Buying a house on an Off-plan basis refers to when a buyer commits to buying a house based on the drawings and the architectural renderings of the would-be property. In our practice over the past three years, we have come across a number of key concerns for homebuyers in Ghana with the main one being that, most estate houses aren’t well built. This may be true in some cases and it is the reason why you need to know the background of the developer and their track record before you hand them the job or purchase their houses. To solve this problem, buying a property Off-plan is one of the ways to ensure that you are a part of the building process from start to finish and we dare say this is our niche at Baobab PSC. In this blog post we will seek to outline the advantages of purchasing a house on an Off-plan basis. We will also show you some of the pitfalls to avoid if you decide to go on this route. Let us now dive into the major issues.
Capital Appreciation
You buy the house for a price that is below market value which may range from 10% to 15% less. Then there is the Increased value of the building by the time it is finished in Accra as is the case in most cities in Ghana. When the property is completed, the value can go up to as high as 30-50% for single family homes within gated communities in the Greater Accra Metro Area. We sold a property on the Spintex Road on an Off-plan basis at an agreed price of USD85,000.00. When the project was done in 10 months, the value shot up to USD110,000.00 if the owner had wanted to sell and oh, there were offers for it.
Flexible Payment Terms
There is also the ability to get flexible payment terms from the developer since your payment may be tied to key milestones that are to be achieved during the building process. Following from our example above, we were able to negotiate a payment term which was spread for a year which is rare in that part of Accra. We are truly grateful to the developers we work with who offer such terms to our clients.
Customization of the Property
Customization of the building to your taste where you can vary the plan, choose your own finishing especially tiles and sanitary wears. One customer who bought a 3-bedroom house Off-plan on the Spintex road asked that the kitchen which was enclosed in the previous houses that the developer had already done was to be changed to an open kitchen and the number of washrooms reduced to three from the four that would have been done. For one property in Pokuase, the buyers were able to put in a state-of-the-art kitchen since they bought the property Off-plan. Had the house been completed prior to the purchase they would have had to settle for a brick-and-mortar kitchen ‘cabinets’ which clearly would have been a deal breaker. We have seen deals fall through because a house the buyer wanted did not have a kitchen store room. So, the very little things matter to buyers and buying a house on an Off-plan basis provides a solution to this challenge.
Saves Time
As with buying a home from a seasoned developer, buying a house on an Off-plan basis saves you the time and headache of dealing with different artisans and tradesmen on a project (read our earlier article on whether to build or buy a home baobabpsc.com/news). This enables the buyer to supervise the project whilst holding the developer responsible for the work of the artisans.
The Downside of Off-plan Purchasing
It goes without saying that all will not be rosy with the process of buying a property on an Off-plan basis. There are pitfalls that a potential buyer should be mindful of. We will mention a few to conclude this blog post. You may lose your deposit if the developer is shady or has not overseen a number of developments. They may fail and your money could be gone with the wind. Furthermore, have a qualified architect check the plan of your would-be building to confirm all the dimensions and amenities. The completion of your dream house could be delayed. This may be due to a number of factors some of which include; the prices of building materials increasing ridiculously in an economy like the Ghanaian economy.
Conclusion
Buying a house is a one in a lifetime investment and as much as possible get it right the first time. It pays to talk to a professional realtor, legal advisor and any other expert in the field when you set out on your quest to own a home. Our years of experience makes this enadeavour less stressful by connecting home buyers to vetted and trusted developers who deliver good results You can talk to Boabab PSC LTD on Call/Whatsapp 0544031269 to start your property rental or purchase journey. Our years of experience makes this enadeavour less stressful by connecting home buyers to vetted and trusted developers who deliver good results. We also host a number of houses on our website baobabpsc.com for sale and rental. We wish you all the best in your quest to buy an Off-plan house.
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