Remember my post about approx costs to install services to a titled but unserviced block? As a matter of interest here's an update. I finally found out that although the owner had told the re who then assured me sewerage was available within 9mts and power and water were out the front of the block, after extensive due diligence, the reality turned out to be: under new regulations they wont allow a wire into the block, I had to install a pit - approx between $3 - $10k. So there is a much older house next door and one could assume they have sewerage and water, but no that was installed under a farm water agreement whereby he signed agreeance that the water might be intermittent, but that option is no longer available, and although the water runs past, it is a 'strategic main' which supplies the whole town and cant be tapped into. Now wait for it, the big one, sewerage is available to be bought in from the front,but the water has to be bought in from a recently developed estate, and would require me to consult with engineers, council and designers to design and install this myself - cost?, time?
Welcome to the reality of owning property. Contingencies can balloon easily. Murphys law suggests if you need to dig a hole you will find rock or historical or cultural artifacts. Civil connections will aways be the longest and most complex route and is never a direct line. I had a client buy a farm. Power connection seemed like a issue and was costed. NSW railways didnt allow that (as it was overhead) and it needed to be routed under the nearest rail crossing 500metres away. And had to be drilled to prevent line closure. Using their nominated contractors who were a large company who even had traffic controllers for access nobody was using.... $200K later.... Then railways had a issue with ensuring all new heavy duty fencing stopped livestock access to tracks. Tens of thousands for that.
