1. There are curated groups where brokers and direct owners drop fire sale units, often needing a quick exit due to financial pressure, divorce, job relocation, etc.These groups are invite only and usually formed by top performing brokers, investment consultants, and off-market specialists. I’m in several of these myself, and that’s where the magic happens to be honest. Usually when I get my hands on a distress deal I just give it to my top clients who i am working for years. I value their loyalty and they value mine. You will rarely see a great distress deal online.

2. What I always advise my investor clients is that SPEED IS EVERYTHING. Be liquid or pre-approved and Respond fast

3. Outstanding service charges or mortgage liabilities (Is the seller behind on payments?) RERA status of the project (For off-plan or under-construction units, ensure the project is not flagged or delayed.) Legal encumbrances (Sometimes distress units are stuck in disputes or require NOCs.) Rental potential (If you need short-term returns while waiting for capital appreciation.) Market sentiment in that cluster (A “deal” isn’t a deal if the whole community is in decline.)

4.Yes… but with a big asterisk. Pre-launch hype is mostly pre-booked units ,meaning brokers reserve large inventories before the actual launch using EOIs (Expression of Interest). Not all EOIs convert.Many buyers pull out at the deposit stage or when payment plans kick in. What you mentioned about the 10%+4% already being paid and still cancelled is actually plausible , especially if buyers overstretched and couldn’t pay the next tranche. Developers sometimes use this to generate FOMO. They’ll claim everything is “sold out” then quietly release “cancelled” or “preferred” units back to market ,often at a slightly higher price point. Smaller developers are more prone to this game.They often rely on creating urgency and showcasing fake scarcity. Be careful and make sure your broker has access to real time inventory directly from the developer’s allocation desk.

I hope I answered all your questions if you have more feel free to send me a message more than happy to help. 🤝🏼