Prepare a short brief
Before the visit, decide what the home needs to do for your household. Bring measurements for essential furniture, a realistic purchase budget and a required move-in window. Limit the must-have list enough to make trade-offs visible. You are testing suitability, not collecting every attractive feature.
Review the project’s sourced facts first and list what is still unknown. A dated price list, unit availability, payment scheme and completion provisions are different documents. Do not assume one brochure answers them all.
Supporting references: URA: buying a property ↗ MoneySense: upfront costs and loan assessment ↗
Separate the display from the specification
Ask which walls, doors, fittings, appliances and finishes differ from the delivered unit. Note decorative features and furniture that are excluded. Look at dimensions and clearance with doors open, rather than judging room size from staging alone.
Check the unit’s actual position on the site plan, including facing, nearby uses and access points. Ask for the contractual plan and specification. A representative display unit does not establish the exact view, noise or orientation of every home.
Supporting references: URA: buying a property ↗ MoneySense: upfront costs and loan assessment ↗
Ask precise financial questions
Obtain the full asking price and the date it was checked. Ask what conditions attach to an incentive and where those terms appear in writing. Check recurring charges and the proposed payment schedule with the relevant documents.
Take the quotation back to your own budget. Include duties, legal work, financing, temporary housing and reserves. If the quoted unit exceeds the comfortable budget, do not treat a future income increase or sale as guaranteed funding. Ask your lender and solicitor to review the actual transaction.
Supporting references: URA: buying a property ↗ MoneySense: upfront costs and loan assessment ↗
Leave with a next action
A useful visit ends with a small set of verified facts and unresolved questions. Record who supplied the answer and when. If a fact is not confirmed, put it in the follow-up list rather than in the comparison table as certain.
An enquiry or request for a visit does not reserve a home or confirm an appointment. Reconfirm the arrangements through the authorised channel. Take time to understand the documents before any binding payment.
- Check scale and actual furniture clearances.
- List every display change or excluded fitting.
- Confirm unit identity, facing and size basis.
- Obtain dated price, stock and payment documents.
- Review legal and financing obligations before booking.
Supporting references: URA: buying a property ↗ MoneySense: upfront costs and loan assessment ↗
Sources & review
This is original research guidance, not an individual recommendation, legal opinion or loan approval. Hypothetical examples are not client results or available properties.
Put the reading into your plan.
Use the buyer tools, then bring your questions to a considered conversation. Please keep detailed financial and identity documents out of the initial enquiry.
Explore the tools