To say that the real estate market with its terminology has been studied along and across is by no means impossible: any area of ​​human life can surprise us with some pitfalls and subtleties that we did not even suspect about. Sometimes people who want to make a deal with real estate, come across an unfamiliar concept: "Type of sale - an alternative." What is it and what to expect from such an announcement?
Definition and transaction mechanism
So what is this type of sale - the "alternative"? The definition of this concept lies in the keyword of this phrase. Such transactions are bilateral agreements when one of the participants not only sells its property, but also immediately buys someone else's. Usually, such an agreement is concluded between three owners: they can be conditionally called the top buyer, middle and lower seller.
From these items it is already clear that it is the “middle” that plays the main role, transferring the money earned from the upper buyer to the lower seller. In order to avoid unnecessary risks, a realtor is always present at such operations, which makes the procedure as simple as possible for all its participants.
Other names and forms
What the “alternative” type of sale means, people have known before. The most primitive form of such a transaction is exchange: the buyer acquires the seller’s apartment, and the seller, for the money earned, moves into the buyer’s housing. Most often, exchanges occur with a surcharge, usually due to unequal terms of the transaction. As for other terminology, in St. Petersburg - a city known for its special language - the alternative sale of an apartment is called an “oncoming” or “counter transaction”, so do not be surprised if you find such a combination in a Petersburg publication.
Reasons for choosing
But why do some people choose this particular type of sale (alternative)? What it is, you will first have to find out to those who decided to sell an apartment in which representatives of socially vulnerable groups of the population are registered: people with disabilities, children and pensioners.
In addition, such transactions are resorted to if the apartment owners have no other real estate, and, selling this, they actually find themselves on the street. In order to exclude such a possibility, realtors are also involved who make sure that the transaction takes place in compliance with all formalities of the law.
Net sale
What is the type of sale "alternative", we figured out. If sold and bought with the same money - this is an alternative. But there is another annotation in the announcements regarding the status of the apartment: “net sale”. She appears as "free." In order to better understand what free sale of an apartment means, you can start with the definition of an alternative: in the latter case, people who move out of one apartment immediately move into another.
In the case of free sale, sellers already have a new place of residence, so that you will not be an enemy of the people who drove the family out of their home. That is, if you first bought, and then already sold the old housing - then this is already a net sale.
Alternative Sale Risks
Type of sale "alternative" - ​​what is it? A profitable batch in which the average one kills two birds with one stone, or torment for all parties to the transaction? Sometimes situations arise when the average person, having set a price for his home and having already received an advance, having started searching for a new apartment, realizes that he understated the price or that he still does not have enough money for his dream. Then he can easily disrupt the deal, while forcing the innocent buyer to wait.
It is also possible that the upper or lower one at some point refuse the transaction, while harming the other two parties. Of course, the presence of realtors significantly reduces the risk of such outcomes, but at the same time they do occur.
Comparison of the alternative and its lack
Choosing which is better - an alternative or a net sale, it is worth considering all the pros and cons of both options. Firstly, with a free sale, a transaction is much easier from a legal point of view: fewer parties can influence it, and fewer parties are involved. Secondly, the alternative sale is influenced by a huge number of external and internal factors, which also complicates the deal. It is obvious that a net sale is an ideal option, but at the same time, in some cases, an alternative is the only option.
And if they cheat?
Incidentally, it happens that some sellers do not want to admit to the "alternative" of the transaction, rightly believing that they may lose a prospective buyer who may refuse to participate in a rather lengthy procedure for re-registering and exchanging housing. Therefore, always, if you want to buy new housing, check the status of the apartment. Of course, it’s not a fact that the seller, if the sale is still alternative, will immediately admit it to you, but it’s worth trying.
The next intelligence step is a visit to the apartment. It is unlikely that someone will live in free housing, so this should also alert you. By the way, one of the prerequisites for a net sale is the complete release of the apartment before the signing of the contract between the parties, so check it again.
To get a list of people registered in this apartment (namely, they may claim their rights to square meters sooner or later if they make a wrong transaction), visit the seller at the Unified Information and Settlement Center, where they will give you the relevant certificate (you don’t even have to try to get there without an owner - it still won’t work).
Well, the final step is the length of time between the verbal agreement on the sale and the direct conclusion of the transaction: it may take one to two weeks to complete all the necessary documents, but no more; if the seller, for some reason, defers signing the papers, it is likely that he is busy looking for alternative housing.
Finally
So, which is preferable - a net sale or an “alternative” type of sale? What is it, we have already figured out. It remains to summarize the foregoing and choose the best. Most buyers nevertheless stop at a non-alternative transaction: it is faster in time, less complicated legally, and much less risky. In the case of an alternative sale, the chain will be intact only if all its links are interconnected. The refusal of at least one of them to take part in the operation, as well as force majeure circumstances, such as the death of one of the owners of the property being sold, can not only slow down, but completely destroy the whole deal.
However, sometimes people are forced to get involved in an alternative sale, having no other choice. In this case, you need to be more careful at times and it’s better not to save on realtors, who, even if they get a certain percentage of the transaction amount, will be able to follow all the formalities and minimize the risks of unpleasant surprises in the form of unexpectedly unaccounted for apartment residents who may qualify for sale to share in it. Regardless of which method you choose, you can still get your own corner, which may well become your fortress, and this is the most important thing.