Journal

Notes on buying a house in East Jakarta

Certificates, mortgages, floor plans and build quality, set out before you sign anything.

Finance23 August 2026

The costs that arrive after the down payment

Transfer duty, the deed, the notary and the bank each charge on their own basis. Here is what every item is, and who sets the figure.

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Design19 August 2026

Reading a floor plan before the house exists

A plan is a contract about space. Five things on the drawing tell you how the finished house will feel to live in.

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Mortgage13 August 2026

How banks actually decide your mortgage ceiling

The instalment you can afford and the instalment a bank will approve are two different numbers. The gap is usually a debt ratio you have not calculated.

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Legal5 August 2026

What SHM actually means when you buy a new house

Developers advertise SHM on every banner. The certificate matters less than when it gets split and whose name it carries at handover.

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