Melbourne, VIC

Melbourne residential development feasibility.

Built for the two main Melbourne patterns: townhouse projects on suburban infill, and boutique apartments in inner and middle ring locations.

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CountryAustralia
StateVictoria
Default contributionsVictorian DCP and GAIC
Common typologyTownhouses and boutique apartments

What shapes Melbourne residential feasibility

Melbourne residential work splits cleanly between two patterns. Townhouse projects on suburban infill sites, often staged, with settlements drip-fed through delivery. And boutique to mid-rise apartments in inner and middle ring locations under VPP residential controls.

Victorian planning contributions, development contributions plans, and the growth areas infrastructure contribution sit alongside infrastructure works as the main public cost line. Build cost is the other major driver, with construction inflation still flowing through pricing.

Popurise lets Melbourne developers model both typologies on the same site, with shared land and finance, and test settlement timing against funding peak.

Common project types

What Melbourne residential development typically looks like

The typologies that account for most feasibility work in this market.

Townhouse projects

Two to four bedroom townhouses on infill sites in middle ring suburbs, often staged across delivery.

Boutique apartments

Three to six storey residential buildings in inner ring locations.

Mid-rise apartments

Larger schemes on activity centre and corridor sites with C1Z or RGZ zoning.

Mixed-use apartments

Apartments over ground floor retail in activity centres.

Assumptions and outputs

What to test, and what the model returns

The inputs that move outcomes in this market, and the outputs that matter to investment committees and capital partners.

Feasibility assumptions to test
  • Site area, achievable GFA or yield, and design loss.
  • Unit or townhouse mix, average size, and end pricing by submarket.
  • Victorian DCP, GAIC where applicable, and infrastructure works.
  • Build cost rate by typology and storey count.
  • Settlement schedule, pre-sales requirement, and finance terms.
Outputs that matter
  • Residual land value, set against the asking price.
  • Profit on cost and development margin.
  • Equity IRR, peak equity, and equity multiple.
  • Monthly cash flow, with funding peak and finance limit.
  • Sensitivity to revenue, cost, and timing assumptions.

Models

Relevant feasibility models

The models most often used for residential development work in Melbourne.

Models

Townhouse development feasibility model
Default model for staged townhouse projects.
Apartment development feasibility model
For boutique and mid-rise apartment schemes.
Property development cash flow model
Monthly cash flow with funding peak across delivery.

Use cases

How developers use Popurise here

The work this tool is built to do, applied to local conditions.

Use cases

Site acquisition screening
Test a Melbourne site quickly before going further.
Development cash flow forecasting
Phase a staged townhouse project across years.
Scenario analysis
Compare apartment vs townhouse scheme on the same site.

Questions

Frequently asked

Can I split a single project into staged townhouse releases?

Yes. Settlement profiles can be staged across years, and revenue can be split into releases with their own pricing and timing.

Run a Melbourne feasibility in 90 seconds.

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