ELRE
Preliminary reading: understand a villa before you buy it
Send us the listing or the dossier: we tell you in writing what the project shows, what is missing and what to check before you sign.
Buying a luxury villa: read first, sign later
Anyone buying a luxury villa usually has a listing, a few photographs and a price in front of them. Photographs show an atmosphere; they do not tell you how the house is built, what is missing in the documents or how much it will cost to maintain in its climate.
The preliminary reading is the first step we propose: you send us the link to the listing or the dossier of the villa you are considering, even if it is not presented on our site, and you receive in writing what the project shows, what the documents say, what is missing and what must be checked before signing.
Preliminary reading
Understand a villa before you buy
Properties
In Italy and abroad
New developments
Buying off-plan
Dominican Republic
Areas, data and sources
About us
Founder and Real Estate team
Contact
Write to us
Who it is for
- For anyone buying a luxury villa or residence in Italy or in the destinations we follow worldwide: today the Dominican Republic, Zanzibar and Dubai, and others on request.
- For those buying off-plan, who must judge drawings, renderings and specifications before the house exists.
- For those living far from the place who want to know which checks to request, and from whom, before travelling.
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What you receive: the document template
Everyone buying a luxury villa with us receives the same structure, so it is clear what is an observation, what is a document and what remains to be checked. This is the template we use (it does not refer to a real property):
| Item | What we write |
|---|---|
| Observed | What the project shows: layout, orientation and light, relationship between inside and outside, declared materials. |
| Documented | What the documents received show: plans, specification, title, permits, payment plan. |
| Missing | The documents and data that are needed and missing, and who should provide them. |
| To check | The points to be checked on site or by a local professional (lawyer, surveyor, tax adviser), with the questions to ask. |
| Next step | What to do before signing or paying a deposit. |
An example: Aquamarine, Juan Dolio
To show what the document looks like, we applied the template to a property in our catalogue, Aquamarine in Juan Dolio, using only the information published on its listing. Our Real Estate team handles its sale, so this is an example of the format, not an independent reading.
| Observed | Pre-launch project: renders and a description are available, not technical floor plans or a site to visit. One 21-storey tower with 163 residences across more than 32,000 sq m, units from 70 to 620 sq m, beachfront with direct beach access. Materials and finishes are described only in general terms. |
| Documented | From the developer’s dossier: pre-launch prices from $299,000 for one bedroom; two payment plans (20% · 40% during construction · 40% on delivery, or 20% · 60% · 20%); CONFOTUR status declared, with exemption from transfer tax and IPI for up to 15 years; hotel management named in the fact sheet; about 20 minutes from Las Américas airport. |
| Missing | Delivery date; building permits (CONFOTUR is a tax regime, not a permit); technical specification of structure and systems; annual condominium and management costs; guarantees on deposits paid during construction. |
| To be checked | With a Dominican lawyer: land title at the Registro de Títulos, permits, the CONFOTUR approval document and what it covers. With an engineer: structure and windows against wind and salt air, as the hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November (NOAA). In the contract: where deposits go and what happens if delivery is late. |
| Next step | Before any deposit, ask in writing for the delivery date, permits, specification and deposit guarantees; only then choose the unit and the payment plan. |
What we read before buying a luxury villa
- The project: layout, orientation and light, relationship with the garden, the pool, the view.
- The construction: structure, windows, systems and finishes as described in the specification; what a photograph cannot show.
- Climate and maintenance: sun, humidity, salt air, wind; how much work the house will require over the years.
- The documents: title, permits, payment plan, guarantees on deposits for off-plan purchases.
- The place: access, services, local rules affecting the use of the house and renting it out.
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What it is not
The preliminary reading does not replace the legal, planning, technical or tax due diligence that belongs to licensed professionals in the property’s country, nor a formal valuation. It shows where to look and which questions to ask before buying a luxury villa, before you spend time and money.
If our Real Estate team has a mandate or a commercial agreement on the property you show us, we declare it before starting: in that case the reading is not presented as independent. An independent opinion can be requested as a separate engagement.
How it works, step by step
- Send us the property with the form on this page: link to the listing or a description, and the market.
- First conversation: exploratory and non-binding. We clarify what you need and which documents exist.
- The written reading: with the template above, within the timing agreed at the start.
- On-site checks: if needed, we tell you which ones and which local professional to ask.
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After the reading: architectural due diligence, on engagement
If the preliminary reading shows points that deserve a closer look, the next step is architectural due diligence: a professional engagement of the founder’s architecture studio, separate from the real estate activity, governed by a written letter of engagement with scope, timing and fee agreed before starting.
| Preliminary reading | Architectural due diligence | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | On quotation, with a letter of engagement |
| Based on | Listing and documents sent | Site visit, full documents, survey if needed |
| Content | What is seen, documented, missing, to check | Construction, services, maintenance, cost of works; in Italy also building and cadastral compliance |
| Who | The team, with the founder’s method | Federico Cappellina’s studio; abroad with local professionals |
| Independence | Team engagements declared first | Only if neither studio nor agency is paid by the seller |
Legal verification of title, taxation and a valuation of market value remain outside architectural due diligence too: they are the task of notaries, lawyers and advisers qualified in the property’s country, to whom we refer you with the questions to ask.
Who does it
The reading method is that of the studio of Federico Cappellina, architect and founder of Elite Luxury Real Estate, who guarantees its criteria. In foreign markets he works with the Real Estate team: Luca Lodi for the Dominican Republic and Tatiana Juma for Dubai.
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Frequently asked questions: buying a luxury villa with a preliminary reading
Do you read villas that are not on your site?
Yes. The preliminary reading exists precisely for those considering a property found elsewhere.
How much does it cost?
The preliminary reading is free and non-binding. Architectural due diligence is an engagement of the studio, on quotation, with scope and terms agreed in writing before starting.
What do you need to start?
The link to the listing or a description of the villa and the country it is in; plans, specification and documents, if you have them, make the reading more precise.
Do the documents I send stay confidential?
Yes: we use them only for the reading you asked for and do not share them with third parties without your consent.
Does it replace a local surveyor or lawyer?
No. It tells you which checks to request and from whom; the checks remain with licensed professionals in the property’s country.
Would you rather build than buy?
The founder’s studio designs bespoke villas: Signature Architecture.
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The first step before buying a luxury villa: the preliminary reading.