The six steps from checking your zoning to settlement, and how to get developers competing for your land.
To sell a development site on the Gold Coast or elsewhere in South East Queensland, first find out what a developer could build on it: the zoning, overlays, servicing and realistic yield. Then price it on what developers can pay for that yield, take it to active developers off-market or by Expression of Interest, and negotiate a contract whose due diligence and approval conditions you are comfortable with.
Every council in Queensland has a planning scheme. On the Gold Coast it is the City Plan. Your zone determines what uses can and cannot happen on the land, and overlays identify features such as flooding or heritage that must also be considered when developing. You can look up the zone, zone precinct and overlays for any Gold Coast property with the City's interactive mapping, and Logan owners can use the property report in Logan City Council's online planning tools. Our guide to Gold Coast City Plan zones and overlays explains what each one means, and our council development profiles summarise growth and planning in each SEQ council area.
Yield is the number of lots, townhouses or apartments the site can realistically get approved. It decides which developers will be interested: a subdivider, a townhouse builder or an apartment developer each look at land differently. Size, frontage, shape, slope and services all affect yield, which is why two neighbouring blocks can be worth very different amounts. If your block is too small on its own, selling together with your neighbours as one larger site (a property amalgamation) may create a site that works.
Developers work backwards from the finished project: expected sales, less building, fees, finance, government charges and profit. What is left is what they can pay for the land, known as the residual land value (see how a development site is valued). A good appraisal tests that number against recent development-land sales, not against the value of the house on the block.
Current sites we are selling are listed under commercial property and development sites for sale.
From 1 August 2025, sellers of residential, commercial and vacant land in Queensland must give the buyer a seller disclosure statement and any prescribed certificates before the buyer signs the contract. If this is not done, the buyer may have a right to terminate the contract at any time up to settlement. Your solicitor prepares these documents.
Australian resident sellers also need an ATO clearance certificate given to the buyer at or before settlement. Without it, the buyer must withhold 15% of the price, and from 1 January 2025 this applies to property of any value. GST can also apply to development land depending on who is selling, so get tax advice before the contract is signed.
Developers often ask for a due diligence period, and some offers are conditional on a development approval. Weigh the price against the length of any conditions, the deposit and the settlement date. An option agreement or put and call option is another way a developer may secure land while it seeks approval; your solicitor should review any such agreement before you sign.
Start with a development-site appraisal. GC Prestige specialises in development sites, amalgamations and off-market land sales across the Gold Coast, Logan, Brisbane, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Redland, the Sunshine Coast, Noosa, the Scenic Rim, Somerset and the Lockyer Valley. Our managing director, Oktay Vali, has settled more than $200 million in property transactions across South East Queensland, and through South AZ Developments the group has secured 21 development sites. We review zoning, overlays, servicing and yield, price the site on current development-land sales, and run the campaign through to settlement. Read more about our land acquisition and development-site services.
Start with an appraisal that checks the zoning, overlays, servicing and likely yield, then price the land on what developers can pay and take it to active developers off-market or by Expression of Interest. GC Prestige can appraise and sell your development site on the Gold Coast and across SEQ.
No. Many sites sell without one, and some developers prefer to run their own application. An approval can add certainty for buyers, but it costs time and money, so compare that with what it adds to the price.
Possibly. Neighbouring owners who sell together as one site can create a larger, better-shaped parcel that suits more developers. This is called an amalgamation.
Since 1 August 2025 you must give the buyer a seller disclosure statement and the prescribed certificates before they sign. You will also need an ATO clearance certificate for settlement if you are an Australian resident.
Yes, if the property is shown to enough genuine buyers. An off-market or Expression of Interest campaign to a shortlist of active developers can still create competition.
It depends on who is selling and what is being sold, for example whether the seller is registered for GST. The margin scheme can sometimes apply, but only by written agreement before settlement. Get tax advice first.
It depends on the campaign and the contract. An unconditional sale can settle on an agreed date, while a sale subject to approval runs for as long as the approval takes – see how long a DA takes in Queensland.
General information only, current at 10 November 2026. This guide is not legal, financial, tax or planning advice. Rules change, so check the official sources above and get advice from a solicitor, accountant or town planner for your situation. Updated 10 November 2026 by GC Prestige, 1300 937 981.