Seven questions to ask before buying a unit under construction

Buying a unit under construction is a decision made on paper before it is made on site. What protects you is not the sales presentation, but what you can read, sign and go back to later.

The following seven questions are the ones a serious developer answers in writing, without hesitation and without postponing the answer to a later meeting.

The seven questions

• Who owns the land, and can I see the ownership document and the building permit?
• What exactly is written in the handover specification — brands, thicknesses, and finishing levels, not adjectives?
• What is the phase schedule, and how is a delay announced if it happens?
• How is the price composed — cost, management fee, and what is outside it?
• Which account do the instalments go into, and who signs the receipt?
• Is there a registered owners' union, and what are its regulations and voting rules?
• What is covered by the warranty after handover, for how long, and who executes the repair?

Any answer that cannot be written into the contract is not an answer — it is a promise.

How to read the answers

Compare the written specification with what you saw in the model unit, and ask about every item that appears in the render but not in the specification sheet. The gap between the image and the document is where most disputes are born.

Then ask for the last periodic progress report on the project. A company that documents its work monthly will hand it to you immediately; one that does not will ask for time.