Buyer's agent · Design · Construction · Sales
Buying land in Sydney, building and then selling usually means hiring a buyer's agent, a designer, a builder and a selling agent separately. Our bilingual team takes you all the way: we help you choose the right site, design it well, build it and sell it for a good price. Costs and the likely sale price are worked out before you buy, in English or Chinese.
Why one team
Buyers focus on price and school zones without checking zoning, lot size, frontage, heritage, flood or bushfire constraints. The duplex turns out to be impossible, or approval takes six months longer.
Nobody costs the design or asks what local buyers want. Once it's approved, it's over budget, or the layout and finishes won't achieve the sale price.
Architect and builder blame each other. Redesigns, missing documents, waiting on materials: every extra month is another month of interest on the land and construction loans.
An agent brought in at the end starts from scratch on the design and finishes, often without reach to Chinese-speaking buyers, so price becomes the only lever.
The difference
Our buyer's agents, designers, builders and selling agents belong to the same group and sit at the same table from the first site you look at, working towards one outcome: buy the right land, build well and sell well, within your budget.
| Four separate firms | One team | |
|---|---|---|
| Site | The agent focuses on the purchase price, not on what the site allows | Our designers and builders inspect the site with you and confirm what can be built |
| Feasibility | Rough guesses; the real numbers only appear at the end | Land, taxes, design, construction, interest and selling costs in one budget before you buy |
| Design | Designed to impress, not to sell | Our selling agents help position the home, with layouts and finishes for the target buyer |
| Cost | You only find out the cost after approval | Costed alongside the concept and drawn to your budget |
| Time | Back and forth between design, quotes and redesigns | Design, approval and construction preparation run in parallel, so you pay less interest |
| Selling | An agent brought in at the end, learning the home from scratch | Our selling agents know the home from the design stage and plan the campaign during construction |
| Contact | Four firms, many hand-offs, frequent translation | One bilingual team from start to finish |
Four stages · four specialist teams
We are the AUD Group. Three group companies share the work: Real Estate AU handles buying and selling, Apex handles design and approvals, and AUD Build handles construction. You deal with one bilingual team.
Acting only for you as the buyer: finding land you can actually build on, and that will sell once it's built.
Sydney architectural design by a bilingual team, drawn to your budget, to what can be built, and to what buyers want.
A Sydney builder established in 2017, handling the construction quote, procurement and site works through to handover.
We've known this home since the design stage, so we can explain its value better than any outside agent.
One budget, from purchase to saleLand price, stamp duty, design and approvals, construction, loan interest, selling costs and expected sale price sit in one spreadsheet. If anything changes at one stage, every team sees the impact on your profit straight away.
Get a free project budgetHow it works
We talk through your budget, finance, and whether you plan to live in, sell, or hold and lease.
Decide the exit before you look at land: selling, leasing or living in determines what to buy and what to build.
Investment adviserOur buyer's agent shortlists sites, our designers check planning controls, and our builders assess slope, access and site conditions.
Three answers before you buy: What can be built? CDC or DA? Roughly what will it cost?
Buyer's agent + designer + builderWe put land, taxes, design, construction, interest, selling costs and the expected sale price in one budget, then set your maximum offer.
If the numbers don't work, we'll tell you to walk away.
Buyer's agentOur designers prepare the concept and 3D renders, our builders cost it as it develops, and our selling agents advise on layouts and finishes for the target buyer.
From signed design contract to CDC approval in as little as 45 days.
Design teamOne set of drawings, one clear construction quote, explained item by item before you sign. Your project contact sends regular updates, site photos and any decisions needed.
Our team accompanies you to choose materials in Foshan, China, from factory inspection to sea freight, to keep costs under control.
Construction teamPricing, marketing, inspections, negotiation and settlement. If you'd rather hold, our property management team can lease it.
Our selling agents know the home from the design stage and plan the campaign during construction.
Selling agentsDoing the numbers
In Sydney, development profit is rarely lost on the build itself. It's lost on costs nobody counted before the land was bought. In your first consultation, we'll go through this list with you.
Expected sale price − these eight costs = your real profit
Investment strategies
An older home in a great suburb or school zone, rebuilt around how you live. A better home, and more value in the property.
Knockdown rebuild →
Two homes on one block: live in one and sell the other, or sell both. Subdivision, cost and return are worked out at the design stage.
Duplex builder →
Buy land in a sought-after suburb, design a luxury home for local buyers, and sell it through our selling agents once it's complete.
Custom homes →
Don't want to develop? Our buyer's agent can help you choose a newly built home. New dwellings are also a type of property foreign buyers can apply to buy through FIRB.
Browse homes for sale →From plans to market
Designed, built and sold within one group, so buyers can see the drawings, finishes and construction records. Select a home for details.
