Copyright © LYDIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD 2026. All Right Reserved.
Victoria | Lydian platform, delivered in partnership with Clark Finance Group
CHANGE LOCATION
Templestowe Lower is the more accessible half of the Templestowe name, closer to the river and to Bulleen, with a mix of original post-war homes and substantial rebuilds. It is a solid family market with a broader price range than its neighbour.
Templestowe Lower spans a wide range. There are original homes that have not been touched in decades and there are new builds worth several times as much on the same street. That variety makes it a genuine option for buyers at different stages, and it makes valuations less uniform than in a homogeneous suburb.
The knockdown rebuild is a defining pattern here. Buyers acquire an older home for the land and rebuild, which is a two-stage financing exercise: purchase, then construction. Doing that as a coherent plan rather than two disconnected transactions makes a substantial difference to how much you can borrow and what it costs.
For those not rebuilding, the usual family suburb conversations apply. Upgrading with a home to sell, extending rather than moving, and reviewing loans that have quietly drifted above market.
Purchase and construction planned as one exercise rather than two. It changes what you can borrow and what it costs.
Original homes and new builds on the same street. We work out what your budget genuinely reaches here.
Bridging arranged in advance so you can buy the right home rather than the available one.
Whatever stage you are at, there is a path through it. Pick the one that sounds like you.
You buy the existing property with a standard loan, then move to a construction facility for the build, drawn in stages. Some lenders handle both cleanly as a single arrangement; others make it awkward. Planning it as one exercise from the start matters, because your borrowing capacity has to cover the finished position, not just the purchase.
Usually it forms part of the construction facility, since it is a necessary step in the build. The lender assesses against the projected completed value. Make sure demolition is itemised in your builder’s contract rather than treated as a separate cash expense, so it is captured in the funded amount.
That is a valuation question and it varies street by street here. What matters for lending is the projected value of the completed home, since that is what a construction loan is assessed against. A lender’s valuer will assess it on the approved plans, which sometimes differs from what a builder or agent suggests.
It depends on the existing structure. If the bones are sound and the layout can work, renovation is usually cheaper. If you would end up replacing most of it anyway, rebuilding often produces a better result for similar money. From a finance point of view both are construction loans; the difference is scope and cost.
Book a free consultation and we will walk you through your options, what you can borrow, and what it will cost.
Book a free consultation
Serving clients across Australia.
Authorised Representative no. 525 778
Specialist Financial Group Australian Credit Licence no. 387025
Lydian Financial Services Victoria
Suite 1/103 Grimshaw Street, Greensborough VIC 3088, Australia
Level 12, 15 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Copyright © LYDIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD 2026. All Right Reserved.