Blog
Updates, new features, and news from Close Enough.
Email Sharing and CRM Integrations for Agents
Email reports to multiple buyers at once and keep your CRM in sync automatically
Close Enough integrates with the tools your team already uses. Email reports to multiple buyers at once, keep a shared spreadsheet of every report across the…
Branded Liveability Reports for Real Estate Agents
Generate, customise, and share independent address reports with your branding
Close Enough now offers branded liveability reports built for real estate agents. The tool pulls independent data from official government and public sources…
Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO): What It Means for an Address
A calm, practical read before you jump to conclusions
The Bushfire Management Overlay applies to land in Victoria that may be at risk from bushfire. If a property is within the BMO, a planning permit may be…
Rental Market Context: How We Use the Rental Report
Official medians and trend context
Rental data changes quickly, which is why we use the Victorian Government's Rental Report as the baseline. It provides official medians and trends by area,…
Zones vs Overlays: The 10‑Minute Explanation
What each control does, and why both matter
Zones and overlays are both planning controls, but they do different jobs. Zones set the broad use and development rules for land. Overlays sit on top to…
Melbourne Livability: A Practical Checklist for Renters and Buyers
A neutral, address-level way to assess fit
When you are time-poor, a checklist beats a label. It keeps the focus on facts and trade-offs, not suburb stereotypes.
Local Amenities: The Everyday Radius
Daily-life services, not suburb labels
Amenities are where livability becomes tangible. We list the closest essentials (groceries, GP, pharmacy) alongside the lifestyle categories that shape how a…
How to Compare Two Melbourne Addresses (Without Suburb Rankings)
A simple, repeatable method for renters and buyers
Comparing two addresses is usually a mix of gut feel, short inspections, and half-remembered notes. A simple, repeatable method makes it clearer and more…
Schools and Catchments: How the Report Handles Education
Nearest schools, sectors, and zone context
Education choices are often address-specific. The report lists the nearest primary and secondary schools and shows catchment context where available.
AI Summaries in Reports
Plain-language insights from your report data
Reports now include an AI-generated summary section. Rather than replacing the detailed data, the summary helps you quickly understand the key takeaways from…
Heat, Shade, and Street Comfort: What to Check at an Address
Extreme heat is real; shade and trees change how a place feels
Extreme heat can have real health impacts, and it changes how comfortable an address feels day‑to‑day. Shade, tree canopy, and nearby green space are not just…
Parks, Green Space, and Canopy
Access, size, and summer comfort
Green space is one of the most visible day-to-day differences between two addresses. We show the nearest parks, the number within a given radius, and how they…
What "Livability" Means at an Address Level in Melbourne
Why fit matters more than suburb averages
If you are looking in Melbourne, you will hear a lot about "liveable suburbs." The problem is that suburb averages hide the street-level differences that…
Cycling Infrastructure: What We Measure and Why
From lanes to trails and CBD ride time
Cycling is highly address-specific. A painted lane two blocks away can change daily habits more than a great trail three kilometres out.
Walkability and Local Living
The 20-minute neighbourhood lens
Walkability is not a vibe, it is a set of measurable ingredients: nearby services, connected streets, parks, and public transport. Our score pulls those…
Why Commute Time Beats Distance (and How to Estimate It)
A time‑based way to compare addresses, not suburb averages
When people say an address is “close,” they usually mean distance. But your day is shaped by time, not kilometres. The same distance can mean very different…
Terrain and Elevation: Why Slope Matters at an Address
Runoff, access, and the feel of a street
Terrain is easy to ignore until you are walking it every day. Slope changes how walkable a street feels, how easy bike trips are, and even how a backyard works…
New: Cycling Infrastructure Data
Bike lanes, trails, and commute times now included
Close Enough now includes comprehensive cycling infrastructure data for every address in Victoria. Whether you commute by bike, enjoy recreational rides, or…
iOS App Now in Beta
Close Enough is available on TestFlight
The Close Enough iOS app is now available for beta testing via TestFlight. The native app lets you look up addresses on the go, perfect for checking out a…
Compare Multiple Addresses
Side-by-side neighbourhood comparison is here
One of the most requested features during testing is now live: address comparison. You can now compare up to three addresses side by side, making it much…
Air Quality and Pollen: What the Report Is Actually Telling You
EPA monitoring, seasonal pollen, and thunderstorm asthma risk
Air quality is a live system, not a fixed score. We use monitored data to give a location-specific sense of typical air conditions where data exists.
Environmental Registers and Local Risks
Landfills, priority sites, heat, wildlife, and mining history
This section is the due-diligence layer. It is not about judging an area, it is about understanding environmental context that can affect planning, comfort,…
Flood Planning Controls in Victoria, Explained Simply
What they are, why they exist, and how to treat them as context
Flood planning controls are part of the Victorian planning system. They help ensure flood risk is considered before development goes ahead, and they show up in…
Major Roads: Noise, Access, and Practical Trade-offs
Why proximity is a signal, not a verdict
Major roads can be both a benefit and a trade-off. They can make access easier, but they can also change the feel of a street. The report flags the nearest…
Planning Overlays and Zones: The Practical Read
What the report shows and how to verify it
Planning overlays can look intimidating, but they are just rules applied to specific land. Our report surfaces the main overlays so you can understand what…
Public Transport, Commute Times, and Custom Destinations
Stops, service levels, and time-based trade-offs
Transport is where address-level detail matters most. The report shows the nearest train, tram, and bus stops, including walk time and service levels where…
How to Use VicPlan to Get a Planning Property Report
A practical walkthrough for zones, overlays, and planning links
If you are checking an address in Victoria, the quickest official starting point is the VicPlan map. It lets you search an address, see zones and overlays, and…
Location Context: LGA, SEIFA, and Census at an Address Level
Why we anchor each report in official area data
Every address sits inside a broader context. We surface the local government area so you can quickly find the right council pages, planning details, and…
How to Read the Report Overview
At-a-glance signals and the quick stats page
The overview page is designed to answer one question fast: what should I look at next? It highlights the strongest signals from the report and flags the areas…
How to Read Planning Overlays Without Panic
What overlays do and do not mean for an address
Planning overlays can feel intimidating, but they are not a verdict on an area. They are simply rules and constraints that apply to a specific address or zone.
Welcome to Close Enough
A new way to explore Victorian neighbourhoods
After months of development and testing, Close Enough is officially live. This project started as a personal tool to help with my own property search, and has…