Investment in a new apartment is one of the most important moments in the life of everyone of us. Statistics show that we usually buy 1 – 3 dwellings during our lives, so every mistake matters. There are tens of people I know who bought an apartment in a new block. Unfortunately for 30% of them, when they received their new home, their feelings ranged between despair and anger. Very bad quality of finishings, many structural problems, several lies compared with the promised quality. The result: They had to invest some extra 5.000 – 30.000 Euro, in order to fix the mess, if it could be fixed. How can you be protected against cases like this?

1. Include in your budget the costs for architect, lawyer and real estate consultant

You know better what you can do and what you can not. But stop pretending that you know all and decide to pay some small amounts of money (compared to the overall investment) to people who are better experts than you in their domains. An architect is needed to thoroughly check any property you will decide to purchase. He will tell you the problems you don’t see yourself. Before inking the contract, you can ask for solutions and you may succeed. If you discover the problems after, usually you should prepare for new payments…

A lawyer will protect you while working on the contract of purchase. You can not imagine how many terms are included there. They usually tell you “sign here and it’s over”, but it's better to pay someone 300 – 500 Euro to avoid losing many thousands of Euro in the near future.

An honest real estate consultant will tell you what the market says about the project, the advantages and disadvantages of the area, the options you have etc. You are not supposed to know all the rumors and discussions in the market, but your agent should. This worths some hundreds of euro for consulting. It will save you much more.(In the end of the day, it is better to lose 1,000 Euro and save yourself from a wrong investment of 50,000 – 100,000 Euro).

2. Be skeptical when you read… “excellent quality of construction” and the price is 800 – 1,000 euro / sq.m. Of course exceptions always exist

When we talk about already built projects, we should have in mind that these were developed on lands bought during 2005 – 2006 (or early 2007) with the construction having started in 2007 or 2008. The later the developer bought the land, the more expensive he paid for it. Also, whoever paid costs of construction during the second half of 2007 and all 2008, he got trapped paying the most expensive prices of the decade. The prices fell only during 2009. So, sometimes many developers tried to reduce the cost of finishings, recovering the loss. Most of them have a total overall cost exceeding 1,000 Euro / sq.m. (including financing, soft costs etc). 

So you have to check VERY carefully the quality of construction. A lowe price can be sometimes an honest decision by the developer, or his try to “make up” an bad construction, trying to make you focus only on the price.

3. Ask the developer NOT to install the finishings, if this is possible

I know, it does not sound so nice. But if you want to buy an apartment in a project and you don’t feel safe for the quality of finishings, it is better for you to do something else. You have the right to ask and receive by the developer the list of materials (and the work) which will be installed inside the apartment. This list is supposed to have a cost. It is better for you to ask him to reduce this cost and deliver the apartment as it is. Right after, you will finish it using the materials you wish and the workers you choose, having saved the payment of the costs for the initial developer’s work. 

Don’t think that you want to avoid this trouble. I can give you plenty of examples where the clients bought the apartment “finished”, paying all its finishings. Right after they invested so much money so as to refurbish it...

4. Include in your contract all the guarantees you wish regarding the quality of construction. Crosscheck them one by one upon delivery, before approving.

Many people negotiate a price and then they just sign the contract. This is wrong, by default. Read carefully the contract and include in it all the improvements, materials and potential “guarantees” that someone promised to you. Be very careful during the “hand over protocol”. Do not sign it without crosschecking everything, slowly and carefully. Be sure that right after you sign it, you will not have any chance to ask for changes or to force the developer to accept mistakes, if he did. Many times you will come across people who will be in a hurry, who will be telling you “just give me a signature here because I have to go”. Ignore them. They do their job, you do yours. One hour of delay won’t change their life. But it can change yours.

