1. Who is the owner?
The first check is whether the person selling the property has the legal right to do so. Keys, possession or family explanations are not enough. The title deed and later transfers, inheritance, marital property issues or powers of attorney must be reviewed.
For inherited property, the circle of heirs must be checked. If one heir tries to sell the entire property without the others, the transaction may become problematic.
2. Are there encumbrances?
An encumbrance certificate may show mortgages, attachments, registered claims, rights in rem and other entries. It should be reviewed carefully because many risks are not visible during a viewing.
Practical rule: do not pay a deposit before it is clear whether the property is free of encumbrances or exactly how they will be removed.
3. Do the documents match the cadastral data?
The cadastral sketch or scheme should be compared with the title deed. Identifier, area, intended use, address and object data should match or the differences should be clarified before signing.
4. What is the regulation status?
For land and houses, it matters whether the plot is regulated, what its planning designation is, whether it has street access and whether there are old unapplied regulation lines. This is especially important if the buyer intends to build.
5. What does the preliminary contract say?
The preliminary contract should identify the property, payment schedule, notary deadline, seller's documents and what happens if checks reveal a problem.
- description of the property based on current data;
- clear deposit return or retention rules;
- deadlines for removing encumbrances;
- seller declarations regarding third-party claims;
- clear default and penalty clauses.