Support purchase and sale with clear responsibilities and understandable investigations
A property transaction involves more than agreeing a price. Condition, use, contracts, financing and the planned handover can affect your decision. Transaction advice organises these questions and coordinates the agreed process. Define the work actually undertaken in a clear commission from the start.
Define the goal and represented interests first
When buying, you need information to assess the property, conditions and outstanding risks. When selling, preparation, documents and a suitable process may matter. An exchange or another transfer may also need advice. State your role and the decision to be supported.
Clarify whose interests the adviser represents and which existing relationships should be disclosed. Brokerage, independent valuation and transaction coordination are not automatically the same commission. Specialist work and authority to act must be expressly agreed; a job title alone does not qualify someone for every legal or technical task.
| Situation | Define the commission |
|---|---|
| Purchase | Decision information, outstanding issues and negotiation preparation. |
| Sale | Preparation, documentation and agreed process support. |
| Negotiations underway | Review conditions, questions and next steps systematically. |
| Portfolio or company | Define assets, transfer structure and additional disciplines. |
| Initial orientation | Clarify the goal and appropriate scope before detailed investigations. |
Distinguish targeted review from detailed investigation
A short document review can answer particular questions without examining every technical, tax and legal aspect. Detailed due diligence addresses agreed fields with appropriate specialists. Ask for the areas examined, methods and limitations to be listed.
Leases and current income matter for rented property; development land raises different questions. Buying a company concerns further rights and obligations, beyond the land itself. A standard scope therefore cannot be applied without review to every property transaction.
Organise documents by relevance and what they establish
Sales particulars, land-register information, drawings, contracts and condition reports provide different information. The adviser should distinguish confirmed facts, representations and outstanding questions. A register extract does not automatically explain the full building condition, every permitted use or lease terms.
Prepare available records without having to commission new surveys before your first enquiry. A structured data room can help with a substantial process. Access rights, confidential information and updates to documents need separate agreement.
- Property. State the type, actual number and location.
- Stage. Mention known negotiations and important decision dates.
- Information. Compile existing property documents, contracts and reports.
- Questions. Briefly state outstanding issues and required help without confidential counterparty details in the initial enquiry.
Separate price considerations from investment and financing assumptions
An asking price, an indicative assessment and a detailed market valuation use different information. Ask about the valuation date, data and assumptions. Known renewal needs, current use and anticipated development can affect the economic assessment.
A financing calculation or expected return is not a lender’s commitment. An assumed development opportunity is not already approved. Have existing facts, model assumptions and outstanding conditions shown separately. Advice can support a decision without guaranteeing profit or a particular selling price.
Make responsibilities and decision points visible
Agree who handles questions, commissions specialist work and coordinates deadlines. Technical investigation, tax assessment and contract review each need the appropriate commission. Support should bring together outstanding issues that matter to your decision, rather than simply collect records.
New information can emerge between initial orientation, detailed review and completion. Record which questions should be clarified before a further commitment and when extra investigation would help. Requesting quotes does not require you to diagnose causes or certify that every permit and risk has already been checked.
Distinguish advice from formal transfer of ownership
In Switzerland a land purchase contract requires public authentication, and acquiring ownership also requires registration in the land register. Clarify the responsible offices and local procedures. A private advisory agreement or quotation does not replace these steps.
Contract review, financing, payment and actual handover need to fit the agreed process. Other transaction structures may require different steps. Have specific contract and tax questions assessed by appropriate specialists. An advisory result is neither blanket legal clearance nor a guarantee of completion.
Compare advisory fees separately from other transaction costs
The fee and payment model depend on scope. A limited advisory commission differs from lengthy coordination or brokerage. For success-related payment, check the exact trigger and calculation basis. A percentage alone describes neither the total service nor all costs.
Clarify work charged if the deal stops, specialists, expenses and later commissions. Notarial, land-register, tax and financing costs differ from advisory fees and may depend on the particular deal and location. Ask for included services and VAT to be stated clearly.
| Cost item | Clarify before commissioning |
|---|---|
| Advice | Tasks, review depth, meetings and deliverables. |
| Payment | Fixed fee, time spent or agreed success conditions. |
| Specialists | Which technical, legal or tax work is separate? |
| Extra work | Further negotiations, data room, travel and third-party expenses. |
| Aborted deal | Which completed work or expenses will be charged? |
| Other costs | Keep formal fees, taxes and financing distinct from advice. |
Turn a simple request into a clear commission
Start with purchase, sale or another goal, property type and current stage. Select the help needed. One short common description covers particular questions. You need not set a purchase price, advisory budget or exhaustive document list in advance.
After the initial discussion, agree services, responsibilities and fees. The commissioned investigations follow with an understandable account of options and outstanding issues. You decide on negotiations and next steps. Commissioning advice does not automatically commit you to the property transaction.
- Goal. State your role, property and required support.
- Commission. Define interests, services, boundaries and payment.
- Investigation. Have documents and suitable specialist assessments explained.
- Decision. Discuss outstanding issues and choose the next step separately.
Frequently asked questions
Is transaction advice the same as brokerage?
Not automatically. Advice can support purchase or sale without introducing a buyer or seller. Brokerage, marketing, valuation and coordination are explicitly defined and may use different payment models.
Can I have just one question reviewed?
Yes. State the question and available information. A limited commission can be useful but has limited scope and does not replace a full investigation of every risk.
Can I request quotes without complete documents?
Yes. State what is available and the project stage. The adviser clarifies the additions needed for your intended decision.
Is a technical building survey automatic?
No. Document review, a visit and specialist technical investigation are different services. Agree the actual scope and specialists needed.
Are notarial and land-register costs included?
Only if expressly stated; the tasks remain distinct. Clarify offices, fees and other costs of the deal. Advice itself does not transfer land ownership.
Can several properties be advised on together?
Yes. State the actual number and transaction goal. A portfolio or company deal may require further investigation; an assessment of one property cannot be applied to others without review.
