Comparisons and alternatives
Your agent, your lawyer, your engineer: who checks what
The lawyer checks the contract and the title. The engineer checks the building. The agent introduces the sale. None of the three watches construction over time, and the gap between signing and handover is where buyers assume somebody is and nobody is.
The lawyer checks the contract and the title, the engineer checks the building on the day they visit, and the agent’s job ends when the sale completes. None of the three watches construction as it happens, and the years between signing and handover are where buyers assume someone is watching when no one is.
The division, and the gap
| Who | Checks | Does not check |
|---|---|---|
| Agent | Availability, price, the market | Anything after the sale completes |
| Lawyer | Title, permits, contract terms, completion | What is physically built at any point |
| An engineer you engage | The building, on the day they visit | What happened between visits, and what is normal for the stage |
| Nobody, by default | Nothing | The two years between signing and handover |
Why the gap is invisible until it matters
Each party does their job properly and each job ends at a boundary. The lawyer’s work finishes when the contract is signed and resumes at completion. The agent’s finishes at the sale. The engineer’s begins when somebody engages them, which is usually near handover, if at all.
Buyers rarely notice because the developer’s updates fill the silence. They arrive regularly and look like somebody watching, and they are neither independent nor comparable.
Where the agent conflict sits
An agent paid by commission on this sale, in a market where the same developers supply most of the stock, is not structurally placed to tell you the build is going badly. This is not an accusation of dishonesty; it is a description of whose interest the arrangement serves.
The same applies to a lawyer introduced by the agent who was introduced by the developer. Convenience and representation are different products.
What to arrange, and when
- Before signing: your own lawyer, unconnected to the sale, in the country of the property.
- Before signing: access and information rights in the contract, which are much harder to add later.
- During construction: a regular record by somebody with no relationship to the developer.
- Before walls close: somebody who looks at services and structure while they are still visible.
- Before acceptance: a defect list against the specification, and objections recorded on the document you sign.
The lawyer, the engineer and the agent each cover a boundary, not the years in between, so the gap between signing and handover is nobody’s job by default. Arranging a regular, independent record for that period is what closes it.
Last checked
Questions on this
- Can my lawyer handle the construction side too?
- Some firms will arrange a technical visit. It is coordination rather than expertise, and it is worth knowing which one you are paying for.
- Is the agent useless after the sale?
- No. A good agent stays useful for local logistics and for pressure on the developer. They are simply not a source of independent information about the build.
- What if the developer supplies an engineer's report?
- Read it, keep it, and note who engaged the engineer. A report commissioned by the party it assesses answers a different question from one commissioned by you.