Development appraisals Flashcards
What is the difference between a development appraisal and a residual valuation?
- Development appraisal: establish the viability/profitability of a proposed development using a client’s inputs
- Residual valuation: establish the market value of a site using market inputs
What is the methodology for calculating residual site value?
Gross development value (GDV) - Total development costs (TDC) = Gross site value
Gross site value - purchasers’ costs = Residual site vale
What costs would you allow for as part of total development costs?
- Site preparation
- Planning costs
- Building costs
- Professional fees + VAT
- Contingency
- Marketing costs & fees
- Finance costs
- Developers profit
What would be included in your estimate for site preparation costs and how would you estimate them?
- Demolition, remediation works, landfill tax, site clearance, levelling and fencing
- Obtain a contractor’s estimate for these works
What would be included in your estimate for planning costs?
- Section 106 payments under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
- Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charged by most Local Planning Authorities
- Required percentage of affordable housing for a new residential development in the form of social, intermediate and key worker housing
- Section 278 payments for highway works
- Planning application and building regulation fees
- Costs of planning consultants
- Cost of any specialist reports required by the LPA (e.g. Environmental Assessment)
How would you estimate the building costs?
- Client information
- Spons Building Costs book
- Quantity Surveyor estimate / bill of quantities / cost estimate
- Building Surveyor estimate
- RICS Building Cost Information Service (BCIS)
What basis are the cost on BCIS usually expressed? Where does RICS obtain the information from?
- Usually based on a GIA basis
* Obtain monthly updates from Quantity Surveyors / Building Surveyors and recent contract prices / tenders agreed
What would be included in your estimate for professional fees and how would you estimate them?
- Architects, M&E consultants, project managers, structural engineers, quantity surveyors
- Typically 10-15% (plus VAT) of total construction costs
- Can vary them depending on the complexity of the project e.g. lower architects fees required for an industrial warehouse than a high-rise residential building
What would you typically estimate for contingency costs?
5-10% of total construction costs (depending on the level of risk and likely movements in building costs)
What would be included in your estimate for marketing costs and fees and how would you estimate them?
Marketing budget (use evidence/quotes):
• Cost of an EPC
• Sales fee: 1-2% GDV
• Letting fee: 10-15% of initial annual rent
• National House Building Council (NHBC) warranty for residential schemes
How would you estimate the interest rate?
- SONIA (Sterling Overnight Index Average)
- Bank of England Base rate + premium
- Rate at which the client can borrow money
What THREE elements does the developer need to borrow money to finance? What basis would they be represented?
- Site purchase + purchaser’s costs: compound interest (straight-line basis)
- Total construction costs + fees: based on an s-curve taking hold of the costs over the length of the build programme
- Holding over costs to cover voids until the disposal of the scheme: compound interest (straight-line basis)
What holding over costs need to be accounted for after the development is completed, until the disposal of the scheme?
Empty rates, service charges and interest charges
What capital stack does the development appraisal process assume?
100% debt finance
Explain the concept of the s-curve and why it is applicable.
- Assumes that total constructions costs + fees are paid over half the time period
- Reflects when monies tend to be drawn down - lower levels of expenditure at the beginning and end of projects
What would you typically estimate for developers profit?
15-20% of total construction costs or GDV (GDV more frequently used as a base for residential use)
Consented sites will typically have a profit on cost of 15-20%. Non-consented sites will have 20-25%, depending on how it complies to local policies and whether they’d had a positive pre-application
What will influence the level of profit required by a developer?
- Depends on the level of risk
- If scheme is low-risk (or pre-let / sold) a lower return may be required
- Current riskier market conditions means the percentage of profit required has risen