It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a well-presented property, whether it’s a stunning show apartment or a beautifully rendered off-plan brochure. Before committing to any purchase, though, there are four fundamental questions worth answering honestly.
Who will rent or buy this property later? Every purchase eventually needs either a tenant or a future buyer, and understanding that audience now helps validate whether the property is genuinely desirable beyond its current appeal to you. Is the entry price fair? This requires comparing the asking price against recent, comparable transactions rather than relying on the seller’s or developer’s framing of value.
What supply is coming? A property that looks appealing today can face very different competitive pressure once nearby projects complete and add new inventory to the same tenant or buyer pool. Finally, what is the exit strategy? Every property should be bought with some idea of how and when it might eventually be sold or refinanced, rather than assuming that question can be answered later.
A property that can’t clearly answer all four of these questions deserves more scrutiny before moving forward, no matter how compelling the initial presentation feels.
Want a structured checklist to work through before your next purchase? Get in touch.
Write down an answer and its evidence
For each question, record the source, date and remaining uncertainty. Use completed sales to test entry price, comparable lease evidence to test rent, dated project information to assess supply and relevant sales activity to assess exit demand. If an answer depends on a future event, make that assumption explicit and calculate what happens if it does not occur.
Prepare before the viewing · Test income and cost assumptions
Discuss this decision with Mohsin Arif Khan.
Evidence checklist added 2 October 2026. Examples are illustrative; use verified figures for the property you are assessing.