5. Claim your rights even after all the papers are signed.

Not all developer have bad intentions. There are many serious, the majority actually. But there are always small or big mistakes that one may not notice in time. If a developer is serious, he will recognize his mistake and will try to compensate his client even after the first weeks from the client’s move into his new home. Leaking pipes? Walls with cracks? Bad isolation? Report them officially and demand a solution. This is your new home for the next 20 – 30 years and any serious seller will accept his mistake and fix it. He has a specialized team for this, you don’t. And normally he would not like bad publicity for a broken pipe…

Important: It is one thing to claim your rights and another one to search for problems where they don’t exist. As we noticed several developers delivering bad quality of properties, we also saw many clients trying to fight, searching for excuses, just so as to cut costs or simply to cancel the transaction. The developer runs a company and he invested resources, time and some years of his life so as to deliver to you the apartment. If he sees you trying to trick him, he will fight back (and he will have all the rights to do so…)

I.Papageorgiadis: Sfaturi la cumpararea apartamentelor noi- Calitatea proasta a constructiei

Investitia intr-un apartament nou este unul dintre cele mai importante momente in viata economica a fiecaruia dintre noi. Statisticile arata ca de obicei cumparam intre 1 si 3 locuinte pe parcursul vietii, astfel ca fiecare greseala conteaza. Sunt zeci de persoane pe care le cunosc care si-au cumparat un apartament intr-un bloc nou. Din pacate pentru 30% dintre acestia, cand au intrat in posesia noii lor locuinte, sentimentele lor se incadrau undeva intre disperare si furie. O calitate foarte proasta a finisajelor, multe probleme cu structura cladirii, si alte minciuni raportandu-ne la calitatea promisa. Rezultatul: au trebuit sa investeasca intre 5.000 si 30.000 de euro in plus pentru a repara defectele, in cazul in care acestea puteau fi reparate. Cum va puteti proteja de asemenea situatii?

1. Includeti in bugetul dumneavoastra costurile cu arhitectul, avocatul si consultantul imobiliar

Dumneavoastra stiti mai bine ce puteti si ce nu puteti face. Dar incetati sa pretindeti ca le stiti pe toate si hoatarati-va sa dati niste sume mici (comparativ cu investitia totala) unor persoane care sunt mai pricepute decat dumneavoastra in anumite domenii.Este necesar un arhitect care sa verifice in amanuntime orice proprietate pe care va hotarati sa o achizitionati. Va va spune despre problemele pe care voi insiva nu le vedeti. Inainte de a incheia contractul puteti cere solutii si veti putea avea success. Daca descoperiti problemele dupa aceea, ar trebui de obicei sa fiti pregatiti sa mai platiti ceva in plus… 

Un avocat va va proteja pe parcursul realizarii contractului de achizitie. Nu va puteti imagina cati termeni sunt inclusi acolo. De obicei vi se spune “semnati acolo si gata”, dar e mai bine sa platiti cuiva 300 – 500 de euro pentru a evita pierdera a mai multor mii de euro in viitorul apropiat.

Un consultant imobiliar corect va va spune ce se spune in piata despre proiect, avantajele si dezavantajele zonei, optiunile pe care le aveti etc. Nu trebuie sa stiti toate zvonurile si discutiile din piata, dar agentul dumneavoastra ar trebui. Aceasta consultanta valoreaza cateva sute de euro. Va va scuti de la a pierde mult mai mult.

(In cele din urma, e mai bine sa pierdeti 1.000 de euros si sa va feriti de o investitie gresita de 50.000 – 100.000 de euro).

2. Fiti sceptici cand cititi… “calitate excelenta a constructiei” iar pretul este de 800 – 1.000 euro/ m.p. Binenteles ca exista si exceptii.

Cand ne referim la proiecte finalizate, trebuie sa avem in minte ca acestea au fost construite pe ternuri achizitionate in perioada 2005 – 2006 (sau la inceputul lui 2007) iar constructiile au inceput in 2007 sau 2008. Cu cat terenul a fost achizitionat mai tarziu de catre dezvoltator, cu atat acesta a platit mai mult pe el. De asemenea, cine a trebuit sa plateasca pentru constructii in a doua jumatate a lui 2007 si pe parcursul lui 2008 a cazut in capcana si a achitat cele mai mari preturi ale deceniului. Preturile au scazut doar in 2009. Astfel, uneori multi dezvolatori au incercat sa reduca costurile cu finisajele, pentru a recupera din pierdere. Majoritatea au un cost total care depaseste 1.000 euro / m.p. (incluzand finantarea, costuri lejere etc.)

