Moroccans abroad: buying off-plan in Marrakech remotely, from the first video call to handover

Step 1: the video call that frames your project

Everything starts with a video call in which we clarify your project before showing you a single development.

We first ask what this property should be for you: a home for family stays, a rental investment, or both. The answer steers the type of home, the neighbourhood and the timeline. We also ask how you plan to fund the purchase, because savings and a loan do not call for the same steps.

To prepare for the call

• Your goal: family use, renting out, or both
• Your overall budget, costs included, and the share you might borrow
• The neighbourhood or type of home that appeals to you, even roughly
• Who will sign: you alone, you and your partner, or a relative on site
• Your availability: preferred handover dates, and when you will be in Marrakech

Step 2: a short selection rather than a catalogue

We show you a short selection of developments, each with the key documents of its file, rather than a catalogue to work through alone.

When you buy from a distance, you cannot drop by the building site on a Saturday morning. Selection therefore matters more: we keep a small number of developments that fit your call, so that you have few files to review from afar and each one gets read in full.

Step 3: the documents to see before you reserve

Before any reservation you should have read the land title, the building permit, the draft preliminary contract and the document describing the guarantee that protects your payments; off-plan sales (VEFA) are governed in Morocco by law 107-12.

From abroad, documents reach you as copies. We collect them from the developer, check that they are complete and legible, then go through them with you on a video call. Legal advice comes from the notary or your own lawyer: we do not replace it.

Documents to ask for on every development

• The land title, and anything it mentions in the way of charges or registrations
• The building permit that matches the development being presented
• The draft preliminary contract, to be read before you pay anything
• The document describing the guarantee on your payments, and the institution that issues it
• The plans of your unit, the specification of finishes and the payment schedule

Step 4: reserving and signing without being on site

Reservation and signing follow the arrangements set with the notary; we coordinate the exchanges so that you receive the documents in good time and can ask your questions before you sign.

Ask the notary at the outset how signing can be arranged if you are abroad: in person during a trip to Morocco, through an authorised representative, or otherwise. The arrangements depend on your situation and on the deed; we do not assume them.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Does the preliminary contract match the plans, the specification and the price I was quoted?
• What amounts do I pay, on what dates, and into which account?
• What happens if delivery is late, or if I withdraw from the purchase?
• Who keeps the originals, and how does a copy reach me?

Step 5: paying in stages and following the works from afar

An off-plan purchase is paid in successive instalments: we follow the schedule with you and regularly ask the developer how the works are progressing, so that we can pass the information on.

Each payment must match a stage set out in the contract's schedule. Before you transfer money, check with us that the stage has been reached and that the request really comes from the developer or the notary, using the bank details written in the contract. Any change of bank details announced by message must be confirmed by phone before you pay.

To keep track, ask the developer for a progress report at each key stage and send it to us: we compare it with the original schedule. If a gap appears, we point it out with you and report it to the developer in writing.

Step 6: handover

At handover, the aim is to check that the property matches what was sold and to put in writing what still has to be put right before you take the keys.

• Compare the property with the plans and specification attached to the contract
• List the snags in writing (defects, missing finishes) and ask for them to be fixed by a set date
• Check the connections, keys, access and equipment handed over
• Ask for the handover documents: signed report, manuals and equipment warranties

If you cannot be there, decide in advance who will represent you: a relative, an authorised representative, or a visit followed on a video call. We talk this through before delivery, not on the day.