Apartments in completed buildings in Batumi: commissioning, first winters and a quick deal

An apartment in a completed building in Batumi is something you can see, touch and check before you pay. The building is standing, the lifts work, the neighbours live there or are renovating, and the apartment is recorded in the Public Registry. You pay more for this than off-plan, but the time until you move in or welcome the first guest is counted in months of renovation, not years of waiting.

Apartments in completed buildings in Batumi: what “completed” means

“Completed” in a listing sometimes only means that construction has finished. What matters to us is something else: the building has been commissioned and the apartments are registered as separate properties. Without commissioning, registration of the title can drag on, and the apartment then cannot be mortgaged or used for a residence permit. How commissioning works is described on our page about commissioning a building.

We check this with a registry extract for the specific apartment: the owner, the area, the cadastral code, encumbrances. If the developer is the seller, we check that the apartment is registered to them and that the bank that financed the construction holds no mortgage on it.

From the developer or from an owner

In a completed building apartments are sold both by the developer, who still has unsold units, and by the first buyers. The developer sometimes drops the price to close the project and may offer a short payment plan. An owner usually expects the full amount at the deal, but their apartment often already has a renovation and furniture.

The developer is left with the last apartments, and not always the best ones: lower floors, windows onto the courtyard, awkward layouts. That is no reason to walk away, but the price should reflect it. A finished new apartment and one in an older building are compared on our page new build vs resale.

Shell, renovated or furnished

Apartments in completed buildings are sold in three states. In a white or black shell the apartment is bare: walls, screed, windows, sometimes wiring. Before you can live in it or let it there are three to five months of renovation ahead, but you do it your way. With a developer's renovation you can move in sooner, but the finish in such apartments is usually identical and basic, and its quality is worth checking just as carefully as a shell.

The third option is an owner's apartment with renovation and furniture that has already been let. You can let it almost straight away, and the owner may even have a booking history. But furniture wears out after a few seasons, so we reflect its condition in the price rather than treating it as a bonus. What to look at in such apartments is covered on our page about renovated apartments.

How the building came through its first winters

The main advantage of a completed building is that it has already shown its character. We look at the entrance and stairs after rain, signs of leaks on the upper floors, the condition of the façade and balconies, how the lifts cope in season. We ask the neighbours where water comes in after a downpour and how quickly the management company responds.

Inside the apartment the engineer measures the moisture in the external walls and checks the window reveals, the screed, the water inlets and the fuse box. If the apartment is a shell, he compares it with the shell specification in the developer's contract. A report with photos helps you both decide and negotiate the price. If something needs fixing, the report gives a rough estimate straight away.

The management company and running costs

After completion the building is run by a company chosen by the developer or the owners. We find out who it is, what the service charge is and what it covers: security, cleaning, lifts, the pool, lighting of common areas. You will pay this amount every month, even when the apartment stands empty.

We also look at the building rules: hours for renovation work, rules for short-term guests, removal of construction waste. In new buildings neighbours renovate for years, and that too is part of life in a completed building.

Utility accounts in a completed building are already open: electricity with Energo-Pro Georgia, water with Batumis Tskali, gas with SOCAR Georgia Gas. After the deal the accounts are transferred to the new owner, and the meter readings are written into the handover act so that someone else's debts do not pass to you.

A quick deal and a mortgage

An apartment in a completed building is already in the registry, so the deal is short: registration of title at the standard rate takes up to 4 working days. Right after that the apartment is yours, and it can be used for a residence permit if it is valued above 150 000 dollars, and mortgaged with a bank.

A mortgage on a finished apartment is possible for foreigners too, though bank terms vary. Choosing a bank and mortgage support starts from 840 ₾; more on our page about mortgages in Georgia.

How much property search in a completed building costs

Property search for a fixed fee starts from 5 400 ₾. A technical inspection of the apartment before purchase starts from 480 ₾, a legal due diligence check from 960 ₾, a valuation by an accredited valuer from 330 ₾.

The final price is set after we review your brief and agree the scope of work. The registry fee and the notary's charges are paid at their own rates.