Buying Off-Plan, Step by Step

Buying off-plan means paying for something that does not exist yet. The protections that make that reasonable are specific, and worth understanding before you sign.

The sequence

1. 1Reservation — a form and a deposit, usually refundable only on stated terms.
2. 2Sale and Purchase Agreement — the binding document. The handover date here is the one that matters.
3. 3Oqood registration — records your interest in the unit with the Land Department.
4. 4Payment plan — instalments against construction milestones, or against dates, or both.
5. 5Handover and snagging — inspection before you accept the unit.
6. 6Title deed issued on completion and final payment.

Reading a payment plan properly

A plan tied to construction milestones behaves very differently from one tied to calendar dates. Milestone-linked plans mean your money follows actual progress; date-linked plans mean you pay whether or not the building has moved.

Post-handover plans spread payments past completion. They lower the entry cost and raise the total commitment — useful, but not free.

What off-plan share tells you about an area

Our area pages report the off-plan share of recorded sales. A very high share means substantial supply arriving, which is worth knowing if you intend to sell or let around handover, since much of that stock reaches the market at once.