The eight checks at a glance
Are you clear about the exact property being offered and who is representing the seller?
Has the legal position been reviewed by the lawyer responsible for advising you?
Are physical access, legal access and surveyed boundaries understood as separate questions?
Have the relevant records, use questions and approvals for this property been identified and appropriately reviewed?
Do you understand what is observable on the land or building and what deserves technical inspection?
Are price, advance, conditions, inclusions, timing and other commercial terms clear enough to proceed?
Have the required lawyer, surveyor, engineer, valuer, tax adviser, lender or other professionals completed the work relevant to this property?
Do you know what remains open, who owns it and what must happen before the next commitment?
1. Confirm the property and the parties
Start by making sure everyone is talking about the same property. Record the location or property reference, the extent or unit being represented, the seller or authorised representative, and the basic transaction context.
- what exactly is being offered;
- who is representing the seller;
- what property description and documents have been provided;
- what inclusions or exclusions are being discussed;
- what information is still missing.
Buyer outcome: a clear property file rather than a collection of disconnected messages and attachments.
2. Put legal title and document questions with the lawyer
Legal review is not a box to tick after the commercial decision. It is a separate professional workstream that should address the legal questions relevant to the property and transaction.
Aadhan can organise the documents, context and follow-up around that review. The legal advice and legal conclusion remain with the lawyer engaged by the buyer.
3. Separate access, extent and boundary questions
These questions are often blended together even though they are different. A motorable road visible on site does not by itself answer the legal-access question. A wall or fence does not by itself establish the surveyed boundary.
- document the actual route used to reach the property;
- identify the legal-access question for document/legal review;
- identify whether measurement or survey work is required;
- compare what is occupied on the ground with what the appropriate records and professionals establish.
4. Identify the records, use questions and approvals relevant to this property
Do not rely on a generic document checklist without asking why each record matters for this property type, location and intended use. The relevant public records, permissions and approvals should be identified from current authoritative sources and reviewed by the appropriate professional where needed.
Buyer outcome: a property-specific list of record and approval questions, not an indiscriminate pile of documents.
5. Understand the physical property
Legal documents do not tell you what the site feels like to use. Physical review should consider the actual property form and location.
- approach and practical access;
- surrounding uses and immediate context;
- slope, drainage and retaining conditions where relevant;
- visible building condition and maintenance issues;
- utilities or other practical-use questions;
- areas that could not be accessed or observed.
A site visit provides observation. Technical significance belongs to the appropriate engineer or other specialist.
6. Make the money and terms explicit
Commercial clarity is part of due diligence. Before an advance or another meaningful commitment, write down the price being discussed, what is included, what conditions remain, what timing is expected and what happens if an important condition is not satisfied.
This is also the stage to make sure unresolved legal, survey, technical or financing questions are not accidentally treated as resolved merely because the parties are discussing price.
7. Close the specialist workstreams that matter
Every property does not need every professional. The property should determine the workstream.
- lawyer for legal title, rights, agreements and legal effect;
- surveyor for measurement and boundary work;
- engineer or technical professional for building or site-condition questions;
- valuer where formal valuation is required;
- tax / FEMA adviser where the buyer’s facts require that advice;
- lender for financing, underwriting and sanction matters.
Aadhan can manage the coordination so these professional workstreams do not become separate projects for the buyer to chase.
8. Make a readiness decision before the next commitment
At the end of due diligence, create one final status view:
- Answered: points that are sufficiently established for the buyer to rely on;
- Open: material questions still awaiting information or a professional response;
- Conditions: matters that should be resolved before the next transaction milestone;
- Accepted trade-offs: issues the buyer understands and consciously accepts;
- Next action: proceed, negotiate, investigate further, pause or stop.