Development appraisal software that stays useful after the model is built.
Domus helps teams build development appraisals, test viability, and keep the scheme moving through review, decisions, and project control in one place.
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Why teams search for this
The problem is rarely just the appraisal.
Most teams can build a spreadsheet. The real issue is keeping assumptions, scenarios, approvals, and follow-up decisions tied to one reliable scheme record after the first appraisal is shared.
Model GDV, costs, profit, finance, and residual land value in one structured workflow
Stress-test assumptions without rebuilding spreadsheets every time the scheme changes
Carry the live appraisal into formal reviews, decisions, and next actions
Keep one operating record instead of separate appraisal files, notes, and approvals
How Domus works
Development appraisal, viability, and live scheme workflow in one line of sight.
Appraise
Build a development appraisal with the numbers, assumptions, and structure the team can actually work from.
Control
Keep ownership, next actions, due dates, and operating status attached to the live scheme.
Review
Run formal reviews against the baseline so variance and risk are visible before decisions drift.
What it covers
What development appraisal software needs to handle.
A development appraisal is more than a GDV minus costs calculation. The model needs to hold together as the scheme evolves: through planning, cost updates, viability negotiations and funding conversations. That means every component needs to connect.
Revenue and GDV modelling
Model gross development value across multiple unit types, tenures, and phases. Private sale, affordable, shared ownership, and build-to-rent each carry different revenue profiles and need to be tracked separately within the same scheme.
Build costs and contingency
Structure build costs by element: main contractor, infrastructure, external works and abnormals, with contingency modelled as a percentage of base cost. Cost assumptions need to be updatable without breaking the rest of the model.
Planning obligations and statutory costs
Section 106 contributions, CIL liability, BNG costs, and planning fees are often the most contested figures in a scheme. Development appraisal software needs to model these clearly so viability positions can be tested and defended.
Finance and cashflow
Development finance interest is calculated on drawn capital over the programme timeline. A properly structured appraisal models the drawdown profile, interest rate and arrangement fees, not just a blended finance allowance.
Residual land value
The residual is what the model is ultimately testing: GDV minus costs minus profit equals what the developer can pay for the land. Development appraisal software should make this calculation transparent and traceable back to every assumption.
Sensitivity and scenario testing
A single appraisal is never enough. Teams need to test how changes to GDV, build costs, programme, and finance assumptions move the residual position quickly, without rebuilding the model from scratch each time.
Common questions
Development appraisal software: frequently asked questions.
What is development appraisal software?+
Development appraisal software helps property developers and housebuilders model the financial viability of a scheme. It covers GDV, build costs, fees, planning obligations, finance, developer's profit, and residual land value, replacing manual spreadsheets with a structured, updatable model.
What is a development appraisal?+
A development appraisal is a financial model that tests whether a property development scheme is viable. It calculates GDV, deducts all costs and a target profit margin, and determines the residual land value: the maximum the developer can pay for the land and still hit their required return.
How is a development appraisal calculated?+
Using the residual valuation method: GDV minus total development costs (build, fees, planning obligations, finance) minus developer's profit equals residual land value. Each cost category needs to be modelled in detail for the appraisal to be reliable.
What is the difference between development appraisal software and a spreadsheet?+
A spreadsheet can model the same numbers but becomes hard to maintain as schemes grow: formulas break, versions diverge, and sharing creates conflicts. Development appraisal software keeps assumptions connected, enables rapid scenario testing, and keeps the model live as the scheme progresses.
Who uses development appraisal software?+
Property developers, housebuilders, development managers, planning consultants, and land teams. Relevant from initial site screening and land bids through to planning viability submissions and funding applications.
Does Domus replace ARGUS Developer?+
Domus is built for UK residential and mixed-use teams who need appraisal, viability, and project control in one place. Where ARGUS focuses on the appraisal model, Domus connects the appraisal to the live scheme workflow so the team, the numbers, and the decisions stay in one operating record.
Related topics
Explore the areas that sit inside every appraisal.
Residual land value
Understand the methodology behind site valuation and what drives the residual position.
Learn morePlanning viability
Model section 106 and affordable housing obligations with a defensible evidence trail.
Learn moreAppraisal template
See the full structure of a properly built development appraisal model.
Learn more