HAUSS MAGAZINE · 8 min read
No opportunity, however compelling it looks in the deck, should receive capital before it has passed serious scrutiny. Due diligence doesn't slow down a good investment — it stops a bad one from looking good.
This checklist is no substitute for legal and tax advice tailored to each specific deal, but it does cover the blocks no serious investor should skip.
Legal documentation and title
- An up-to-date title search and verification of the full chain of ownership.
- Any outstanding liens, mortgages or encumbrances on the asset.
- Easements or use restrictions.
- Existing lease agreements, if any, and their exit terms.
Planning status and permits
- Current zoning classification and permitted uses.
- Permits required for the planned project — obtained, in process, or still pending.
- Heritage, environmental or conservation restrictions that could limit the project.
Financial analysis
- Accounts or operating statements from recent years, if the asset already generates income.
- Income and cost projections, with assumptions clearly stated and verifiable.
- Deal structure — equity, debt, or a combination — and where exactly your capital sits within it.
- Return sensitivity under less favorable cost or timeline scenarios.
Technical due diligence on the asset
- Structural condition — an independent technical survey if the asset isn't new-build.
- Construction or renovation budget, benchmarked against at least one external reference.
- Building systems, energy efficiency, and any known structural issues.
The neighborhood and the market
- Genuine demand for that segment in that specific location — not just the market at large.
- Competing supply, both current and planned.
- How the neighborhood or area has evolved in recent years.
Who's behind it: the developer or seller
The asset is only half the equation. The other half is the ability of the people running it to actually deliver.
- The developer's track record and previous projects.
- Verifiable references from other investors or partners.
- The financial standing and reputation of the seller or developer.
A missing document is rarely proof of a problem. But it is always a question left unanswered.
No checklist replaces the judgment of the person applying it — but it does ensure the important questions get asked rather than assumed.
At HAUSS MARKET, every opportunity arrives with a data room structured around exactly these blocks, so this checklist isn't an extra exercise — it's the starting point.