If you have purchased "off the plan," and are nearing completion of construction ("settlement "),here are the steps you should take.
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. First, obtain a completion date as soon as possible from Citylife. It will only be approx. but try to get the most accurate date you can.
Approx 3 months out.
Apply for finance.
Ideally use a finance broker, familiar with foreign investor’s requirements. If in doubt, contact Citylife.
You will need to put all your personal income statements together, as well as your tax return information etc.
All of this takes time, so it is wise to START your application three months prior, BUT not too early, as the Banks loan approbval usually only lasts for three months.
The Bank will also require a rental assessment which you can obtain from Citylife's associated rental agents.
By applying early, this will enable you to prepare for any potential hiccups or missing documents you may need to supply.
Approx 2 months out.
Now is the time to notify your Solicitor of the forthcoming settlement, and advise them of the Bank you intend using.
They will then notify you of extra funds you may need, such as Stamp Duty, as well as Rate adjustments etc. It is also at this time you need to appoint a Property Manager.
We recommend you use Citylife’s recommended Agent, as they will be familiar with the project, BUT you are free to appoint anyone you want.
You will need to start to put together the additional funds you will need to put in yourself to complete the purchase. (SEE “BANK VALUATION” BELOW)
Approx 1 month until completion.
By now you should have a Property Manger appointed, you should be in touch with your Solicitor, and your finance broker or Bank should be sending you all the final mortgage papers to sign.
Your Solicitor will be undertaking all the necessary checks as to Title, Water, and other permits etc at this time.
It is also now time to get an update as to the final completion date.
You should also decide now who will do your “final inspection”. Usually it will be your property manager, or your solicitor may be able to do it, or you can organise a building inspector.
Unless MAJOR defects are found, the settlement CAN NOT be held up.
Your Solicitor should arrange for any defects to be notified to the Vendor so they can be rectified after completion, within the time frame as stated in the Contract.
It is also now time to find out who the contact person will be for the Bank to contact to arrange their Valuer to get through the property.
2 weeks to completion
It is at this time the Bank Valuer will go through the property. After the Valuation comes back, you will be able to complete your final loan documentation, but remember, TIME IS NOW CRITICAL.
You will need to send to your solicitor if not already done so the balance of your own money and all costs.
Final “Settlement”
Your Solicitor will arrange and book in settlement date with the Developer’s legal representative and the Bank.
They will attend to settlement on your behalf, and make all the relevant payments.
Congratulations!
You are now the proud owner of a Property!
After Completion
There are still a couple of steps you will need to take:
1. Keep in touch with your Property Manager to make sure your Property is rented.
2. Apply for a Depreciation Report, from a quantity surveyor for Tax purposes.
3. Ensure you get someone to follow up your defects list. It can be your Property Manger, Solicitor, or Citylife.
4. Obtain a “settlement Statement “within 1 Month from your Solicitors, which itemises all the payments made.
5. Open a Property File for your Tax purposes. Inside this file keep you resettlement statement as per point 5 above, your Depreciation Report (point 2) and all your future rental statements, travel expenses, and Bank Interest payments.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
BANK VALUATION.
Bank valuation is not an exact science, and unfortunately it is a fact of life (for reasons too detailed to go into here) that identical properties next to each other, both purchased off the plan at the same time for the same price, could have different valuations placed upon them by 2 different balk valuers.
Bank Valuers are super conservative, and will seldom, if ever, valuer a property on completion at a higher price than was paid off the plan, irrespective of market conditions).
So it is always wise to prepare yourself for the unfortunate situation of a valuation coming in at up to 5% lower than expected, meaning you will need further funds at the last moment.
This situation can often be addressed with the Bank, but the problem is the Valuation is only done at the last minute, so time is often very tight.
We always recommend buyers try to ensure they have at least a 5% cash “buffer” to cover themselves for this issue.
