Buying a Resale Apartment: 6 Steps from Viewing to Title Transfer

Legal basis: Housing Law 2023, Article 164 · Land Law 2024, Article 133 · Real Estate Business Law 2023, Articles 50, 51 · Civil Code 2015, Articles 321, 328 · Personal Income Tax Law 2025, Article 14; Decree 253/2026/NĐ-CP · Decree 10/2022/NĐ-CP, amended by Decree 175/2025/NĐ-CP · Decree 99/2022/NĐ-CP · Circular 21/2017/TT-NHNN · Decision 86/2024/QĐ-UBND of Ho Chi Minh City · Market data: CBRE Q2/2026 · Updated 25/10/2026.

A resale apartment is one that is already built and bought from its current owner — you can see the real home, and move in or rent it out right after handover. In return, you handle the jobs that someone else covers when you buy from a developer: checking documents, keeping the deposit safe, and matching the loan schedule to the payment schedule for the seller. This article links the 6 steps in order, each with its costs and time frames that have a legal basis; the detail of each step is in its own article.

Running example (assumed): an apartment in Ho Chi Minh City, agreed price VND 3 billion, with a pink book, an individual buying from an individual, the buyer taking a partial bank loan.

Step 1. Set your budget and borrowing capacity

Before viewing homes, know how much home you can afford.

• Banks lend against their own valuation, not the price you agreed. The mortgage limit is usually about 70–80% of the collateral value; in early 2026, the press reported banks tending to value 10–20% below the actual price. You cover the gap with your own capital.
• Price levels: resale apartment prices in Ho Chi Minh City average about VND 62 million/m², primary about VND 76 million/m² (CBRE, Q2/2026). To compare a specific home with similar ones, see Resale vs primary prices: is the asking price reasonable?.

Example: VND 3 billion home, bank values 10% lower	70% loan	80% loan
Bank valuation	VND 2.7 billion	VND 2.7 billion
Maximum loan	VND 1.89 billion	VND 2.16 billion
Own capital paid to the seller	VND 1.11 billion	VND 0.84 billion

Own capital does not yet include the registration fee, notarisation fee and valuation fee. Estimate monthly payments with the home-buying cash flow calculator.

Cost: none yet. Time: up to you — ask the bank to advise on the limit before paying a deposit.

Step 2. View the home: 7 things documents do not tell you

Check on site: leaks, sun direction, noise, the management board, service fees, lifts, fire safety.

• Management fee: the price range for apartment buildings with lifts in Ho Chi Minh City is VND 1,800–7,000/m²/month (Decision 86/2024/QĐ-UBND) — ask for the management board's fee notice rather than taking the seller's figure. A 70 m² home at VND 7,000/m² is VND 490,000/month, excluding parking, electricity and water.
• Lift: look at the inspection sticker in the cabin to see whether it is still valid.
• Ask for confirmation that the home has no unpaid fees up to the handover date.

Details of each point: Viewing a resale home: 7 things to check on site.

Cost: free. Time: view at least twice, once in the afternoon (west sun) or at rush hour.

Step 3. Check the legal status by document type

A resale home falls into one of three cases, each checked differently:

Home status	What to check	Time frame with a legal basis	Detailed article
Has a pink book	Name on the title, the right unit, the changes page; search for mortgages and injunctions at the land registration office and the notary office; receipt for the 2% maintenance fund	—	Buying an apartment with a pink book
No pink book yet (buying back a purchase contract with the developer)	The home has not yet had a title application filed, the contract is not in dispute, not mortgaged (or the bank agrees); ask the developer about outstanding instalments	The developer confirms the transfer within 5 working days, free of charge	Buying back an apartment without a pink book
Mortgaged to a bank	The mortgagee bank must agree to the sale; get written confirmation of the outstanding balance on the exact payoff date	Deleting the mortgage registration is usually done the same day, at most 3 working days	Buying a mortgaged apartment

For a mortgaged home, the money to pay off the debt goes only into the loan repayment account at the bank (tripartite agreement) or an escrow account — do not hand it to the seller "to pay the bank themselves".

Cost: land information search fee per the local fee schedule. Time: finish before transferring the deposit.

