A comprehensive guide on how to choose a suitable apartment for living, up until writing the apartment sale contract

Choosing a residential apartment is an important process that requires a lot of planning and careful thinking. When searching for a residential apartment to buy in Mansoura or any other city, you should follow the same guidelines in a number of steps to achieve your goals. In this article, you will find a comprehensive guide from the idea of buying to writing a sales contract for an apartment. We will discuss how to choose a residential apartment for purchase and the priorities that should be considered when doing so, when inspecting the apartment and when executing and purchasing and contracting properly when writing a sales contract for an apartment.

However, the focus of this article is on the resale of residential apartments by individuals, as is the case in Mansoura, because the situation is different from dealing with companies and developers and multiple projects such as the new Mansoura, which we mentioned before in a detailed article, "Your comprehensive consulting guide on how to buy New Mansoura properties and everything you need to know before buying"

Preparing to buy a residential apartment

Determine the budget:

Determining the budget is the first and most important step when choosing a residential apartment to buy. You should determine the amount you can afford and set a maximum price to avoid investing in an apartment beyond your financial capabilities, especially in the case of installment payments, to avoid penalties or punitive conditions.

Choose the appropriate location:

After determining the budget, you should search for the preferred areas, for example, within Mansoura city, there are many areas that differ in services and prices, and you should ensure that all basic services are available near the apartment you want to buy, such as schools, hospitals, commercial centers, and public transportation, while considering price differences between each area.

Determine the size of the apartment:

You should determine the size of the apartment that suits your needs and those of your family. This depends on the number of your family and the space they need. You should ensure that the new apartment has enough rooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen.

Determine the most important basic services in the building:

You should ensure that the services you need in the building are available, and the essential priorities for your family, such as elevators, security, maintenance, and cleanliness. You can also check if there is parking in the building.

Choose a real estate agent:

This step is very important to save time, effort, and money, but it depends on your choice of a real estate consultant who has enough experience in the real estate market and transaction and trust to ensure that he offers you units at the original price without price differences, and professionalism to negotiate to get the best deals for you. Therefore, you should search well for the best real estate consultant to buy an apartment at the best price.

New Mansoura website provides you with all of these tasks with confidence, impartiality, and honesty with great experience in the resale market in Mansoura, Damietta Al-Jadida, New Mansoura, and Ras El Bar, providing you with the best opportunities for a luxurious residence and a secure investment.

Contact us now or send us a message on the numbers in front of you on the screen (phone/WhatsApp).

Search for offers and opportunities:

Before buying, you should search for offers and discounts available for residential apartments in Mansoura city. You can search among acquaintances, friends, and family who may sell their residential apartment, and you can search online on specialized websites and on our website, New Mansoura Properties, where you may find good offers from developers or real estate brokers, and this can save you a lot of time, effort, and money.

Some owners, especially individuals, may waive the fair price for a lower price in exchange for getting liquidity from the sale faster, and you will not be able to find it yourself. Therefore, you should seek the help of a reputable real estate broker in the city who can provide you with the largest number of options that suit your request from one place and view them in a consecutive manner.

Apartment viewing stage:

Facilities:

You should ensure that all facility meters are installed or commit to delivering them if the building is under construction. If the meters are complete and available, you should ensure that they have been reset and that the seller has paid all bills or penalties due before the purchase date. It's worth noting that if the apartment is unused, the meters must be paid for according to the price of each meter. However, if the apartment is fully finished and already occupied, the meter price should be included in the apartment's price.

Quality of Construction:

You should ensure the quality of construction and the materials used in building the apartment you want to buy. You can talk to the developer or the current owner of the apartment to know the technical details of the building and the materials used in building the apartment. You can also request assistance from building and civil engineering specialists to evaluate the quality of the apartment and the building.

Ventilation and Lighting:

You should ensure that the apartment has good ventilation and that all rooms have natural lighting, even if they have a skylight. Especially the kitchen and bathroom should have ventilation openings.

Layout:

The apartment's layout should meet your needs primarily so that you do not have to make adjustments, especially if the apartment is fully finished, as adjustments can be costly. The layout should provide privacy for you and your family with a separate entrance for guests away from bedrooms and living rooms.

Doors and Windows:

Ensure the safety of the carpentry and paints, that they do not have many cracks or defects, or expansion that prevents them from closing tightly, especially in aluminum. They should be solid and tightly closed to prevent dust from entering. Also, ensure that the ventilation louver made of iron goods is not dilapidated to avoid insects entering when opened or rainwater seepage.

