MANZILIWhat does the asking price actually include?
If two homes both come with a garden, I want to know whether you’re buying it, sharing it or simply looking out over it. I’d settle that question before comparing prices per square metre.
Give each kind of space its own line
Here’s a made-up example, not a Damascus market quote. A seller asks US$490,000 for a home with 190 m² inside and a 300 m² garden. Divide by 490 m² and you get US$1,000/m². Divide the same price by 190 m² and it’s about US$2,579/m². The home hasn’t changed. The first calculation treats a metre of garden like a metre of living room; the second puts the whole price, garden included, against the indoor area. Neither tells you what the rooms alone are worth.
Put the two homes on the same footing
Ask what the stated area measures. Are walls, balconies or a share of the entrance included? Is the garden private, shared, or available to use under a separate arrangement? Ask the same about the parking space and store. Until the answers match, I’d keep the indoor and outdoor figures in separate columns and leave the price-per-metre comparison blank.
Get the price in a sentence, with a date
Ask the person quoting the price to write down the amount, the currency and exactly what stays. A fitted kitchen and a kitchen with the appliances included are two different answers. Then ask what would be payable on top, by whom and when: for example, any agreed intermediary fee, registration costs or outstanding building charges. Get the basis for each figure; a blank is an unanswered question, not zero.
Know which number you have
An asking price is what the seller requests. It isn’t evidence that another buyer paid it. Keep the asking price, any offer and any documented completed price on separate lines. If you’re overseas and the quote is in dollars, don’t infer the agreed settlement currency or that your bank can make the transfer. Confirm those separately before committing.
“As of __, is the asking price __ in __? Please confirm the indoor area, the garden or terrace rights, what stays, and any costs payable by the buyer on top.”