Harbour SailClontarf · 5 bed · 4 bath · 1,200 m² · MUSE 2026 Gold
North Shore SunshineSt Ives · 6 bed · 5 bath · 940 m²
Terrace OneHunters Hill · 5 bed · 4 bath · 540 m²
Imperial ManorTurramurra · 7 bed · 6 bath · 1,500 m²
Maison RoyaleSt Ives · 6 bed · 5 bath · 930 m²
Browse all homes for sale →
New group homes in St Ives, Turramurra, Hunters Hill, Clontarf, Gladesville and more.
Under construction
Anyone can produce a render. For an investor, what matters is whether it can be built on budget and sold. AUD Build is building in these suburbs, and you're welcome to book a site visit.
Buying from overseas
Foreign buyers face different rules and taxes from local buyers. Before you look at sites, we'll confirm which rules apply to you and include any surcharges in your budget.
Foreign persons, including temporary residents and foreign-owned companies, are banned from buying established dwellings. The 2026–27 Federal Budget announced the ban will be extended until 30 June 2029. Permanent residents and New Zealand citizens are exempt.
Vacant residential land and new dwellings can still be bought with FIRB approval. Vacant land approvals usually require construction to be completed within four years, and the land can't be sold until it is.
Foreign buyers in NSW pay a 9% surcharge purchaser duty, plus a 5% land tax surcharge each year they own the property. Both belong in the budget before you buy.
General information only, not legal or tax advice. Policies change. Check the latest rules with FIRB, the ATO and Revenue NSW, and get legal and tax advice before you sign.
Awards
Harbour Sail · Architectural Design – Beach Houses, Professional category, Gold Winner. Now for sale with Real Estate AU.
75 Cutler Road, Clontarf.
FAQ
Can't find your question? Call us. Our buyer's agents, designers and builders can all answer.
A buyer's agent acts only for the buyer: shortlisting land and homes to match your budget and goals, checking planning constraints, assessing value, and making offers, negotiating or bidding at auction for you. A selling agent acts for the vendor and aims to get the best price for them. With Real Estate AU's buyer's agent service, designers from Apex and builders from AUD Build inspect the site with you, so you know what can be built and roughly what it will cost before you buy. We never act for both buyer and seller in the same transaction.
Most builders only build. You find land through a buyer's agent, hire a separate architect, then another agent to sell, and nobody is accountable for the final profit. In our group, Real Estate AU (buying and selling), Apex (design and approvals) and AUD Build (construction) work from one budget: before you buy, we work out what can be built, what it will cost and what it is likely to sell for.
Not necessarily. Each stage is quoted and contracted separately, so you can compare item by item. The design and CDC / DA application fee for houses and duplexes is capped at A$9,999 + GST. What one team really saves is the cost of buying the wrong site, redesigning and reapplying, interest during delays, and the overhead of coordinating several firms.
Yes. Buyer's agent, design and approvals, construction, and sales and property management can each be engaged on their own. Whether you already own land, already have plans, or have a finished home to sell, you can start at that stage.
Foreign persons, including temporary visa holders, are banned from buying established dwellings. The 2026–27 Federal Budget announced the ban will be extended until 30 June 2029; permanent residents and New Zealand citizens are exempt. Vacant land and new dwellings can still be bought with FIRB approval, and vacant land approvals usually require construction to be completed within four years, with no sale before completion. NSW also charges foreign buyers a 9% surcharge purchaser duty and a 5% land tax surcharge. This is general information only: check the latest rules with FIRB, the ATO and Revenue NSW, and get legal and tax advice before you sign.
It depends on lot size, frontage, zoning, slope, heritage, and flood and bushfire constraints. Before you buy, our designers and builders will work out with you whether a duplex, townhouses, subdivision, knockdown rebuild or a joint development with your neighbours adds the most value, and whether CDC or DA is faster.
It depends on the site, the approval pathway and the size of the build. For CDC projects, approval can come as little as 45 days after the design contract is signed; DAs are assessed by council and usually take longer. Construction time depends on size and complexity. At feasibility stage we set out a stage-by-stage timeline and include the interest for each stage in your budget.
No, it's your choice. Many owners choose Real Estate AU because our selling agents have known the home's positioning, finishes and features since the design stage and can plan the campaign during construction. If you decide to hold, our property management team can lease it for you.
No. Property investment carries market, planning, construction, finance and policy risks. What we can do is work out costs, timing and sale-price scenarios before you buy, and stress-test for lower sale prices, delays and cost increases. If the numbers don't work, we'll recommend you walk away. This page is not financial, tax or legal advice.
Yes. From site inspections, feasibility, design and approval through to construction and sale, you can work with us in English or Chinese. Budgets, quotes, progress reports and sales feedback are explained clearly in the language you prefer, and we can help when you deal with solicitors, mortgage brokers or council.
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