Buying with confidence
Good property decisions start with good due diligence.
Buying a resort property abroad need not feel like a leap of faith. The fundamentals are familiar: understand what you are buying, verify the legal position and use independent professional advice.
Before you buy
Four principles we believe every buyer should follow.
Beautiful photography, a strong location and an impressive sales presentation are not substitutes for proper checks. Overseas buyers should approach a purchase with the same discipline they would apply at home — and understand the additional rules that may apply in the country where they are buying.
These are starting principles rather than a substitute for legal, tax or financial advice.
See the property and location for yourself.
Where practical, visit before committing. If the property is off-plan, spend time in the surrounding area and understand the setting, access, amenities and distances for yourself. Renders and maps can explain a project; they cannot replicate being there.
Use your own independent lawyer.
Choose a suitably qualified lawyer who represents your interests. They can advise on the purchase contract, ownership and title, planning and licensing position, payment protections, local obligations and any other legal issues relevant to the particular transaction.
Understand who is behind the development.
Look at the developer’s track record, funding, delivery history and the parties responsible for operating the resort after completion. An established hospitality brand can add credibility and operating expertise, but branding alone should never replace legal and commercial due diligence.
Verify the development and ownership structure.
Your independent lawyer should establish the legal status of the land and development, relevant permissions, charges or finance affecting the property, and the protections applying to buyer payments. The appropriate checks and safeguards differ by jurisdiction and development.
Know your objective
Buy for the way you actually intend to use it.
A property chosen primarily as a second home can be judged very differently from one bought principally for rental income.
If rental performance matters, consider the likely guest market, seasonality, management arrangements, owner-use restrictions, running costs and whether the property’s rental use is legally and practically workable. Personal taste is still important — but it should not be confused with rental demand.
Buying mainly for yourself?
Prioritise the location, property and lifestyle you genuinely want to enjoy.
Buying with rental income in mind?
Also assess the needs of the likely guest market and the actual rental and management structure.
Want both?
Be clear about the compromises. Owner use, peak rental periods and management rules can interact.
The Solstice approach
We select. Your independent advisers verify.
Our role is to identify and present resort developments that we believe merit consideration and to explain the proposition as clearly as we can. We look at factors such as location, resort fundamentals, management, rental structure and the development team.
We are a property marketing and sales agent, not your lawyer, tax adviser or financial adviser. We encourage every buyer to appoint appropriate independent professionals before committing to a purchase.