A Guide to Buying an Apartment in Shamal El Rehab: 12 Questions Before You Sign

In a market like Shamal El Rehab, an area still being built, with many sellers and wide price gaps, the difference between an excellent deal and one you'll regret isn't luck. It's twelve questions you ask before signing. This guide is the checklist we wish someone had handed us before our first deal. Print it and take it with you, literally.

Part one: the paperwork (questions 1 to 4)

1. Who owns the land, and whose name is on the building permit?

Ask for a copy of the land allocation from the New Urban Communities Authority and the building permit. A seller who stalls on these two documents has something to hide, and the rule here has zero exceptions.

2. Are the land's instalments paid up to the Authority?

Shamal El Rehab's land was released on payment plans to the Authority, and land carrying arrears becomes your problem at registration. Ask, and ask for proof that payments are current.

3. What exactly is your contract: preliminary or registered? And what's the route to registration?

Preliminary contracts dominate the market, which is normal, but ask about the plan for reaching final registration, what it costs and who bears it. And have a property lawyer review the contract wording before you sign. The fee is marginal next to what it protects.

4. Delay clauses: is there a penalty on the seller for late handover?

A contract with mutual late penalties (on you for late payment, on them for late handover) is a balanced contract. A contract where penalties run one way tells you exactly where the power sits.

Part two: the unit itself (questions 5 to 8)

5. Is that area net, or does it include common parts?

A 10 to 15 sqm gap between the stated and the net area changes the real price per sqm you're paying. Ask for the unit drawing with dimensions and work it out yourself.

6. Does the price include parking and storage?

The classic line item. They're usually priced separately, at around EGP 180,000. We break it down in the real cost calculation.

7. What exactly does the semi-finished specification cover?

"Semi-finished" is not a standard specification: there's a real difference between plastering, door frames and complete first-fix plumbing, and anything less. Ask for the specification written into the contract, line by line.

8. Floor and orientation: view it at the same time of day you'll live in it

A north-facing apartment is not a south-facing one, and a ground floor with garden is a different product from a typical floor. The price difference between them should make sense against the market price table, not against the seller's account of it.

Part three: surroundings and timing (questions 9 to 12)

9. What are the plot's neighbors doing?

Your plot can be a gem while the one next door is still being excavated, which means two years of cement mixers beside you. Walk around the plot and see for yourself, and go back to the neighborhoods guide to understand how ready your area is relative to the rest.

10. Are the utilities actually connected, or "about to be"?

Electricity, water and drainage connected to the plot is one thing. "The network is in the next street" is something else entirely. Ask specifically, and look at the meters.

11. Does the payment plan match your cash flow, or does it just look good?

The usual structure is 30% down with instalments over four years, but count those instalments alongside the finishing instalments coming at you in the same period. A payment plan that looks excellent on paper can choke once you add the rest of your commitments.

12. Is your price fair against the documented market?

The last question and the most important: compare the price per sqm you've been offered against the actual figures for that same neighborhood. Any difference not explained by floor, orientation or finishing is your negotiating margin. Our updated prices page is your reference, and with it you negotiate from a document rather than a feeling.

What to take away

A good deal in Shamal El Rehab rests on three pillars: clean paperwork (questions 1 to 4), a unit you understand down to the last metre (5 to 8), and surroundings and timing you've actually costed (9 to 12). A reputable seller won't mind these questions. The one who does mind is precisely the reason they exist. And if you're still at the "should I buy at all?" stage, step back to our honest assessment of the area, or work through the investment case in numbers.