask a different set of questions.

• What zoning applies?
• What overlays might restrict development?
• What setbacks are required?

And most importantly…

How many lots could actually fit on the site?

That one question can completely change how you view a property.

A block that looks ordinary to most investors can sometimes become a serious opportunity once you understand its true development potential.

Next Wednesday evening we’re hosting a free live session where we’ll walk through exactly how professionals begin analysing a site.

I’ll be joined by:

• Julie Bowyer – Town Planning expert
• Ben Nobelius – Nobelius Land Surveyors

Together we’ll show you:

✔ How professionals estimate potential lot yield
✔ The free public tools used every day in the industry
✔ Early planning signals many investors overlook
✔ A live example site analysis

If you work in property — or want to start thinking more like a developer — this session will be incredibly valuable.

📅 Wednesday 11 March
🕢 7:30pm (Live)

Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pwZs3wFJT8uOulkvIyMMww

How Many Lots Could Fit on This Block?

Most people look at property and ask:

“Is this a good deal?”

Developers ask a different question first:

“What could actually be built here?”

Before a project becomes profitable, you need to understand the true development potential of the site.

Next Wednesday evening we’re hosting a free live webinar where we’ll show you exactly how experienced developers begin assessing a site.

Shehan Tambinayagam will host Julie Bowyer and Ben Nobelius from Nobelius Land Surveyors P/L, who has helped guide planning outcomes across hundreds of projects.

In this session we’ll cover:

* How to quickly estimate how many lots may fit on a site
* The free public tools professionals use every day
* Early planning signals most investors miss
* How zoning, overlays and setbacks impact development potential

We’ll also analyse a real example site live.

If you’ve ever wondered how developers quickly assess whether a property could become a serious opportunity, this session will give you a powerful starting point.

Free Live Webinar
Wednesday 11 March
7:30pm

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pwZs3wFJT8uOulkvIyMMww

I'll be hosting this free educational webinar next Wednesday with town planning expert Julie Bowyer

One of the biggest mistakes new developers make is buying a site before truly understanding what can be built on it

In this session we’ll walk through how experienced developers begin assessing subdivision potential using free public information

If you've ever looked at a block of land and wondered “what could actually be done with this?” — this will be a practical session

Details and registration below 👇

Nobelius Land Surveyors

How Many Lots Could Fit on This Block?

Most people look at property and ask:

“Is this a good deal?”

Developers ask a different question first:

“What could actually be built here?”

Before a project becomes profitable, you need to understand the true development potential of the site.

Next Wednesday evening we’re hosting a free live webinar where we’ll show you exactly how experienced developers begin assessing a site.

Shehan Tambinayagam will host Julie Bowyer and Ben Nobelius from Nobelius Land Surveyors P/L, who has helped guide planning outcomes across hundreds of projects.

In this session we’ll cover:

* How to quickly estimate how many lots may fit on a site
* The free public tools professionals use every day
* Early planning signals most investors miss
* How zoning, overlays and setbacks impact development potential

We’ll also analyse a real example site live.

If you’ve ever wondered how developers quickly assess whether a property could become a serious opportunity, this session will give you a powerful starting point.

Free Live Webinar
Wednesday 11 March
7:30pm

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pwZs3wFJT8uOulkvIyMMww

You may or may not know that Lisa and I own a small café in Warragul.

It started as a small passion project — and almost all the profits are donated back into the community

Small businesses are the heartbeat of communities like Warragul

When they struggle, the whole community feels it

Lately, owning a small business in Victoria feels a bit like pushing uphill constantly

Costs are rising

Compliance keeps growing

And many businesses are feeling the pressure of taxation

Australia’s tax system is also one of the most complex in the OECD

And the strain is starting to show

Business failures in Victoria have surged sharply over the past two years, with insolvencies among the highest in the country

Source:

https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/02/welcome-to-victoria-the-bankruptcy-state/

With taxation back in the public conversation, I recently revisited Milton Friedman’s book Free to Choose and his thinking on taxation

Instead of endlessly increasing tax rates and creating more brackets — which leads to a maze of rules — governments should consider capping the top tax rate

Because when tax rates get too high, people don’t simply accept them.

They change their behaviour

Economists have long observed that beyond a certain point, higher tax rates can actually reduce the total revenue collected because behaviour changes

High earners start spending enormous amounts on:

• accountants

• lawyers

• complex structures

• tax minimisation strategies

None of this creates new wealth!

It simply redirects time, energy and capital into reducing tax exposure instead of building businesses

Friedman argued that if the top tax rate were capped at something like 25%, far more income would simply be declared

Because it wouldn’t be worth the cost and complexity of trying to hide it.

After all, most people won’t spend serious money and energy just to save 25 cents on the dollar

It made me wonder

What if Australia capped the top tax rate at 30%?

Would we see:

• more income declared thus more revenue by way of tax for the government

• less complexity in the tax system

• lower compliance costs

• a more productive economy

Possibly even more tax revenue overall if economic activity moved back into the open economy

To be clear neither Milton nor I are advocating for universal tax rate - that's defiantly not a good system. Simply proposing lower marginal rates and simplified systems

I’m not claiming to have the answer

But it’s an interesting idea worth discussing

Credit to Milton Friedman for the original thinking

Curious what others think

This story has nothing to do with property investing…
And everything to do with succeeding in property investing.

No cap rates. No feasibility spreadsheets. Yet this might be the most important investing lesson you’ll read today.

Property investing isn’t about spreadsheets first.
It’s about staying in the game long enough to let compounding do its work.

I took this from Chris Williamson’s weekly blog, which is absolutely brilliant — I cannot recommend it highly enough.

In the mid-90s, there was a single mother living in near-poverty in Edinburgh.

When she left her first marriage, it wasn’t a quiet parting. She has described the relationship as abusive. She fled with her baby daughter and a suitcase containing the early chapters of a book she was working on. At one point, her ex-husband hid the manuscript, trying to prevent her from leaving with it.

She was clinically depressed and contemplating su***de.
She couldn’t afford to heat her flat properly, so she pushed a pram to cafés to write while her daughter slept.
The manuscript was rejected by twelve publishers.

Twelve people telling her, in different ways, that it wasn’t good enough.
The rejection wasn’t abstract — it was survival-level.
If the book failed, so did her last attempt at building a life.
The humiliation of those refusals became momentum.

J.K. Rowling went on to sell more than 500 million copies of the Harry Potter series globally and became richer than the Queen.

If you work in property but haven’t invested yourself yet, this is for you

Strategic Flipping One Day Property Workshop | Melbourne Join a capped, in-person workshop in Melbourne for property professionals seeking a safe, structured path into property investing.