A Bali property viewing trip: how to plan one yourself
Almost everyone who buys a villa or an apartment in Bali flies over to see the properties first. This page is a guide to planning that trip on your own: how many days to allow, what to check on site, what to ask the developer, and where to find an independent lawyer.
Balinsky is an information platform. We do not organise trips, do not run viewings and take no part in your negotiations with a developer. Everything described below you arrange yourself, or through the developer whose project you are visiting.
Why it is worth flying over
Build quality only shows up on site
Drone footage and PDF decks show an idealised picture. The first fifteen minutes on site answer most of the questions photographs never do: the real finish and materials, the noise around it, the actual walk to the beach, which way the windows face, how close the neighbouring construction is, and what happens to drainage.
People talk to you differently once you are there
When you have flown in, you are more likely to end up across the table from the project lead rather than a scripted sales manager. That is your chance to ask about delays on earlier phases, the real occupancy of completed units, what happens if the handover slips, and how deposits are returned — none of which appears in a deck.
Documents get checked where they live
Land status, PBG, SLF and the ownership structure are read by an independent lawyer from the documents themselves, not from the seller’s account of them. A lawyer meeting in Bali takes an hour or two and costs a tiny fraction of a mistake in the deal structure.
How to plan the trip
Visa and entry
Citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the Schengen area, Australia and New Zealand can use the 30-day tourist VOA: issued on arrival at Ngurah Rai for around $35, or in advance through the official e-VOA portal. No invitation from a host is required, and a 30-day extension is handled at an immigration office in Bali.
How many days to allow
Two or three properties in one area fit into two days. The full round — viewings, developer meetings, an hour with a lawyer and a look at two areas — takes three to four days. Do not plan more than four or five viewings a day: the drive between Canggu and the Bukit easily runs to ninety minutes each way.
What to look at on site
Ask to see more than the sample unit: units under construction and the technical areas too — water runs, septic, parking, the generator. Photograph everything with a date. Check what you see against the master plan, the catalogue listing and the documents.
Meetings with the developer
Arrange them in advance, straight through the developer’s own contacts on the listing page. Sending your questions ahead helps: handover dates, payment milestones, what happens on a delay, who manages the property after completion. Ask for the outcome of the meeting in writing.
An independent lawyer
Find the lawyer separately from the seller: your consulate, a PPAT notary or established expat communities can all point you somewhere. Sixty to ninety minutes covers leasehold versus PT PMA, tax in your country of residence, the visa route and the clauses in an SPA that carry risk.
The areas
Half a day across two or three areas tells you more than three more viewings. Canggu (Berawa, Pererenan, Batu Bolong), the Bukit (Uluwatu, Bingin, Pandawa), Ubud and Sanur each work differently: a different tenant, a different season, a different resale liquidity.
Common questions
What is the best season to come?
April–June and September–November: lighter traffic, gentler weather, easier to lock in meetings. December–March is high season — you can see the real occupancy of completed villas with your own eyes, but traffic is heavier and hotels cost one and a half to two times more. July–August is the European school holiday, with the same effect.
How far ahead should I plan?
Two to four weeks is usually enough to line up meetings. If you need a slot with a PPAT notary and an English-speaking lawyer, allow four to six weeks — their calendars are tight. For the December–March peak, six to eight weeks is safer.
Can documents be signed during the trip?
A reservation form is sometimes signed at the developer meeting itself, with the deposit going to a notary escrow account. The SPA is normally signed before a PPAT notary two to four weeks later, after due diligence. You do not have to fly back for it — many buyers use a power of attorney.
What if nothing on the trip fits?
That is a normal outcome. Spending a few days to learn that these projects, or the island itself, are not your scenario is cheaper than closing a deal blind. The catalogue data and your own site notes stay with you for the next attempt.
What budget makes sense?
Roughly from $200k for an apartment in Sanur or an off-plan unit in Ubud, and from $300k for a villa on the Bukit or in Canggu. Below that the choice narrows sharply. The current spread is in the catalogue, recalculated at today’s rate.
Can Balinsky organise the trip?
No. Balinsky is an information platform: the catalogue, yield and document data, and the developers’ direct contacts. Transport, meetings, the lawyer and the schedule you arrange yourself, or through the developer whose project you are visiting.