Before you invest in strata property, you will have to spend a lot of time looking and searching. Knowing which criteria to pay attention to can save days or even weeks.
You seem to have found your dream property. The photos are pleasing, the description is promising, you call the owner to arrange a viewing. What should be clarified right away, what should be paid attention to on the spot, what to check, and what to ask about – we made a checklist. Consider how to choose real estate in the market, avoid scams, check the seller, and not lose your money.
How to choose the right lot in a new building and what to look for:
- The reputation of the developer.
- Construction time under the contract.
- Construction company documents.
- Promotions and discounts from the developer.
Home builder
The first and most important thing when choosing strata property is the reputation of the builder. In every city, there are construction companies that everyone knows about, and they have been working for a long time. If an organization has been building high-rise buildings for more than five years and there are few negative reviews about it, and there are acquaintances who bought real estate from it, you should pay attention to this particular company.
Before deciding to buy from a particular company, it is recommended to study the reviews about it. The responses on the page of the organization itself are uninformative and often ordered.
It is better to look for reviews on other Internet resources. If they don’t exist at all, that’s not a bad thing: as a rule, people write negative responses much more readily than positive ones. The absence of negative reviews on several resources indirectly indicates the integrity of the company.
Construction time
The construction time is an important factor. If the construction site is only at the excavation stage, and you need your realty urgently, this option will not work. It is better to choose a property at the final stage of construction, but it will also cost more. The best option for those who want to save money is buying a home under an assignment agreement when construction has already been completed, but the house has not yet been put into operation.
After entering, it will cost more. An assignment agreement is usually concluded if a person bought a lot under an equity participation agreement at an early stage of construction, but later changed his mind about living there and decided to sell.
Documents
Before buying a strata lot from a construction company, you need to make sure that he has all the documents: building permit; project documentation; project declaration; lease agreement for a land plot on which construction is underway.
Documents confirming the ownership; project declaration; certificate of state registration; constituent documents; SRO admission, license; an agreement with an insurance company in which the developer’s liability to equity holders is insured.
Condition of the house and public spaces
Public spaces are the courtyard, stairwells, landings, and elevators — the places where all the residents of the house are.
Before making a decision check when was the last major overhaul carried out and whether it was at all. This will allow us to adjust expectations if the overhaul is about to begin or, conversely, has recently passed.
What to evaluate at the entrance
Consider the load on common areas – the more lots in the house, the more wear and tear will be.
Pay special attention to the first floor – there is the greatest traffic of people here. If the house is relatively new, but the entrance has already been launched, you will most likely be out of luck.
General criteria
There are general criteria that will help you understand how and where it is better to look for an apartment to buy:
- area and infrastructure
- layout; materials for construction
- floor
- elevators
- communications
- cost
- neighbors
Technical characteristics and verification of the “quality” of housing
One of the dangers when buying an apartment is illegal redevelopment. At best, you will have to draw up the documents yourself, but if violations threaten to collapse, create an emergency, you will have to eliminate them.
To understand whether changes have been made in the apartment, it is necessary to check the actual layout with the official data.
How to check the lot?
If the transaction is accompanied by a lawyer, he should deal with the verification. When contacting a realtor, everything depends on the terms of the contract: if the legal support service is not indicated there, the realtor will not be responsible for the purity of the transaction by law.
If you are about to become an owner of strata property in Sydney, experts from strata management in Sydney will help you out with all the insecurities you have and take care of the whole process.
Conclusion
If all the items from our checklist are all right, congratulations! It seems to be really what you were looking for. If something is wrong or you are confused – this is a reason to consult a good professional. Good luck!