Choose an off-plan or completed home around your move-in date

Work backwards from when you need the home

Write down your latest acceptable move-in date and whether you can extend your current accommodation. Allow time for inspection, repairs, furniture installation and moving. For an off-plan home, request the construction and delivery programme. For a completed home, check its actual condition, services and handover arrangements rather than assuming it is immediately habitable.

Include the cost of waiting

An extended rental, another move or furniture storage can change the comparison. Ask the seller: “If I want to move in during this month, what still needs to happen after handover?” That question is more useful than asking only when construction finishes. Keep any bank repayment commitments separate from your temporary accommodation budget.

Match the choice to your flexibility

If your moving date is fixed, a home you can inspect with clear handover arrangements may fit better. If you can wait, compare the programme alongside layout choice and payment timing. Neither an off-plan discount nor a trouble-free completed home should be assumed; compare the actual offers.

Keep a workable fallback

Record the expected delivery date, your planned moving date and your accommodation fallback separately. If the programme changes, revisit those arrangements and then check the contract. The goal is to choose a home whose timing fits your life, with enough room to handle ordinary finishing work.

Continue with: Check completion, handover and transfer dates before signing

Sources checked 5 November 2026: Office of the Consumer Protection Board: homebuyer checking guidance.