Ups and Downsides of Off-plan Property Investment

For many investors, stock markets around the world have lost some of their appeal; the excess money in people’s coffers has been ploughing into international real estate at a rate never previously experienced. As a direct result of this intense interest in overseas property the demand for real estate in many locations such as Dubai and Spain is outstripping supply by up to 75%, generating a continuous growth on price levels.

As a result, it is increasingly common for investors to enter into off-plan property purchase. There are a number of benefits to off-plan purchases, but also some drawbacks in this method of buying real estate. In this next section we examine them for you to help you determine whether off plan property investment is the right choice for you.

The Benefits of Off-Plan Property Investment

If you buy off-plan when the villa or apartment is at the drawing board stage or initial stage of build, then you have the potential to make considerable input into the internal layout and finish of your chosen property. You can change around internal walls, select paint colours, tiles, carpets, kitchens, bathrooms etc, and custom design your property as though it were a self build without having to pay the extra cost for an architect that would normally be associated with this service.

By buying a property off-plan today you are securing the price of that property at today’s prices. By the time the property is completed it may very well have risen in value, thus making you a significant return on your investment immediately. Furthermore, if you can ‘just’ afford to buy at today’s prices, knowing that if you wait until more completed properties come on sale you may have missed the opportunity and as a result, been priced out of the market.

Developers usually require stage payments from their buyers throughout the build process. This means that you don’t have to make a large one off payment, you can save for each payment, allowing you to budget for each payment and effectively securing a high value asset for a very low initial capital outlay.

Some investors buy property off-plan, never intending to pay for it and certainly never intending to live in it! They take full advantage of the stage payments method of funding the build and never make the final payment which is usually the largest; rather they put the property back onto the market just as it is about to be completed and take out all the profit from the natural increase in value the property has achieved throughout the period it took to build it. Obviously, this is a rather risky approach as the property market does fluctuate downwards as well as upwards and there might not be a buyer waiting in the wings at just the right moment for the vendor.

Some developers use private investors to fund the build of holiday accommodation by offering them guaranteed rental yields on their completed property for a fixed period of time. This is a purely symbiotic relationship in theory as the developer has inward cash flow from the property investors to afford the build and also has a set number of properties he can let out via holiday and tour companies or even privately for a fixed period. The developer then takes any excess rental yield and thereby profits and the investor is guaranteed an income and also owns a property that is hopefully increasing in value over and above what it cost to buy in the first place - therefore, everyone’s happy!

The Downfalls of Off-Plan Property Investment

By buying a property from a developer off-plan you are taking a risk on that developer. What if he encounters financial difficulties during the build and never completes? What if he doesn’t build the properties to a high standard? You can help eliminate these situations by ensuring you see examples of previously completed projects, speaking to other customers who have been through the process with the developer already and asking about their experiences. Get guarantees of the builders financial status written into the contract where possible.

How secure will your investment be? You need to ensure you have a watertight contract drawn up and employ independent legal representation to protect your rights and money throughout the build process. If anything happens to the builder what do you actually own? Can you get your money back? What guarantees do you have? By buying off-plan and paying in installments it is usual that the title deeds are not drawn up in your name until completion, meaning that in theory throughout the build process the builder can re-mortgage the land on which your property will stand and until he repays the lender you cannot take legal ownership of your property.

You have no way of guaranteeing the finished quality of the property you’re buying. You need to ensure that you discuss your expectations with the builder and have them written into your contract. Furthermore, as mentioned, you should inspect previous examples of work. Also make sure you have some legally binding guarantees covering the structure of the building for five or ten years.

If you’re buying into an area where there is a large amount of development going on it will be very difficult to know what the area is going to look like when finished. Your particular developer may finish his properties, roads and shared areas to a high standard, however, what if nearby developers fail to do so, or if nearby developers are actually building aesthetic eyesores for example? You will have no idea who or even what your neighbours are going to be. They could be like minded people or your could end up living next to an industrial unit!

Off-plan property investment has one more down side and that is you will have to wait a long time to move into your dream home. You will be paying out for something for a long time before you actually benefit from it.

In case you need more information or have doubts on any of these issues, the specialised staff in January First Real Estate will be glad to answer all your questions, January First Real Estate, click here.