Free Guide · Before You Buy
10 Mistakes Buyers Make in Bali
Every one of these mistakes is avoidable. Most buyers only learn that after the money is gone.
We build villas on Bali — we don't broker them. That means we see what happens after the keys change hands: the lease that can't be extended, the pool that cracks, the villa that won't rent. This guide is the briefing we give our own clients before they sign anything.
Inside the guide
Where Bali Buyers Lose Money
A preview of the ten mistakes. The full guide explains how to catch each one before you commit.
Trusting a verbal lease term
A 25-year lease with no written extension clause can quietly become a 5-year lease. The contract — not the conversation — is what you own.
Buying land you can't legally build on
Zoning decides everything. A plot in a green or agricultural zone may never get a building permit, however perfect the view.
Skipping the permit check (IMB/PBG)
A villa built without a valid PBG permit is a liability, not an asset. Buyers inherit the demolition risk along with the keys.
Paying a deposit before due diligence
Once money moves, your leverage is gone. Title, zoning and permit checks belong before the deposit, not after.
Believing 'up to 20%' ROI claims
Honest, verified yield on a well-run Bali villa is 7–9%. Numbers above that are a marketing hook, not a forecast.
Choosing a broker instead of a builder
A broker forwards a listing and disappears. A builder is still accountable when a wall cracks two years later.
Underestimating the off-plan timeline
Wet-season delays, permit queues and material lead times are real. A build plan with no buffer is a plan that slips.
Ignoring the management and rental setup
A villa with no management plan sits empty. Yield is operations, not architecture.
No exit plan before the build
The buyers' top fear is 'I'll build it and can't sell it.' Decide who you sell to, and when, before the first slab is poured.
Wiring money without an escrow structure
Staged payments tied to verified construction milestones protect you. A single up-front transfer protects no one but the seller.
We Build. They Broker.
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