Plaster and Paints:

Ensure the state of finishing the layer of cement on the walls, which is a cement mixture on the walls that must be done correctly to avoid defects over time that appear in the form of cracks, especially in the ceiling joints, columns, wall welding, and some. They must be straight without any projections, and before painting the walls, leave them to dry completely because the presence of moisture causes the paint to fall off after a short time, especially in the areas most exposed to water or on the floors.

Floors:

Ensure the condition and safety of the ceramics and that there is no hollow or looseness in the entire apartment, including the seams and the material used in the installation, the type of ceramic or porcelain, and the sorting to avoid commercial types that you may have to change in a short time.

Ceiling Height:

The average height of apartments is between 2.7-3m, but the minimum after finishing should not be less than 2.7m, and before finishing, it should not be less than 2.85m to avoid feeling cramped in the apartment regardless of its area.

Electricity:

Review the locations of the electricity outlets and their number and the safety of the switches. Also, ensure the quality of the wires used, their thickness, and the extent of their capacity to carry electrical appliances without problems. For example, air conditioners need a separate wire with a thickness of 6mm.

Plumbing:

Ensure the water pressure in all water outlets in the kitchen and bathroom is safe and that there are no leaks. Ensure that there are ventilation openings and also ensure that there is waterproofing on the floors. Check the ceiling to avoid leaks from the upper floors that may affect your apartment.

Mobile Network:

You may be slightly surprised that this is a reason presented in choosing the appropriate apartment, but believe me, some customers were looking for the strength of the network first in any apartment because of the nature and sensitivity of their work.

External View:

The apartment's surroundings are a very influential factor in living, and therefore, it is essential to open the windows and any lighting or ventilation openings and look at the view. Is it good or bad, comfortable or disturbing? Are there nearby apartments that may hurt your family when standing in any windows or balconies?

Neighborhood:

It's important to talk to the neighbors if possible, especially if the apartment is in a shared floor with more than one apartment or in a crowded area with movement. You should know your neighbors and the people you will deal with daily to ensure healthy coexistence with the surrounding

Negotiation and Contracting Phase:

Price Negotiation:

Make sure that there is no fixed price and that there is always room for negotiation. However, we must differentiate between greed and the principle of mutual gain, as this is the main secret to the success of any negotiation. The seller may have priced the unit fairly and may not want to negotiate on the price. So what will you offer him? Cash payment may be a motivating factor to reduce the price, for example!

Legal Documents:

It is important to ensure that the ownership contracts from the seller match the stated data, and that the ownership sequence is accurate in all contracts until reaching the landowner and license. If there are more than one partner in the building, it is important to ensure that the apartment, as described, is the right of the selling party based on a joint participation contract, as some partners divide the building into shares for each party, and some divide the ownership by a percentage in all units in the building. In that case, all parties to the participation contract must sign the purchase contract. Finally, it is important to consult a legal attorney to review the documents and review the terms of the purchase contract.

Contract Writing:

Before setting a date for writing the contract, all points must be agreed upon (the apartment price, the price of facilities if any, the payment system, whether cash or installment, and in the case of installment, the down payment percentage, the installment period, warranties and penalty conditions, delivery date, contract terms).

After making sure of all the points and reviewing the documents and contract with a lawyer, writing the apartment sale contract will be easier and faster.

Setting a Date for Documentation and Payment:

A date must be set for documenting the sale contract, either in the real estate registry or in court by virtue of validity and enforceability or at least signature validity.

Another date must be set for the seller to pay the property transaction fees for the sale of the unit.

Summary and Final Tips Before Buying a Residential Apartment:

1. Do not view any apartment without knowing its details, such as price, location, floor, payment system, and division.
2. Inspect 2-5 apartments that are perfectly suitable for your request (price, location, payment system, and division). Viewing more than that will increase your confusion in choosing.
3. Record the advantages and disadvantages of each apartment you inspect, starting from the facade and entrance of the building to the inside of the apartment.
4. Evaluate each apartment according to the priorities that matter to you (because there is no perfect apartment with a 100% rating).
5. Start negotiating on the best-suited apartment for you in terms of price and payment system.
6. Write down every point you negotiate on (price, payment plan, delivery, contract warranties, meter status, and whether there are checks or not). Then take a picture of what you wrote and send it to the seller, stating that this is what we agreed upon, and we will include it when writing the apartment sale contract.
7. Based on what has been agreed upon, a lawyer must be present to draft the contract to ensure your rights in the terms of the apartment sale contract, even if you are familiar with the prevailing practice in writing contracts, as changing a word may change the strength of the clause.