Why location matters more than specification

Buyers spend most of their viewing time looking at what is easiest to see: the kitchen, the flooring, the bathroom fittings. All of it is replaceable, and most of it will be replaced within fifteen years.

What cannot be changed

What cannot be changed is where the plot sits relative to the things that will matter later.

• The arterial road and how the site connects to it.
• The school catchment and the distance to daily needs.
• Orientation, and the direction the wind comes from in May.
• Whether the drainage falls away from the site or towards it.

How we screen a parcel

When we screen a parcel, specification does not enter the assessment until the fourth or fifth stage. Title, access, topography and demand come first, in that order.

A marble floor can be relaid in a week. A plot on the wrong side of a flyover stays there for fifty years.

If you are comparing two projects, compare the locations first and the brochures last. The better location with the plainer specification is almost always the better purchase.