How to read a pre-construction floor plan properly

Floor plans in a sales centre are marketing documents. The furniture is often drawn undersized, and the balcony area may be included in the advertised square footage.

Measure the actual room dimensions and compare them to furniture you own. Look for the awkward realities: a bedroom with no wall long enough for a bed plus dressers, a den with no window or door, a kitchen with less than a metre of clearance, a column in the living room, or a bathroom door that blocks a hallway.

Also check the unit's location on the floor plate: proximity to the elevator, garbage chute or mechanical room, the direction the windows face, and whether a future phase could be built directly in front of your view.