The riskiest apartment in Astana
is the one that does not exist yet
Edge Realty Limited advises buyers, owners and businesses on property in Astana. Much of the market here is new construction, sold long before it is finished — which is normal, legal and, done properly, well protected.
Done improperly, it is the fastest way to lose everything you have saved. The difference is not the building, the brochure or the show apartment. It is the legal route by which your money is taken, and whether that route is one the law actually permits.
Permitted routes, and the ones outside the law
Kazakh law sets out the ways a developer may take money from buyers before a building is complete. Each permitted route requires a permit or a guarantee, and each creates protection if the project stops. Anything outside those routes gives you a contract and a hope.
Six checks before any payment
- 1Check the developer's permission for this specific projectNot the company's reputation, not another project it finished. The permit relating to the building you are buying in, verified in the official source rather than in a brochure.
- 2Check the land and the construction permitsWhat the land is allotted for, who holds it, and whether the design has been approved. Buildings do get stopped over land and permit questions.
- 3Read what you are actually signingThe name at the top matters: a shared-participation contract is a different animal from a preliminary contract or an investment agreement, whatever the salesperson calls it.
- 4Check where the money goesTo the developer's own account, under the contract, in the manner the law provides. Never to an individual, never to a third company "for convenience".
- 5Register what must be registeredRights and contracts that require state registration are not secured by a signature alone. Ask who registers what, and when, and get proof afterwards.
- 6Take your own lawyerNot the developer's, not the agent's. On a purchase of this size the cost of independent review is small, and it is the only advice in the room that is purely yours.
Four sentences that should slow you down
None of these is illegal on its own. All of them are used to stop a buyer from checking, which is why they are worth recognising in the room.
What we do
Purchase advisory
Reviewing what is being offered, which legal route it uses, and what it would take to make it safe — before any money moves.
Market and site assessment
Location, comparables, and the practical questions about a building that brochures leave out.
Commercial property
Advising businesses on office and retail space: lease terms, obligations at exit, and what the rent actually includes.
Owner advisory
Preparing a property for sale or letting, and reviewing offers received, on the owner's side of the table.
Asked regularly
i.Is buying off-plan a bad idea?
No — it is how much of this city is built, and the protected routes exist precisely so that it can be done safely. The question is never "off-plan or not", it is "by which route".
ii.The developer has finished other projects. Is that enough?
It is a good sign and not a substitute for checking this project. Permits, land and the contract are project-specific, and companies can be in a very different position from one year to the next.
iii.Can you promise how much the apartment will be worth?
No. Nobody can, and anyone offering guaranteed growth or guaranteed rental returns is selling a forecast as if it were a fact.
iv.Do you take a deposit from buyers?
No. We advise; we do not hold money for transactions. Payments belong with the seller or developer under a proper contract.
v.How do we start?
Send what you have been offered — the project, the draft contract and the price. We will tell you which route it uses and what to verify, before you commit to anything.
Send the contract, not the brochure
The draft contract tells us more in five minutes than a site visit does in an afternoon.
Astana, Kazakhstan