Buying a House or Land? What to Check Before You Sign and Before You Transfer

At least four things. The title deed — its type, the area, and whether the registered owner matches the seller. Encumbrances such as a mortgage, seizure, servitude or pending litigation. The boundaries and survey, so the real area matches the deed. And the zoning and land-use restrictions, so you can actually use it as intended.

The deposit terms, the transfer date, who bears fees and taxes, and the conditions for forfeiting or refunding the deposit. Critically, if the seller breaches, the contract should spell out what rights the buyer has rather than leaving it to be argued later.

Three things: buying from someone who is not the true registered owner, transferring money before the documents have been fully checked, and buying into a project that does not yet have its permits or complete paperwork. All three come from deciding before checking.

Because the deed tells you who owns the land and how large it is, not what may be built or done on it. Zoning and land-use restrictions are what determine whether you can use the land the way you intend.

Before the deposit or the transfer, while the money is still in your hands and the terms can still be changed. Having a lawyer check the documents and the contract at that point costs far less than unwinding a problem after transfer.