Allowing second viewings after the initial offer is not common practice in Singapore, said one analyst.
Property developer CapitaLand has come forward to clarify that home buyers are usually given access to its completed condominium units, pending completion of the sales process.
This is in response to a forum letter published in The Straits Times on Tuesday (6 September), titled “Condo booking fee paid but second viewing not allowed”. The writer, Eileen Ng, recounted her experience of making the initial payment for a completed unit from CapitaLand, then wanting to view the unit again. However, her request was turned down twice.
According to a spokesperson from CapitaLand, the request was denied because “the contractor was doing some touch-up works on the apartment that Ng and her husband had booked to ensure that it was ready for handing over to them”.
The spokesperson added that arrangements were made for Ng to view the unit before the letter was published.
When contacted, other major developers told PropertyGuru that they also allow second and even multiple viewings of their completed units after bookings have been confirmed.
A spokesperson for City Developments Limited (CDL) said: “We are flexible on requests for second or subsequent viewings and will usually oblige, unless the unit concerned is inaccessible due to, for instance, ongoing works.”
Another developer would not publicly comment, but said the same thing.
Still, some analysts say that allowing second viewings after the initial offer is not “common practice” here.
“The situation is probably a recent phenomenon because of the surge of sales arising from developers introducing various attractive schemes to move stock of de-licensed properties,” said Tay Kah Poh, Executive Director and Head of Residential at Knight Frank Singapore.
“Developers may have good reasons to decline such requests from time to time, such as when there is a big jump of such sales and they may not be able to accommodate every request concurrently because of resource constraints.”
Alvin Tan, Executive Director of PropNex International, agreed that while such requests are fair and ensure transparency in the property sales process, buyers also have a duty to thoroughly inspect the units before putting in the offer to purchase.
“Once the offer has been accepted, it is deemed that the buyer has accepted whatever condition the unit is in.”
Added Tan: “The developer may want to avoid any additional requests or comments from the buyer before the transaction is completed.”
Tan feels another reason for turning down such requests could be that developers are responsible for any damages incurred before the completion of the sale and handover to the owner.
“If the buyer is worried about defects after moving in, they can request a defects inspection from the developer upon taking over the unit,” he said.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