Astfel ca trebuie sa verificati cu MARE atentie calitatea constructiei. Un pret mai scazut poate reflecta o decizie cinstita luata de catre dezvoltator sau incercarea acestuia de a compensa calitatea proasta a constructiei, in incercarea de a va face sa va concentrati doar pe pret.

3. Cereti-i dezvoltatorului sa NU va livreze si finisajele, daca este posibil

Stiu, nu suna prea placut. Dar daca doriti achizitionarea unui apartament intr-un proiect si nu va simtiti in siguranta in ceea ce priveste calitatea finisajelor, e mai bine sa procedati astfel. Aveti dreptul sa cereti si sa primiti de la dezvoltator lista cu materialele (si manopera) care vor fi folosite in apartament. Aceasta lista presupune un anumit cost. Este mai bine sa cereti deducerea acestui cost iar apartamentul sa va fie livrat in acest stadiu. Imediat dupa aceea, va veti face finisajele cu materialele pe care le doriti cu muncitorii pe care dumneavostra ii alegeti, economisind astfel costurile cu lucrarile initiale ale dezvoltatorului.

Sa nu va ganditi ca vreti sa fiti scutiti de acest deranj. Va pot da suficiente exemple in care clientii au chizitionat apartamentul “finisat”, achitand toate aceste finisaje. Imediat dupa aceea au trebuit sa investesca atat de multi bani pentru a-l renova…

4. Includeti in contract orice garantii doriti in ceea ce priveste calitatea constructiei. Verificati-le pe fiecare in parte  la livrare, inainte de a va da acordul.

Multi nu fac decat sa negocieze un pret dupa care semneaza contractul. Este gresit de la inceput. Cititi cu atentie contractul si includeti in el toate imbunatatirile, materialele si potentialele “garantii’ pe care cineva vi le poate promite. Fiti foarte atenti la “procedura de predare – primire”. Nu semnati nimic fara sa verificati totul, incet si cu atentie. Fiti siguri ca imediat ce ati semnat nu veti mai avea sansa sa cereti vreo schimbare sau sa il obligati pe dezvoltator sa isi accepte greselile, daca acestea exista. De multe ori veti intalni oameni care sunt grabiti si va vor spune “doar semnati-mi aici pentru ca trebuie sa plec”. Sa ii ignorati. Ei isi fac treaba lor, dumneavoastra pe a dumneavoastra. O intarziere de o ora nu le va schimba vietile. Dar o poate schimba pe a dumneavoastra.

5. Cereti-va drepturile, chiar si dupa semnarea documentelor.

Nu toti dezvoltatorii sunt rau intentionati. Multi dintre ei sunt si seriosi, majoritatea de altfel. Dar exista greseli mai mari sau mai mici care pot sa treaca neobservate. Daca un dezvoltator este serios, isi va recunoaste greselile si va incerca sa isi compenseze clientul chiar din primele saptamani de la mutarea acestuia in noua lui casa. Tevi sparte? Crapaturi in pereti? Izolatie proasta? Raportati-le oficial si cereti o solutie. Aceasta este noua dumneavoastra casa pentru urmatorii 20 – 30 de ani si orice vanzator serios  isi va accepta greselile si le va repara. Detine o echipa speciala in acest scop, pe cand dumneavoastra nu. Si in mod normal nu isi va dori publicitate proasta pentru o teava sparta…

Nota importanta: exista o diferenta intre a-ti cere drepturile si a cauta probleme acolo unde acestea nu exista. Asa cum multi dezvoltatori au livrat proprietati de proasta calitate, la fel si multi clienti incearca sa se certe, cautand scuze pentru a le fi reduse din costuri sau pur si simplu pentru a anula tranzactia. Dezvoltatorul conduce o firma si a investit resurse, timp si ceva ani din viata pentru a va livra apartamentul. Daca vede ca incercati sa il pacaliti, va opune rezistenta (fiind indreptatit sa faca asta…)