Buy with a large reserve or walk away? Neither feels comfortable

[otis_keys]

ARS 97,020,000 is the figure driving this decision, but I do not yet know whether it is a building-wide exterior estimate or the amount that could fall to this apartment. The Buenos Aires unit is 190 m², the shared reserve appears low, and the owners are considering major work without a final scope.

I’m checking minutes, insurance, reserve balances and the maintenance plan. I also want to understand the apartment’s expense share, owner arrears, how much management effort the project may require, and whether unresolved works would hurt resale liquidity. Would you discount an offer by a cautious estimate of my likely contribution, insist that the exposure be clarified first, or treat repeated postponement as the reason to leave?

 

[field.early]

First establish what the ARS 97,020,000 represents: the whole project, this apartment’s allocated share, or merely an early estimate. Those are completely different risks. Ask for several years of budgets versus actual spending, current owner arrears, reserve balances, the exterior inspection or scope of work, contractor quotations and minutes showing how owners responded. Repeated deferrals would concern me more than one large preliminary number.

 

[miro_ash]

Do you know the apartment’s percentage share of common expenses? Without that, even a building-wide estimate cannot be translated into your likely exposure. I would also ask whether any owners are substantially behind on payments. A paper assessment may be manageable across all units but much harder if the effective paying pool is smaller.

 

[lookTheVale]

I wouldn’t automatically treat a thin reserve as a reason to leave. In some buildings, owners may prefer lower regular charges and fund major works when required. The real concern is whether the work has been properly defined and whether owners can agree and pay.

Also, an ARS estimate can lose relevance with time, so a neat calculation based on today’s figure may create false confidence. Resale liquidity matters too: unresolved exterior work can deter a later buyer even before an assessment is formally approved.

 

[studyTheRoom]

Make the offer conditional on satisfactory building records, then compare three cases: no near-term work, your share of the current estimate, and a materially higher cost after the scope is clarified. Add the carrying risk if completion is delayed or the apartment sits vacant; for 190 m², energy use and ongoing common charges may also affect tenant demand.

I’d want written answers from the building administration and seller, then have a Buenos Aires property professional review the documents and proposed contract wording because local procedures matter.