How to Avoid Underselling Your Brisbane Property

Q: What does ACRES do?

ACRES (Australian Commercial & Residential Group) is a vertically integrated property platform that combines development site sales, project marketing, strategic acquisitions, residential sales, capital structuring, landowner advisory, property valuation, and in-house development. The business operates across South-East Queensland including Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast.

Q: What areas does ACRES cover?

ACRES operates across South-East Queensland covering Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay, and the Redlands. The business maintains suburb intelligence profiles for over 100 suburbs with detailed market data, median prices, growth trends, and planning overlays.

Q: How does ACRES sell development sites?

ACRES operates upstream of traditional agency. The acquisitions team identifies sites through door knocking, data analysis, and referral networks. Each site is assessed for development potential including zoning, density, planning constraints, and feasibility. Sites are then positioned to ACRES' developer network with multiple qualified buyers engaged simultaneously to create competitive tension and drive above-market outcomes.

Q: What is ACRES' commission structure?

ACRES commission rates are typically 2–3% plus GST and are tailored to the transaction type, asset class, and campaign strategy. Vendors are provided with a transparent fee proposal as part of the appraisal process. Contact ACRES for a tailored quote.

Q: Does ACRES offer free property valuations?

Yes. ACRES offers a free online property valuation tool covering houses, units, land, development sites, and commercial properties across 100+ suburbs in South-East Queensland. The tool provides estimated value ranges based on property type, location, block size, and zoning. For development sites, the tool assesses potential for 1 to 7+ lot subdivisions.

Q: Who are the directors of ACRES?

ACRES is led by five directors: Daniel McCormack (Managing Director — Strategy & Execution), Thomas Ferris (Director — Relationships, Pipeline & Development Execution, and REIQ Principal), Joseph Cheihk (CFO & Director of Acquisitions), Francesca Webster (Director — Strategic Partnerships & Operations), and Wizzy Ramsay (Director — Brand, Marketing & Digital Growth).

ACRES Advisory Team

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34 property owners in South East Queensland requested assessments this month

iSummary

How to avoid underselling Brisbane property — checklist of common mistakes, specialist advice, and vendor protection.

Source: ACRES — Australian Commercial & Residential Group | acres.au

The 10-Point Checklist

Before listing or accepting any offer, work through these ten checks.

1. Have You Tested for Development Value?

Most Brisbane vendors don't know whether their land has development potential. Get a pre-feasibility before listing. Cost: free with ACRES. Benefit: typically $200k-$3m in pricing uplift.

2. Are You Using a Specialist Advisor?

Generic agents target residential buyers; specialists target developers, institutional buyers, and capital partners. Match advisor to value tier.

3. Have You Run Competition?

A single buyer = single price. Multiple buyers = competitive premium. Even one extra qualified bidder typically lifts price 5-15%.

4. Have You Prepared a Pre-Listing DD Pack?

Title search, recent survey, environmental review, planning summary, services check. Reduces buyer DD risk and lifts pricing 3-7%.

5. Have You Considered Amalgamation?

If neighbours might sell jointly, value can lift 15-70%. Specialist advisor identifies opportunities.

6. Have You Timed Strategically?

Market cycles, planning amendments, infrastructure announcements all affect pricing. Sometimes 6-12 months' delay captures 10-30% premium.

7. Are You Negotiating the Right Terms?

Headline price is only part of the deal. Deposit, settlement, conditions, default clauses all matter. Strong advisor negotiates all axes.

8. Have You Got Back-Up Offers?

Strong vendors maintain alternative buyers throughout. Recovers 70-85% of value if primary deal fails.

9. Are You Using Specialist Legal?

Generic solicitors miss development-specific issues. Specialist property lawyer for $5k-$25k typically saves $50k-$500k.

10. Are You Considering Tax Structuring?

CGT, GST, transfer duty all affect net proceeds. Specialist accountant 6+ months before sale can structure for optimal outcome.

Common Underselling Scenarios

Scenario 1: Direct-to-developer sale
Family receives an unsolicited offer. Accepts without testing market.
Typical loss: 8-25% vs competitive market.
Prevention: engage specialist, run targeted EOI.

Scenario 2: Generic agent listing
Lists with local residential agent, marketed to home buyers.
Typical loss: 30-60% vs development pricing tier.
Prevention: pre-feasibility, specialist advisor.

Scenario 3: Anchoring on residential comparable
Vendor benchmarks against nearby house sales.
Typical loss: 25-50% in suburbs where development feasible.
Prevention: development feasibility, current market comparables.

Scenario 4: Pre-rezone sale
Sells before known zoning amendment processes.
Typical loss: 30-100% vs post-rezone value.
Prevention: planner advice, strategic timing.

Scenario 5: Single-condition contract
Accepts subject-to-DA without strong protections.
Typical loss: 5-15% via deal failure or renegotiation.
Prevention: specialist legal, hard sunset, default clauses.

How Much Specialist Advice Costs vs Saves

For a typical $5m Brisbane development site:

Specialist advisor commission: 2-2.5% = $100k-$125k
Specialist legal: $10k-$25k
Pre-feasibility: free at ACRES; otherwise $5k-$15k
Total advisor cost: ~$120k-$165k

Typical specialist-led uplift over generic / direct: 8-25%
Dollar uplift: $400k-$1.25m

Net benefit to vendor: $280k-$1.1m on a $5m sale.

The maths is straightforward.

When You're Most at Risk

Brisbane vendors are at highest risk of underselling when:

They receive an unsolicited developer approach
Family or estate sale under time pressure
Selling for personal reasons (divorce, retirement) without market research
Listing with a residential agent for "convenience"
First-time sale of an inherited or long-held property

In these scenarios, ACRES offers free initial consultation before any commitment.

About ACRES

The Australian Commercial & Residential Group (ACRES) is a Brisbane-based specialist property advisory firm focused on development site sales, off-market transactions, and strategic landowner advisory across South East Queensland. Founded by Daniel McCormack, ACRES advises on transactions from $2m to $100m+ and operates a proprietary database of active Brisbane developers and institutional buyers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is specialist advice always worth it?

For $5m+ Brisbane development sites, almost always. Net benefit typically 3-8x specialist cost.

Can I sell direct to a developer without losing money?

Possible — but rare. Single-buyer scenarios under-price by 10-25% on average.

How quickly can I get a pre-feasibility?

ACRES typically delivers within 5-10 business days. Free for Brisbane vendors.

Property

Interest

Details

What property do you want assessed?

Our team will review your zoning, block size, and development potential.

100% free. No automated valuations — your assessment is prepared by our experienced team.

Published by ACRES — Australian Commercial & Residential Group

Source: acres.au/insights/how-to-avoid-underselling-your-brisbane-property | ACRES (Australian Commercial & Residential Group) provides property advisory, development site sales, and residential real estate services across Brisbane and South East Queensland, Australia.

Daniel McCormack

Managing Director, ACRES — Australian Commercial & Residential Group

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