Key takeaways
- Walk the cabin room by room, not category by category.
- Photograph everything on inventory day and date-stamp the file.
- Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price (notary 0.27 percent, registry 0.67 percent, beneficencia 1 percent), plus your lawyer's fee, and annual property tax runs 0.3 to 1.2 percent of cadastral value depending on the municipality.
- Closing normally takes 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed.
Yes, the inventory must be a numbered annex attached to the promesa de compraventa and re-signed at handover, or the furniture is not legally part of the sale. Colombia transfers real property by public deed; movable goods are not covered by the escritura. If a chattel is not written down, item by item, with brand, model, serial number and condition, you have no claim to it.
What belongs on the inventory and how to write each line
Walk the cabin room by room, not category by category. In each room, list every item that is not structurally attached, plus every attached item you want guaranteed to still work on the day you get the keys.
For each line, record five things: room, item description, brand and model, serial number where one exists, and condition. "Fridge" is a dispute. "Kitchen, side-by-side refrigerator, brand X, model Y, serial Z, working, small dent on lower right door" is not.
Items buyers routinely forget to list:
- Water heater, pressure pump and tank, and whether the pump is included or leased.
- Gas cylinders and the regulator.
- Air conditioning or dehumidifier units, remote controls included.
- Router, TV mounts, sound system, projector, and any smart lock or camera, plus who holds the admin account.
- Outdoor furniture, grill, umbrellas, loungers, hammocks and their hardware.
- Dock equipment, ladders, ropes, fenders, life jackets, and any boat, kayak or paddleboard, which transfer by their own documents, not the inventory.
- Garden tools, lawn mower, generator, pressure washer, ladders.
- Linens, towels, crockery, cutlery, glassware and pots, counted by quantity, not described as "a set".
- Curtains, rugs, mirrors, lamps, artwork.
- Keys, gate remotes, mailbox keys, alarm codes, and the padlock keys for any bodega.
Also list what does NOT convey. A short exclusions section ("the dining table and the two paintings in the main bedroom are excluded") kills more arguments than the inclusions list does.
Photos, serial numbers and the handover protocol
Photograph everything on inventory day and date-stamp the file. Burn the photos to a PDF, number the pages, and reference the PDF in the annex by page count. Both parties initial every page of the inventory and the photo annex.
Then build a second checkpoint. Your promesa should state that the inventory will be verified at handover, that the property is delivered in the same condition recorded (fair wear and tear excepted), and that a named amount of the price is retained by the notary or by your lawyer until the walkthrough signs off. Do not name the retention figure here; agree it with your lawyer and write it into the promesa as a specific sum. Without a retention, your only remedy after registration is a lawsuit, which is slower and costlier than the furniture is worth.
At handover, repeat the walkthrough with the signed inventory in hand, tick each line, and sign an acta de entrega listing any discrepancies and the agreed resolution. Date it. That document is what you keep.
Where furnished sales actually go wrong in Guatapé
Three failure modes repeat on reservoir properties.
Staged furniture. Cabins marketed for short-term rental are often photographed furnished with items the owner moves between properties. Ask directly, in writing, whether any listed item is rented, leased or belongs to a third party, and get the answer in the promesa.
Utilities and systems disguised as furniture. Water pumps, septic treatment units, water treatment gear and solar equipment sit in a grey zone between fixture and chattel. Treat them as inventory items with serials, and separately ask for maintenance records and any CORNARE permit tied to wastewater or water abstraction. The reservoir level is managed by the utility that operates it, so dock hardware and shoreline fittings move and wear; record their condition with the date.
Price allocation. Furniture value sits inside the price you negotiate, but the deed records the real estate transaction. Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price (notary 0.27 percent, registry 0.67 percent, beneficencia 1 percent), plus your lawyer's fee, and annual property tax runs 0.3 to 1.2 percent of cadastral value depending on the municipality. How the price is stated and allocated is a tax question: ask your lawyer and accountant before signing, not after.
Run the inventory in parallel with the title work, not after it. Request the certificate of tradición y libertad with the registry number to confirm the registered owner, mortgages, liens and encumbrances, and confirm the land-use position under the municipality's POT. Closing normally takes 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed, which is enough time to do the walkthrough twice: once when you sign the promesa, once on the day you get the keys. See Buying property in Guatapé for the title sequence that runs alongside this.
One more detail worth checking early: El Marial and La Cristalina are in El Peñol, not Guatapé, even though they sit on the Guatapé side of the water. The municipality determines the POT, the property tax rate, and where you file complaints.
Frequently asked questions
Does the escritura cover the furniture?
No. The public deed transfers the real property. Furniture, appliances and equipment are movable goods and convey only if they are listed in a signed inventory annex to the promesa de compraventa and verified at handover.
What should each inventory line contain?
Room, item description, brand and model, serial number where one exists, and condition including existing damage. Quantities for countable items like crockery and linens. Vague entries such as "TV" or "a set of dishes" are the ones that become disputes.
How do I enforce the inventory if items are missing at handover?
Agree in the promesa that part of the price is retained by your lawyer or the notary until a handover walkthrough is signed off. Sign an acta de entrega recording discrepancies. Without a retention, your remedy after registration is litigation.
How long do I have to do the walkthroughs?
Closing normally takes 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed. Do the first inventory walkthrough when you sign the promesa and the second on the day you collect the keys, with the signed inventory and dated photos in hand.
Do appliances like water pumps and solar equipment count as furniture?
They sit between fixture and chattel, so list them as inventory items with serial numbers anyway. Ask separately for maintenance records and any CORNARE permit tied to water abstraction or wastewater at the property.
Who wrote this
Real estate broker · writes for the network · Real estate broker, Guatapé and eastern Antioquia. Specializing in Guatapé and El Peñol, Antioquia, Colombia. Founder of Mike Zapata Real Estate and the guide behind the Guatapé Properties and Guatapé Finca Raíz portals.