Checking a site before you buy: What we actually look at, stage by stage
A development is sold on a computer rendering. It is judged on a building site, and on what the developer has handed over before.
Here is what we look at before a project enters our selection, and what you can look at yourself. Nothing here requires being in the trade.
The developer's record first, not the project
A handsome site from a developer who has never handed anything over is worth less than an ordinary site from one who has been delivering for fifteen years.
So the first question is not what it will look like but what he has already handed over, and in what condition. His previous developments exist, you can go and see them, and above all talk to the people living there. A residence handed over three years ago tells you everything about real quality: the finishes hold, or they do not.
What the site shows, by stage
The stages that trigger your payments are also the ones you can check with your own eyes. That is convenient: you pay at the moment when there is something to look at.
- At structural stage: is the frame rising at the announced pace, are the floor levels those of the permit
- At watertight and airtight stage: roof, joinery and glazing fitted, the building is closed
- At finishing stage: do the show units match the materials in the specification
- Everywhere: how clean the site is, and how many workers are there on an ordinary day
The papers we ask to see
The building permit, the land title for the plot, and the project's conformity with what is being marketed. These documents either exist or they do not, and they can be asked for.
Then comes the technical specification annexed to the contract. That is what binds on materials, not the brochure. If the specification says 60 by 60 tiling and the brochure shows something else, it is the specification that prevails on acceptance day.
The signals that postpone a signature
None of these points is disqualifying on its own. Two together deserve a written explanation before going further.
- A deposit asked beyond what the law allows, or in cash
- A refusal to share the permit or the technical specification
- A delivery date that appears nowhere in the contract
- A site stopped without explanation for several weeks
- A seller pressing you to sign before you have had the deed reviewed
What we do on our side
We only present developments whose developer we know and whose site we have seen. We then follow progress stage by stage, and send you dated photographs, particularly if you are buying from abroad.
We are present at acceptance, because that is when reservations are recorded in writing and when anything left unrecorded becomes very hard to obtain afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit the site before buying?
Yes, and you should. A developer who refuses a serious buyer access to his site is already telling you something. We arrange the visit, on site or by video call.
What if construction runs late?
It all depends on what your preliminary contract provides about the delivery date and overruns. That clause is to be reviewed before signing, not after.
Does the show unit always match the home handed over?
Not necessarily. What binds is the technical specification annexed to the contract. Ask that the show unit and the specification agree, and have any differences recorded.