1. How it usually happens
Searching for a property or land often starts with an online advert: beautiful photos, glowing descriptions, words like "unmissable", "bargain", "open view", "great investment", and the inevitable "must see". Then comes the viewing: walking through rooms, courtyards, cellars, attics, gardens, fences, accesses, apparent servitudes, damp-stained walls, and windows that "close perfectly, you just have to guide them".
Many things are said during negotiation. Some are written in the advert, some in chat, others verbally during the inspection. "The roof was redone", "the land goes up to the hedge", "the damp is just condensation", "the road is private but everyone uses it", "the kitchen is included", "the neighbour always gave permission". Such phrases can weigh heavily in the purchase decision, but often evaporate like fresh coffee scent once the serious negotiation phase begins.
Buyers want to understand what they are really purchasing, in what condition, with what promised features, and what visible defects. Sellers, meanwhile, may have an interest in documenting the state shown during viewing, especially if they openly declared cracks, leaks, needed works, or property limits. Intermediaries too may want to avoid misunderstandings between what was in the advert, what was said, and what was visible.
The unusual point is that property is not just an asset: it is a place. It has smells, noises, exposure, accesses, slopes, neighbours, common areas, perceived boundaries, pipes, gates, ceiling stains, electrical sockets placed where no human would ever dare place them. Land, moreover, can look like a quiet meadow and turn out to be a small novel: ditches, passages, moved fences, trees to manage, rusty gates, dirt accesses, and mysterious piles of material that "have been there a short while" since 1994.
That is why securing the situation before purchase helps maintain order. It serves to fix which advert you saw, what features were promised, what defects were already recognisable, and what location state you were able to observe.
2. What you need to prove
In this case, the point to prove is the informational and material situation existing before purchase or before a major financial commitment. You must be able to reconstruct what was advertised, communicated, shown, and visible at a certain time.
It is not just about photographing a house or land. You need to link images to communications, advert, viewing, and any received promises. A crack on the wall alone says little; a crack photographed during viewing, alongside a message describing it as "superficial", tells much more.
It can be useful to prove:
- existence of the advert in a certain version;
- indicated price and advertised features;
- photos featured in the advert;
- promises received via chat, email, or document;
- visible state of premises, land, accesses, and appurtenances;
- presence of visible defects, like cracks, leaks, mould, detachments, damage, or abandoned materials;
- state of systems, fixtures, floors, walls, roof, cellars, garages, garden, or fences, within observable limits;
- list of furnishings, accessories, appurtenances, or elements promised as included;
- condition of common areas or shared accesses;
- version of floor plans, descriptive sheets, brochures, or received documents;
- content of communications prior to offer or signature;
- any differences between advert, viewing, and subsequent documents.
The practical question is: "What information led me to be interested in this property or land, and what did I really see before proceeding?" If you can answer with organised files, negotiation moves on less slippery ground.
3. What to collect
Gather material showing both promises and observable reality. Ideally, create a folder for each visited property or land, so you avoid confusing "the house with the big garden" with "the one with the cellar looking like a pirate movie set".
You can collect:
- full screenshots of online advert;
- PDF of advert page, if you can save it;
- photos published in the advert;
- description, price, square footage, features, and indicated conditions;
- chat screenshots with seller, intermediary, or other involved party;
- emails received with info, attachments, or confirmations;
- brochures, technical sheets, floor plans, maps, title searches, extracts, reports, or received documents;
- photos taken during viewing, if permitted;
- panoramic videos of premises, exteriors, accesses, and land;
- photographic details of visible defects, cracks, damp, leaks, mould, damage, missing parts, or incomplete works;
- photos of meters, systems, boilers, electrical panels, fixtures, locks, gates, fences, and accesses;
- photos of furnishings, appliances, appurtenances, or accessories promised as included;
- written notes right after viewing;
- quotes, appraisals, or technical opinions received;
- recordings or voice notes only if handled prudently and respecting applicable rules;
- original files of photos, videos, and documents.
For land, add photos of perceived boundaries, accesses, fences, slopes, trees, ditches, gates, roads, passages used by third parties, present materials, and soil conditions. For a property, focus on rooms, critical points, ceilings, corners, balconies, cellars, garages, attics, technical rooms, facades, and areas where water seems to have a very active social life.
4. How to proceed
Before visiting the property or land, save the advert. Take full screenshots and, if possible, save the page as PDF. Include price, description, photos, visible date, advert name/reference, and any detail that caught your interest. Online adverts change, disappear, are modified, or reappear with more cautious descriptions, like certain characters in building management groups.
