Buying Property from a Developer in Georgia: What Matters

The word "new development" can cover very different products.

It could be an ordinary residential building, an aparthotel complex, a hotel-style project, a branded residence, a resort complex with a management company, or a low-rise project of villas and townhouses.

So the first question shouldn't only be "How much does a square meter cost?" but also "What exactly am I acquiring, and how will I be able to use it once construction is finished?"

The requirements differ for living there yourself, seasonal holidays, and renting it out.

This is especially visible in Batumi: an apartment for permanent living and a studio in a large resort complex can have the same area and a similar price, but a completely different use case.

A project's brand and the legal entity named in the contract aren't necessarily the same name.

So what needs checking is the company that's actually a party to the deal.

NAPR maintains the Registry of Entrepreneurs and Non-entrepreneurial Legal Entities, and anyone can request an extract from it.

The check should establish:

The next step is understanding where the future property legally sits.

For the land plot, you can check cadastral data and Public Registry records. NAPR also provides cadastral plans and registry extracts.

For an off-plan purchase, we're interested in:

The cadastral code: lets you identify the specific land plot.

The plot's owner: you need to know who owns the land the project is being built on.

Registered rights and restrictions: whether any registered circumstances need to be factored into the deal.

How the contract ties to the project: it should be clear which unit and plot the property being bought relates to.

For a specific project, the scope of the check can be wider — especially if construction is at an early stage.

This is one of the main questions for new-development buyers.

The market can loosely be split into a few stages:

Early stage: the project is just starting construction. Buyers usually get a wider choice of units and may find a lower starting price, but more time remains until completion.

Active construction: you can already assess the actual pace of work, while some units are still on sale.

Final stage: the building is close to completion, so there's less uncertainty, but the choice of layouts and terms may already be limited.

Finished property from the developer: you can see the actual building, surroundings, views and common-area quality — though the price may differ from what was available at launch.

An earlier stage generally means a wider choice and a potentially lower price, but also more time and uncertainty before completion; a finished unit means the opposite — more certainty, less choice. We're deliberately not writing "the earlier, the better" — that's too much of a sales pitch and isn't always true.

Say two projects offer a 40 m² apartment for roughly the same amount.

In the first, the buyer gets a white frame unit, does the renovation themselves, and buys the furniture.

In the second, the apartment is handed over fully finished, but with a higher service fee afterwards.

In the third, a mandatory management program applies.

So what needs comparing is:

That's the real economics of the purchase.

For property under construction, developers can offer payment in parts over the construction period.

Terms differ from project to project. For example, a scheme might include: a down payment → regular installments → a balance due at a certain stage.

But looking only at the down payment size isn't enough. Before buying, you need to understand:

The fact that buying property in installments is itself provided for in NAPR's documents shows this: the agency publishes separate sample contracts for an installment sale-purchase and for a purchase with installments and a mortgage.

Before signing, the buyer should understand:

What they're acquiring: the unit number, block, floor, area and other characteristics.

How much they're paying: the full price, currency and payment schedule.

When the unit must be handed over: what timeline and conditions the contract sets.

What condition the property is handed over in: what the promised finish actually means.

What happens if the timeline changes: what obligations and consequences the contract sets out.

Whether they can exit the deal: what terms apply on termination and what happens to payments already made.

NAPR publishes official sample contracts for property transactions, including an ordinary sale-purchase and installment deals. That's a useful reference point, but a specific developer contract's terms still need their own review.

Black frame: generally, basic structural readiness with no proper interior finish.

White frame: a more prepared state before the final finish, though the exact scope of work should be checked with the specific developer.

Turnkey: a fully finished apartment, and in some projects, furniture and appliances too.

What "white frame" or "turnkey" actually includes can differ between two developers. So we always check the specification: walls, floors, utilities, plumbing fixtures, doors, wiring, heating and other elements.

Especially when buying property in a resort or aparthotel complex.

Before the deal, find out:

For investment property, these terms directly affect the unit's actual economics.

A nice pool, spa, reception and landscaped grounds are real advantages of a project, but running them also has a cost.

A developer may quote a rental forecast or offer a management program. Such figures are useful as one reference point, but shouldn't be treated as the sole basis for a decision.

When assessing a unit, look separately at:

A developer's sales office can explain a specific complex's advantages, available layouts and purchase terms in detail. But its job is to sell property in that one project.

Garant Group's job is different.

We work with offers from different developers and compare them by location, price, construction stage, payment terms, and the buyer's goal.

If a client comes to us with a specific complex in mind, we can start there — but we don't have to end there.

For example, say you're considering an $80,000 studio on New Boulevard. We can compare that project against another project in the same location, against finished property, against a unit at a different construction stage, and against an alternative location in the same budget — and only then make a decision.

At NAPR's current rates, registering the creation, change or termination of a property right costs:

Current fees are published by NAPR.

But for a new development, the specific registration steps depend on the unit's stage and the deal's structure, so GEL 150 is far from the whole cost of registering a new-build purchase.