Buying off-plan in Bali without getting burned

Milestones, not months

The difference between a good off-plan deal and a disaster is almost entirely the payment schedule. If instalments fall due on dates, you keep paying whether or not anything is being built, and your leverage decreases with every transfer. If they fall due on verified stages — foundation poured, structure topped out, roof on — your money tracks the asset.

Insist on independent verification of each stage. The developer confirming their own progress is not verification.

Questions that separate projects

• Is the land already titled to the developer or their company? Ask to see it.
• Has the building permit been issued, or merely applied for?
• What happens to your money if the project stops — is it held in escrow, or spent?
• Has this developer finished anything before? Visit it. Talk to the owners.
• What is the penalty for late delivery, and is it enforceable against an entity with assets?

Common questions