Step 4. Pay the deposit: write in every term

Under Civil Code 2015, Article 328: a depositor who refuses to buy loses the deposit; a deposit recipient who refuses to sell returns the deposit plus an equal amount, unless the parties agree otherwise. A deposit contract does not have to be notarised but should be in writing, stating:

• The real price, the deposit amount, the deadline to notarise the sale contract.
• Who pays each tax and fee (2% tax, 0.5% registration fee, notarisation fee, file appraisal fee).
• Conditions for returning the deposit if searches find a mortgage or injunction, or the bank refuses the loan or lends less than expected.
• Payment deadlines matching the loan disbursement time with a few days of margin; the condition of the home at handover and the furniture left behind.

Cost: the deposit amount is agreed by both sides (the law sets no percentage). Time: sign after step 3.

Step 5. Bank loan and safe payment

1. Submit the loan application; the bank assesses your income and values the home.
2. Receive the written credit approval — check the amount, validity period and disbursement conditions.
3. Seller, buyer and bank sign a tripartite agreement on the amount, timing and receiving account.
4. The bank disburses by transfer into the seller's account (Circular 21/2017/TT-NHNN) and keeps the original pink book until you repay the loan.

Some banks disburse once the transfer file has been submitted; others wait until the title is in your name and the mortgage is registered — ask before signing the deposit. Details: Bank loans for resale apartments: valuation and disbursement.

Cost: interest, valuation fee, insurance (if any) per each bank's fee schedule; the press reports early-repayment fees of about 0.5–2% in the first years. Time: per the credit approval and the tripartite agreement.

Step 6. Notarise, pay taxes and fees, transfer title

• Notarise the sale contract: a housing sale contract must be notarised or authenticated and takes effect from that moment (Housing Law 2023, Article 164). If you sign from 01/01/2027, ask the notary office again, because the amended Notarisation Law (Law No. 04/2026/QH16) takes effect on that date.

• File the transfer within 30 days of notarisation (Land Law 2024, Article 133); late filing can be fined VND 2–3 million. The processing time for a transfer file is currently no more than 8 working days (under Decree 151/2025/NĐ-CP, applicable until the end of 28/02/2027), longer if documents must be supplemented.

• Taxes and fees — example: a VND 3 billion home, contract price higher than the price issued by the People's Committee, seller not eligible for exemption:

Item	Rate	Who pays (usually)	Amount
Personal income tax	2% of transfer price	Seller	VND 60 million
Registration fee	0.5% of fee-assessed price	Buyer	VND 15 million
Contract notarisation fee	VND 1 million + 0.06% of the portion above VND 1 billion	By agreement	VND 2.2 million
File appraisal fee (Ho Chi Minh City)	Per People's Council resolution	By agreement	about VND 1.01–1.4 million
Total taxes and fees			about VND 78–79 million

A seller who owns only one home in Vietnam, has owned it for at least 183 days and sells the whole unit is exempt from the 2% tax (Decree 253/2026/NĐ-CP). Write the real price in the contract — stating a lower one to cut tax risks back-taxation and penalties, and makes it hard to prove the amount paid in a dispute. The full table and items not counted: Apartment title transfer procedures and costs 2026.

After receiving the pink book: check the name, unit number and area; tell the management board to update the owner information, collect the access card and keys, and record the electricity and water readings.

This article is for reference and does not replace legal / financial advice for a specific case.

Example: a VND 3 billion home with a pink book, an individual buying from an individual, each side paying its own taxes and fees:

Step	Main task	Buyer's cost (example)	Time frame with a legal basis
1. Budget, borrowing capacity	Ask about the loan limit, work out own capital	—	Before the deposit
2. View the home	7 points on site, confirm no unpaid fees	—	Before the deposit
3. Check legal status	Pink book, mortgage, injunctions, 2% maintenance fund	Land information search fee	Before the deposit; mortgage deletion at most 3 working days
4. Pay the deposit	Deposit contract with every term	Deposit per agreement	After step 3
5. Loan, payment	Credit approval, tripartite agreement	Valuation fee, interest per the bank	Per the approval document
6. Notarise, transfer title	Notarisation, tax and fee declaration, registering the change	Registration fee VND 15 million + notarisation and appraisal fees by agreement (about VND 3.2–3.6 million)	File within 30 days of notarisation; processed in no more than 8 working days

The VND 60 million personal income tax is usually paid by the seller — the parties may agree otherwise, stated clearly in the deposit contract.

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