Sequence matters: eligibility and title DD before large deposits — registration is what makes you owner.
A typical purchase path includes confirming buyer eligibility (especially foreigners), diligence on title and project, signing a purchase contract, paying per schedule, and completing transfer registration and tax. Offline notary/housing-centre practice is local. This wiki is the buying process. Eligibility and DD are gates. Selling is the exit mirror. Do not treat developer marketing as the legal process.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Eligibility cleared?
Foreigner gate.
EligTitle/DD done?
related pages.
DDContract and payment schedule set?
Deal.
ContractTransfer registration booked?
Completion.
RegisterWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Is offline better than online listing?
Channel does not replace legal steps. DD still required.
Where is DD detail?
Open /property-due-diligence-in-china.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.