During viewing, ask permission before taking photos or videos. Explain you need them to better remember the property's state and evaluate calmly. Take general and detailed images. Start outside, then document accesses, rooms, appurtenances, and critical points. If you spot a defect, photograph it closely and from afar, so both the detail and its location are clear.
After viewing, write a summary immediately. Waiting three days can turn "stain above the bedroom window" into "maybe it was in the bathroom, or an overlay shadow, or maybe the other advert's house". In the summary, note viewing date, people present, info received, promised features, seen defects, documents handed over, and remaining open questions.
If a feature is crucial to your decision, ask for written confirmation. For example: surface area, garage/cellar inclusion, presence of furnishings, system state, declared works, land access, boundaries, document availability, delivery conditions. An email or message confirmation is far more useful than a sentence remembered during a viewing with three people talking simultaneously in front of a boiler.
Practical procedure:
- save advert before viewing;
- keep screenshots, PDF, and published photos;
- gather chats, emails, and received documents;
- during inspection photograph exteriors, interiors, accesses, and appurtenances;
- shoot short panoramic videos, if permitted;
- document visible defects and critical points;
- note promises, answers, and doubts raised immediately;
- ask for written confirmations on important features;
- create a summary PDF with date, place, people present, and file list;
- timestamp main files before proceeding with offers, deposits, or signatures;
- keep originals in an orderly folder, separating advert, viewing, communications, and documents.
A good method is creating four folders: "Advert", "Viewing", "Communications", "Received Documents". It seems an archivist's obsession, but the day you need to find the photo of the stain near the radiator, you'll thank your past self as you would someone who left a working torch in the cellar.
5. Mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is trusting only the online advert. Adverts can be modified or removed, so better save them immediately. Another frequent error is photographing only the nice parts: bright living room, view, facade, garden. Problematic details matter most in a dispute: damp, cracks, lifted floors, ruined fixtures, unfinished parts, difficult accesses, unclear boundaries.
Beware of spoken phrases. If a promise is important, ask for written confirmation with a simple tone: "For correctness, can you confirm the garage is included?" or "Can you confirm the appliances shown remain included in the sale?" It is a practical gesture, not an interrogation.
Also avoid confusing personal observations with confirmed information. Writing "everything seems fine" is less useful than "I was told that..." or "I received the document..." or "I photographed this point during viewing". Words must distinguish what you saw, what was communicated, and what remains to verify.
Another mistake is neglecting original files. Cropped photos, compressed videos, forwarded screenshots, and documents renamed a hundred times can create confusion. Keep an orderly copy of files as collected. To share with others, create separate copies.
Besides cryptographic attestation, consider technical inspections, document checks, quotes, boundary and access checks, written clarifications before signing, and consulting qualified professionals when amount or risk justifies it. A viewing done with expert eyes can spot things that "I'll put the sofa here" enthusiasm tends to ignore.
Free timestamping lets you secure files collected pre-purchase in time, without adding costs to the phase where you are still evaluating whether to proceed.
6. After documenting
After collecting and timestamping material, use it to make better decisions. Reread advert, promises, visible defects, and received documents before making an offer or paying sums. Prepare a list of open questions and ask for written answers on truly important points: systems state, inclusions, declared works, accesses, appurtenances, boundaries, document availability, delivery times.
If defects or doubts emerge, you can ask for clarifications, a new viewing, a technician's intervention, a quote, or a revision of economic conditions. Keep communications orderly and concrete. A phrase like "before proceeding I would like to clarify these three points" works better than a message full of suspicions, especially when negotiation is still open.
If you are already conversing with a seller, intermediary, or consultant, share only what is needed and keep originals. For technical issues, contact real estate, construction, cadastral, energy, or environmental professionals, based on property type. For contractual doubts or disputes, you can consult a legal advisor, mediation service, or consumer protection association. For land, accesses, boundaries, or restrictions, involving competent technical figures before making commitments is often useful.
If you decide to proceed, bring documented points into the purchase process: promised features, known defects, included accessories, delivery conditions, and received documents. If you decide to stop, you'll still have an orderly basis to explain why.
Buying a property or land is demanding enough without chasing vanished adverts, vaporous promises, and photos lost in camera rolls between cats, receipts, and recipe screenshots. Clean documentation helps you keep feet on the ground, precisely while everyone around talks of "great potential".