What to prepare before a condo booking appointment

A new-launch booking appointment should be a document and decision check, not a race to sign before questions are answered. Bring the unit and financing facts you already know, a list of terms you need in writing and a clear stop rule. The correct next step may be to leave, ask your lender or lawyer and return only when the information is complete.

What should you prepare before the visit?

Write the project and exact unit you are considering, intended buyers' names, available cash, expected CPF use, bank-financing status and the price ceiling you will not exceed. Bring identification only as required by the formal process; ask why any additional document is needed before sending it in a chat. URA's home-buyer guide advises buyers to check finances and bank eligibility early, preferably before paying a deposit or committing. A verbal estimate from a salesperson is not a lender decision.

Ask for the developer's mandatory project and unit information before a booking fee is accepted. URA describes the Option to Purchase stage and says the Sale and Purchase Agreement should be reviewed before signing. Have a way to save or photograph the exact version of the plan, specifications, payment schedule and key dates you receive. Compare the proposed unit with your own needs, not a show unit dressed for viewing. If the contract wording is unclear, make a note for a qualified lawyer rather than guessing at the desk.

What belongs on a one-page appointment checklist?

Use four columns: claim made, document shown, question, person responsible to answer. For an illustrative appointment, a salesperson says a unit has “great school access”. The buyer writes down the claim, asks for the exact address and current school-distance method, and keeps eligibility as unverified until MOE's process is checked. Another claim says “low monthly payment”; the buyer asks which loan amount, rate period, drawdown stage and fees produced it. These are fictional claims, not quotations from a real developer.

Keep price and tax questions separate. IRAS's Buyer's Stamp Duty page provides the current tax rules; a buyer may also have other profile-dependent duties. Ask your lawyer or qualified adviser to calculate the actual obligation and deadline for your facts. Do not spend the whole cash reserve on a booking amount while leaving duty, legal fees and a financing gap unplanned.

When should you stop the appointment?

Pause if the exact unit plan or mandatory information is unavailable, if a financing assumption has not been checked, if the quoted total or payment stage cannot be explained, or if you are asked to sign an agency agreement you have not read. CEA's agent-engagement guidance says agent roles and negotiated commission should be documented. Ask who represents whom, even if the help is described as free. A stop rule is not a prediction that the unit will wait; it is a boundary for a purchase you may live with for years.

Before leaving, record what is confirmed, what remains open and the deadline for an answer. The home research brief sets the buyer's priorities, the agent-commission guide clarifies representation, and viewings guides cover showroom questions. You may send NewLaunchGuru a document question for editorial consideration; we do not reserve units, arrange finance or promise an agent referral.

Common questions