PCA, CDC, OC

Received the PCA, CDC, and OC forms, which I need to sign and email back. Dunno what is the rush about, as the land is not yet registered. And I still need to do the following appointments:

• external finishes
• colours and inclusions selection
• kitchen
• electrical

before the forms can be submitted to council.

Preliminary Drawings and More Deposit

Received 9 pages of preliminary architectural drawings (done by Marretta Design) on Sept. 27.

Lucia of Fowler had been asking for the remaining 4.9% of the deposit.

Tried to delay payment for as long as I can, but looks like today's the day. Again, paid for by my credit card.

Newer House Tender

Apparently, there was some miscalculation somewhere, so I was given a new tender. New house tender price was reduced by around $2,000. Sounds good to me.

New House Tender

Received the new home tender from Lucia on August 24, which includes the $7000 for the extended price freeze.

Paid another deposit of $5000 to cover the costs of preparing the architectural drawings, engineering details, CDC lodgement and approvals, etc. Thank you, credit card.

Second Visit to OPT

Back at the Fowler office with my brother to have a more thorough discussion about the house and land package, and to sign some paperwork. For the facade, I chose the Essence.

On paper, the Fowler package looks better than the Clarendon one, even though the latter is more popular. For one, I get a landscape pack to the value of $5000 to be used towards the cost of landscaping, fencing, letterbox, clothesline, and retaining walls. Alfresco and driveway are included, which are optional with Clarendon. Deluxe Sale for $3,990 gets me the following extras:

• upgraded brick selection
• remote control to garage door
• improved internal finishes
• Hills Reliance 8 alarm package
• upgraded door and lock selection
• improved kitchen finishes
• improved wet area finishes
• upgraded European stainless steel appliance selection

But wait, there's more! An extra Breakthrough Sale, which gives me:

• free 40mm Caesarstone edge to kitchen benchtop
• free WFA 6 starter water filtering system to kitchen
• free 150mm dropped ceiling over kitchen area
• free 2-lamp heater/fan to ensuite and main bathroom

AND

• free 2590mm high ceiling level to ground floor in lieu of 2440mm
• free 20mm Caesar stone benchtop to vanities throughout in lieu of standard
• 50% off ducted air-conditioning

The only other important thing we talked about is the price guarantee. The standard package give a price freeze of 9 months for unregistered land. In my case, the land is expected to be released July 2014, which is 2 months beyond the deadline. As such, I have to pay an extra $7000 to extend the price freeze till 30th December 2014. Should construction start by 11 May 2014, then I'll be credited back the $7000. (Not sure if this will be pro-rated or not.)

In the end, my brother is the better negotiator. He managed to get Clarendon to build a Killara 23 on the same-size land, instead of the standard Soho 15. And he still got a discount for it.

Holding Deposit

Called Fowler Homes HQ to reserve lot 5281 on Skaife Street. Actually, I've been trying to call Lucia at the Oran Park office since yesterday, but no one is answering. Quite suspenseful, as the lot could've been picked up by somebody else during that time. Anyway, managed to get hold of Melinda. After putting me on hold for a couple of minutes to check with the sales guys, she confirmed that lot 5281 is still on the market. A holding deposit of $1000, and it's mine! Talk about impulse buying. I'm not even sure if I can afford the extra mortgage, but that's something to worry about on another day.

Home design is the Orans MKII 20; hence the blog name. Official description is "4 bedroom, double garage, single storey home, 20.0 squares - New Start Standard Inclusions." Land area is 375 sqm. House area is 186 sqm. More details to come.

Oran Park Town Visit

Went to Oran Park Town to have a look at the display homes. Looks like the whole area is under development. Heard about OPT from my brother, who bought a house and land package from Clarendon a week ago. He heard about the development from a couple of his colleagues, who have already invested in the place. Before this, I have never heard of Oran Park before. Those interested can read about its history here.

At the moment, it's just the sales office, the display home area, and a mini playground. Stage 5C has lots ranging from 375 sq.m. to 715.1 sq.m. As this is purely for investment, I'm only looking at the smallest size. As of today, only two 375 sq.m. lots are available - one from Fowler Homes, the other from Wisdom Homes. I believe my brother snagged the last one from Clarendon Homes. Next available lot from Clarendon is 485 sq.m.

Spent the afternoon visiting the display homes that are still open, and collecting brochures here and there. Between Wisdom and Fowler, the latter gave me a better impression overall.