The Development
Playbook

Tool T–03 / Available

Let the project tell you what the land is worth.

Work backward from completed value, costs, finance, and required return to a defensible residual land value and maximum bid.

Assumption set

Site & value

Gross floor area

7,000 m²

Saleable area

5,740 m²

Land / site m²

KES 94,616

Land / GFA m²

KES 27,033

Model checks

  • The asking price is above the risk-adjusted maximum bid.

Land acquisition view

Bid position

Negotiation gap

Theoretical residual land value

KES 189.2m

Risk-adjusted maximum bid

KES 170.3m

Asking price

KES 180.0m

Bid headroom

KES -9.7m

Land / GDV

17.8%

Residual waterfall

Gross development valueKES 1.06bn
Non-land development costKES -615.8m
Finance costKES -68.6m
Target development profitKES -177.0m
Land acquisition costsKES -11.4m

Sensitivity matrix

Selling price × construction cost.

Each cell shows theoretical residual land value before the bid buffer. The center cell is the current case.

Cost / Price-10%-5%0%+5%+10%
-10%KES 168.0mKES 205.5mKES 243.0mKES 280.5mKES 318.0m
-5%KES 141.1mKES 178.6mKES 216.1mKES 253.6mKES 291.1m
0%KES 114.2mKES 151.7mKES 189.2mKES 226.7mKES 264.2m
+5%KES 87.4mKES 124.9mKES 162.4mKES 199.9mKES 237.4m
+10%KES 60.5mKES 98.0mKES 135.5mKES 173.0mKES 210.5m

Method note

The model calculates the total cost the projected development value can support at the selected margin. It then deducts construction, fees, contingency, sales, infrastructure, finance, and land acquisition costs to solve for the land purchase price.

Finance is estimated using average debt outstanding across the selected programme. The risk-adjusted maximum bid applies a separate buffer to the theoretical residual and should not replace title, planning, market, technical, environmental, tax, or legal due diligence.

Questions / Method

Land price is an output, not an assumption.

What is residual land value?

Residual land value is the amount left for land after deducting development costs, finance, acquisition costs, and the developer's required profit from the completed project's expected value.

Why is a maximum bid lower than residual land value?

A theoretical residual uses known assumptions. A maximum bid can apply a further buffer for planning, title, ground conditions, market movement, cost escalation, and other findings that may emerge during due diligence.

Which assumptions have the greatest effect on land value?

Selling price, buildable and saleable area, construction cost, programme, finance, and target return typically have the strongest effect. Land value is the residual, so it absorbs changes elsewhere in the appraisal.

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