The Strategic Approach to Property Development

The Strategic Approach to Property Development

March 1, 2026 · 53 min · Season 1 · Episode 426

About this episode

Rob Flux joins Chris Bates to discuss the complexities and realities of property development, emphasizing the importance of feasibility and site selection.

Many investors see property development as the natural “next step” — a faster way to manufacture growth and build equity. The reality is far less straightforward: most development sites that can be built on simply don’t make money. Rob Flux, founder of the Property Development Network, joins us to break down what really changes when you move from buy-and-hold to small-scale development. We explore why 90% of developable sites aren’t profitable, how feasibility is often misunderstood, and why “profit on cost” — not hype — should drive your decisions. Rob explains the importance of site selection, overlays and constraints, demographic targeting, and why solving the right problems is what developers actually get paid for. We also dive into the practical realities: commercial vs residential funding, entity structuring mistakes, contingency planning, holding costs, and the psychological traps that come with early success. Is development just leveraged investing — or is it an entirely different career path? And in a market facing a 1.2 million home shortfall, does that make development easier… or just more competitive? If you’ve ever considered “graduating” into development, this…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Bates

Guest: Rob Flux

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Property Development Network

More episodes of The Elephant In The Room Property Podcast | Inside Australian Real Estate

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Elephant In The Room Property Podcast | Inside Australian Real Estate podcast page.