Bought an Apartment Remotely: Preparing for Your First Visit

You bought an apartment in Slovenia without ever visiting — from photos, video calls and descriptions. The deal is closed, the keys are somewhere, the property is formally yours. And now you are planning your first visit — you will see your property in person for the first time. That visit can become either a pleasant discovery or a string of unpleasant surprises. The difference is in the preparation.

This article is a plan for making sure the apartment is ready for your first visit: what to prepare a month ahead, a week ahead and on the day of arrival, and what you can realistically expect from your first encounter with the property.

This material draws on the practice of supporting remote buyers and on the many years of experience the DomCare team has in preparing remotely bought properties for the owner’s first visit.

The situation: you bought something you haven’t seen

Let’s be honest about the starting point. An apartment bought remotely is a property you know exactly as much about as the seller and the agent chose to show you. Even in a fair transaction, some things only become visible once you are living in the apartment: how the heating really works, whether there are small faults, what was left behind by the previous owners, the condition of whatever didn’t make it into the photos.

So the goal of preparing for the first visit is twofold: first, that you arrive to a clean, working, ready property; and second, that the inevitable discoveries happen before your arrival rather than spoiling it.

A month before arrival: inspection and assessment

The first step is to get an independent picture of the property’s condition.

Arrange a full inspection. Someone on the ground — a trusted person or a service — carries out a detailed inspection of the apartment against a structured list (as in the article on the 24-point apartment inspection) and sends you a detailed photo and video report. This is the first honest picture of what you bought.

Identify what needs attention. An inspection almost always finds something: small faults, items left by the previous owners, appliances that don’t work, a need for cleaning. That is normal — better to find out now.

Check the building systems. Heating, water, electrics, the boiler — are they working, are there any problems? If something is wrong, you have a month to deal with it calmly.

Sort out keys and access. Make sure you have all the keys, and if needed, schedule a lock change (after a purchase this is a sensible step — you don’t know who still has copies).

A week before arrival: getting the property ready

Once the condition is clear and there is a plan, the property is brought up to readiness a week before arrival.

Cleaning. A newly bought apartment almost always needs cleaning — often a deep clean, after the previous owners. This is the baseline condition for a pleasant first visit.

Fixing small faults. Whatever the inspection found that falls under Repairs & Handyman — replace it, fix it, adjust it. So that you arrive to a working apartment rather than a list of tasks.

Clearing, if needed. If the previous owners left behind belongings or furniture, the property is cleared before your arrival.

Checking systems are ready. A few days before arrival — a final check: the heating switches on, the water runs, the electricity works, the internet (if you need it) is connected.

Basic equipment. If the apartment is empty and you are coming to stay in it for at least a few days, think through a minimal set: something to sleep on, a basic kitchen. This can be organised in advance.

On the day of arrival: the welcome

The arrival itself is also worth planning.

A ready apartment. A day or two before you arrive — a final visit: air it out, switch on the heating, make sure everything is in order. You should walk into a warm, clean, working home.

Welcome and check-in. If you are flying into an unfamiliar city, Arrival & Departure takes away the logistical stress: you are met, helped with the journey, handed the keys and shown how everything works.

A first walk-through together. It helps if, on the first day, someone who knows the property walks the apartment with you — showing you where the main valve is, how the heating works, what is important to know.

What to realistically expect from the first visit

Let’s be honest about expectations. Even with perfect preparation, the first visit to an apartment bought remotely is still an encounter with reality. Something will turn out better than expected, something worse. You will notice details that aren’t visible in photos. You may realise you want to change something, repair something, add something.

That is normal and does not mean the purchase or the preparation was poor. Good preparation doesn’t cancel discoveries — it removes the unpleasant ones (dirt, breakdowns, other people’s belongings, a cold apartment) and leaves only the normal process of getting to know your new property.

Build into your first visit time not just for rest, but also for working out what you want to finish off. Often a plan forms after the first visit: a small renovation, an update, some extra furnishing — and it is convenient to carry that out remotely afterwards.

After the first visit: what comes next

Once you leave, the apartment will again be without you. If it is going to sit empty until your next visit, it makes sense to put it straight under Property Care — so that the new property is not left without attention. If, after the first visit, you decided to renovate, that is handled by Contractor Support. If you decided to rent it out, preparing for rental lies ahead.

In other words, the first visit is not the finish line but the point where the buyer finally becomes the owner and chooses the next scenario for the property.

How DomCare helps

DomCare guides a remotely bought property from the deal through to the first visit and beyond. Buyer Assistance — inspection and condition assessment. Cleaning and Repairs & Handyman — bringing the property up to readiness. Property Clearing — if someone else’s belongings remain. Arrival & Departure — a calm arrival. Property Care — maintenance after you leave. We work in Ljubljana, on the Slovenian Coast, in the Bled and Bohinj region and in the Kranj region.

The simplest way to discuss it: write to us through the form or on WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

What must you do before your first visit to an apartment bought remotely? At a minimum: an independent condition inspection, cleaning (often a deep clean after the previous owners), fixing any small faults found, and checking that the building systems work.

Should you change the locks after buying? It is a sensible step: you don’t know who still has copies of the previous owners’ keys. It is convenient to schedule the change in advance, before your arrival.

What do you do if the inspection finds problems? That is normal — finding them is exactly what the inspection is for. You have time before your arrival to decide calmly: what falls under small repairs and is fixed straight away, and what needs a contractor and is planned separately.

Can all of this be organised without coming in advance? Yes, that is the whole point. The inspection, cleaning, small repairs, clearing, systems check — all of it is done by people on the ground, with reports to you. You arrive to a property that is already ready.

What do you do with the apartment after your first departure? If it is going to sit empty — put it onto Property Care, so the property is not left without attention. If a renovation is planned — run it through Contractor Support.

The first visit to an apartment bought remotely is a special moment, and it should be a joyful one, not a stressful one. The secret is simple: arrange an independent inspection in advance, let the unpleasant discoveries happen before your arrival, and bring the property itself up to readiness. Then you will meet your property the way it should be — in a clean, warm, working home.

Bought a property in Slovenia and planning your first visit — write to us, and we’ll prepare the apartment for your meeting with it.

Sources and further reading

• Buyer assistance: before, during and after the deal — practical support for the buyer
• Apartment inspection: 24 checkpoints — how a property inspection works
• DomCare — Buyer Assistance — what the service covers
• DomCare — About us — our experience preparing remotely bought properties