The 5 Things We Look for Before Buying Any Site

The PropInvest Due Diligence Checklist That Protects Every Pound We Spend

When people think about successful property development, they picture the end product: shiny new homes, GDV headlines, investor returns.

But the truth? The real money, and the real risk, sits at the very beginning. Before planning. Before legals. Before the first handshake.

At PropInvest, our edge lies in what happens before we ever buy a site. We’ve walked away from more deals than we’ve taken, and that’s exactly why we win.

In this post, we’re pulling back the curtain on the five core things we always evaluate before moving on a site.

These are our dealbreakers. Our risk mitigators. Our blueprint for smart investing.

1. Planning Potential (and Planning Pain)

Before anything else, we ask: What’s the true planning potential of this site, and what will it cost to unlock it?

We don’t gamble on hope. We assess based on:

• Current planning status: Is it unallocated, designated, or already consented?

• Precedents in the area: What’s been approved nearby? Any refused applications we can learn from?

• Local policy alignment: Does our vision match what the local authority wants to see?

• Political climate: Are we working with a progressive council under housing pressure, or a conservative one with a track record of refusals?

We also check the pain points:

• Flood risk? Contamination? Greenbelt status? TPOs? If the red flags start stacking up, we step back or factor in the time and cost it will take to fight.

This step alone has saved us from expensive mistakes, and helped us engineer six-figure planning uplifts on sites other developers passed by.

2. The Exit Strategy (Before Entry)

We never go into a deal unless we know exactly how we’re getting out.

That means clear answers to:

• Will this be a build-to-sell or build-to-rent scheme?

• Is there appetite from housing associations, institutional buyers, or owner-occupiers?

• Do local agents back the GDV assumptions, or are the numbers based on optimism?

• Can we phase the development if needed, or is it all-or-nothing?

In every case, we model multiple exit routes. Plan A is to succeed. Plan B is to pivot. Plan C is to sleep at night even if the market shifts.

3. True Site Constraints (Not Just the Pretty Pictures)

Too many deals get dressed up in glossy brochures and drone footage. We like to dig deeper, literally.

Before we buy, we’ve already done or booked:

• Topographical surveys — so we know exactly what we’re dealing with underfoot

• Title checks — to uncover ransom strips, easements, or restrictive covenants

• Utility scans — because a sewer running straight through your site can turn a dream into a disaster

• Access rights — no access = no development. We don’t assume; we verify.

• Environmental risk reports — contamination and flood risk zones can kill a deal instantly, or require serious cash to resolve

Every one of these checks forms part of our “no surprises” approach. Because surprises in development? They’re never cheap.

4. Numbers That Work on a Bad Day

It’s easy to make a deal work on a spreadsheet when everything goes right. We stress-test for when it doesn’t.

That means we always ask:

• What if build costs rise by 10%?

• What if the sales market dips?

• What if we’re delayed six months?

We don’t just check profit on cost. We model:

• IRR — to see how returns hold up over time

• Cashflow curves — so we don’t run out of money mid-build

• Contingency — baked into every stage, from acquisition to resale

If the deal doesn’t stack up conservatively, we don’t go near it, no matter how shiny the opportunity looks.

5. The Human Factor

Finally.. and this one’s huge, we ask: Can we work with the people involved?

That includes:

• The vendor — Are they reasonable? Will they move at pace? Are they hiding anything?

• The agents — Are they clear and consistent, or playing games?

• The wider stakeholders — Neighbours, parish councils, planning officers — are we likely to hit roadblocks?

We’re in the business of building long-term trust, not just short-term returns. If a deal smells wrong, we don’t chase it. If the vendor’s flaky or the agent’s cagey, we walk. Because in this game, character is due diligence too.

Our 5-Point Pre-Purchase Filter

Every site must pass the following test:

✅ Planning potential and policy alignment 

✅ Clear, multiple exit strategies 

✅ No hidden constraints or nasty surprises 

✅ Robust numbers that survive stress-testing 

✅ Solid people, clean process, trustworthy counterparties

If it ticks all five, we move. If it doesn’t - we don’t, no matter how tempting it looks.

Why This Matters to Our Investors

This isn’t just about protecting ourselves, it’s about protecting you.

When you invest with PropInvest, you’re not just funding development. You’re buying into a system of strategic filters, real-world experience, and a risk-managed process that puts integrity first.

We don’t promise what we can’t deliver. We do the legwork so our partners don’t carry the risk. And that’s why they come back, again and again.