House or apartment in Otopeni? The 7 questions I ask every buyer

The most expensive mistake I see buyers make is not the price they pay. It is the right house — for somebody else. That is why, before I open any list of properties, I go through the questions below with every client. It takes twenty minutes and saves months.

1. What is the real budget, not the hoped-for one?

If a mortgage is involved, the bank gives the answer, not you. Pre-approval comes before the viewings — I discussed at length with Laurențiu Duinu of Estima Finance why, in the episode about financing. And leave a reserve: a house comes with costs after the signature.

2. A garden, or your time?

A house with 500 sqm of land also means 500 sqm to look after. Some clients discover that what they actually want is a large terrace and a park nearby. Others cannot imagine life without a garden. Neither answer is wrong — but it has to be given honestly.

3. How close to the airport is “too close”?

Otopeni has the country’s largest airport within its boundaries. In some areas you do not hear it, in others you do. My rule: we view at different times, including in the evening, and we look at the flight paths on the map together. I do not let anyone find this out after they have moved in.

4. New, renovated, or “with potential”?

“With potential” means extra money and extra time, which you need to have. A €20,000 kitchen does not automatically add €20,000 of value — the valuer George Iliescu explained why. You are buying for yourself, not for an immediate resale; but it is worth knowing the difference.

5. How do you get to work, to school, to your parents?

Not in kilometres, but in minutes, at the time you actually leave. DN1 at eight in the morning is not DN1 at eleven. I recommend you make the journey once, for real, before you make an offer.

6. What is in the paperwork, and what is on the ground?

The enclosed terrace, the garage built “along the way”, the fence moved by a metre — they all look like details until you reach the notary. Gabriela Șerbănescu (land registry) and Vlad Sicoie (notary) said the same thing in our conversations: check before the pressure of a deadline appears.

7. What is the five-year plan?

A child, parents moving in with you, working from home, a second dog — the five-year plan changes the number of rooms, the floors and the area. The right house today has to be at least acceptable in five years’ time as well.

What happens once you have answered

I only put forward properties that pass the seven questions. Usually that is three to five, not thirty. We go together, I tell you what I see — including what I do not like — and only then do we talk about price.

Would you like to go through the questions together? Tell me what you are looking for and I will call you.