What Is a Flood Overlay? How It Affects Your 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

What is a flood overlay? How flood overlays affect property value, development potential, and what you can build in Queensland.

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

What Is a Flood Overlay?

A flood overlay is a mapping layer on your property's planning scheme entry that indicates potential flood risk. It affects what you can build and how — but it rarely prevents development entirely.

Types of Flood Overlay

Type	Meaning	Impact
Flood Planning Area	May be affected in major flood events	Habitable rooms above defined flood level
Overland Flow Path	Water flows across property during heavy rain	Design to allow water passage
Flood Hazard High	High risk during flood events	Significant design constraints
Brisbane River Flood	Specific to Brisbane River flooding	Elevated floor levels required

How It Affects Development

Habitable floor levels must be above the Defined Flood Level (DFL)
Car parking can typically be below DFL if designed for flood resilience
Podium construction — commercial/parking at ground level, residential above — is a common solution
Compensatory earthworks may be required to maintain flood storage

Value Impact

Flood overlays reduce property value by 5–50% depending on severity. However, many flood-affected sites remain viable development sites with appropriate design responses.

Free Flood Assessment

ACRES can assess your flood-affected property's development potential and realistic market value.

Get your property assessed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a flood overlay prevent development?

Rarely. Flood overlays require design responses (raised floor levels, etc.) but most affected properties can still be developed.

Free Zoning Check

Not sure what you can build on your property? Our team will review your zoning, overlays, and constraints — completely free, no obligation.

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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/what-is-flood-overlay-how-affects-property | ACRES (Australian Commercial & Residential Group) provides property advisory, development site sales, and residential real estate services across Brisbane and South East Queensland, Australia.