Real estate purchase guide

You have decided to buy a real estate – but what now? Confusing legal matters, negotiations, dealing with surveyors and lawyers, banks, and after all that hassle you worry about the whole deal going to waste because the selected real estate does not have regulated documents…

Buying real estate is one of the biggest financial decisions in life for most people. It is a long and complicated process which, in addition to being exciting, can often be full of stress and worry. But fortunately, our expert team of licensed agents and lawyers is here to help your purchase of real estate get carried out without problems or stress. Moreover, they will do the whole work for you.

Hiring our agency makes the whole process safe and simple. Below you can get acquainted with the basic stages of the purchase process, step-by-step:

1. Take care of your finances
Before you start browsing real estate, we recommend that you organize/define your finances, and if you are taking a loan check with the bank, arrange the amount and basic loan terms. This step will give you insight into how much money for the purchase you have available, which will ultimately affect the search.

2. Contact us and register your demand
The first step in finding the ideal real estate for you is to register your application with us by calling +385 (0)21 260 792 for real estate on the Adriatic coast or +385 (0)1 301 1383 for Zagreb or send us an e-mail to: info@biliskov.com, this way you can present your wishes and requirements directly to our local agents.
You can also view our current overall offer on www.biliskov.com and send a request for any real estate you find interesting. With over 2,000 real estate to choose from, you can be sure we have what you are looking for.

3. Finding the right real estate for you
Once we have a clear vision and understanding of the real estate you are looking for, we will offer you a list of real estate which meet your criteria. We will also regularly update the offer and inform you via newsletter or e-mail about new real estate, special offers, discount prices… You do not need to search on your own and waste time, we will find the ideal real estate even if it is not currently in our offer!

4. Organizing quality tours
We make an effort to save your time so we will take you to see only the real estate we believe to be the best for you. We will adjust our working hours to your needs, and it is not a problem to organize a tour after working hours or on weekends. Our offices in Zagreb, Split and Kaštela are open Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00, Saturdays 09:00-13:00, and our phone lines are available every day 8:00 – 20:00.
We can also provide transport to the selected real estate. During the tour we provide guidance and advice and immediately respond to any questions you might have.

5. Making an offer
Once you have found your ideal real estate and made an offer, we will inform the owner and negotiate the best possible price for you. Apart from the price, we negotiate all other conditions common in the purchase and sale process (utilities records, deadlines for moving out, furnishing, repairs, etc.).
Negotiations are not considered a legal obligation for either side until the agreements have been signed.

6. Accepting the offer
When the seller accepts the offer, we will organize a meeting between you as the buyer and the owner as the seller in order to define the entire list of details necessary to draft the agreement and successfully realize the transaction.

7. Hiring a law firm
After all the conditions and details have been defined and agreed upon, we will forward all information to the law firm which will check the documents in detail, such as ownership rights, certificate of ownership, etc. However, you needn’t worry, our experienced agents will guide you through the process and inform you on every change.

8. Preliminary agreement and cash deposit
Based on the agreed terms between the buyer and the seller, a lawyer will draft a preliminary contract which will be binding to the parties to sign the purchase and sale agreement upon the fulfilment of a specific condition and/or after a specified time period, with an obligatory cash deposit which usually amounts to 10% from the purchase price (known as 'down payment').

9. Real estate valuation and loans
After signing the preliminary agreement, the buyer (usually) goes to the bank to get the loan. The bank will make a valuation of your future real estate with the help of their own appraisers. After that the bank usually takes 30 – 45 days to process the loan and disburse the funds.

10. Concluding the agreement and solemnization
Once the bank has approved the loan, the lawyer will draft a purchase and sale agreement on the basis of the preliminary agreement. The signed agreement must be solemnized by a notary public. At this stage, the whole purchase and sale amount is paid to the seller.
The lawyer will draw up a proposal for registration of ownership and submit it to the land registry department of the municipal court, as well as tax report and all other necessary documents to the tax authorities. The real estate transfer tax in Croatia is 3%.

11. Completing the deal
We will deliver the keys of your real estate after the money is received by the seller. Congratulations, you have bought the real estate! It is a time for happiness and our agent will make sure that the process is complete. He/she will deliver to you the certificate of ownership with your name on it and all utilities transferred to your name.

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