Buying at China Center from abroad: a guide for overseas Pakistanis

Can you buy a shop or apartment at China Center while living abroad?

Yes. Most of the work – choosing a unit, getting the figures in writing, reading the paperwork and making payments – can be done from Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, London, Manchester or Toronto with a phone and a bank account. The one thing distance takes away is your own eyes on the plot, so a sensible remote purchase replaces that with video, written documents and a trusted person in Pakistan.

China Center is on Plot no. 563, Central Business District, Bahria Town, Phase VIII, Islamabad, in the Rawalpindi/Islamabad twin-city area. The developer is Creation Developers (Pvt) Ltd. This website and its sales desk are run by Al Faisal Properties, which markets the project; it is not the developer. Keep that distinction in mind: every payment instruction and every contract term you rely on should trace back to the developer, in writing.

Everything for sale is on one inventory sheet, with one payment plan for every unit: 30% down, 24 instalments of 2.5% each (60% in all) and 10% on possession. The instalment schedule – when each instalment falls – is confirmed at booking, which matters more when you are paying from another country.

How do you choose a unit without visiting?

Start with the numbers, not the pictures. The shops pages (/shops) and each unit’s own page, such as /u/LG45 or /u/SF16, give the floor, area in sq ft, rate, total and the full 30 / 24 / 10 breakdown from the developer’s current inventory sheet. Then open the matching drawing on /floor-plans to see where the unit sits on its floor.

The images on this site are artist’s impressions, not photographs, so read them as design intent. The drawings are the developer’s plans. For what exists on the ground, ask the desk for the site film – it shows the structure up, and its filming date is still to be confirmed – and for a live video call from the site.

• Pick two or three unit codes rather than a whole floor, so every quote and every question is specific.
• Note each unit’s floor and its planned trade focus: babies’ and kids’ products on the lower ground; ladies’ fashion, jewellery and cosmetics on the ground floor; home décor on the first; mobiles, laptops and gadgets on the second. These are the owner’s plans, not leases or tenants.
• On a video call, ask the caller to walk to your unit’s position and to show the street in both directions.
• Screenshot anything you want to query and send the questions in writing afterwards.

What does a unit cost, and how much will you send from abroad?

Three worked examples from the developer’s current inventory sheet, all confirmed at booking. LG45 (100 sq ft, lower ground) is Rs 40,00,000: Rs 12,00,000 down, then 24 instalments of Rs 1,00,000 each, and Rs 4,00,000 on possession. G33 (100 sq ft, ground floor, Rs 55,000 per sq ft) is Rs 55,00,000: Rs 16,50,000 down, 24 instalments of Rs 1,37,500 and Rs 5,50,000 on possession. Apartment 713 on the 7th floor (450 sq ft, Rs 15,000 per sq ft) is Rs 67,50,000: Rs 20,25,000 down, 24 instalments of Rs 1,68,750 and Rs 6,75,000 on possession.

The prices are fixed in rupees; your earnings probably are not. If you are paid in dirhams, riyals, pounds or dollars, what each instalment costs you will move with the exchange rate. Build a buffer into your budget, and once the developer has given you the instalment schedule, set a reminder well ahead of each due date so that a slow transfer never makes you late.

If you have seen other prices or payment plans in an older brochure, set them aside. The current inventory sheet is what applies, and the figures that bind you are the ones on your booking documents.

How do you pay safely from another country?

The developer’s commercial payment plan names Creation Developers (Pvt) Ltd as the payee for cheques and pay orders. Pay by a traceable instrument – a cheque, a pay order or a bank transfer your bank can document – and never in cash through a middleman. Confirm the payee and account details in writing before the first payment, through a channel you trust, and treat any message saying the details have changed as suspect until you have confirmed it the same way.

Ask your own bank which remittance route suits a property payment from your country, and keep its records. Questions about tax in Pakistan or in your country of residence belong with a qualified adviser; this guide does not give tax or legal advice.

• Get an official receipt for every payment, naming the unit code and the amount.
• Keep a simple ledger: date, amount, instrument number and receipt number.
• Check that the name on each receipt matches the name on your booking documents.

Who should act for you in Pakistan?

Before the down payment, have someone you trust stand at Plot 563, look at the building and meet the sales desk. A close relative can do this; an independent property lawyer is better for reading the booking form, because a lawyer you appoint has no stake in the sale.

If that person will sign anything on your behalf, ask a lawyer what written authority they need – a power of attorney is a legal document, not a formality. Ask in advance which identity documents the developer needs from an overseas buyer, such as your CNIC or NICOP, so the booking is not held up.

Give your representative a written brief: see the site, collect paper copies of everything you were sent as PDFs, put your outstanding questions to the desk and report back with their own pictures and notes.

What is the next step from abroad?

Shortlist your unit codes from /shops, /food-court or /apartments. Then WhatsApp the sales desk, Al Faisal Properties, on +92 334 9107537 with your country, time zone and shortlist, and ask for a written quotation and the instalment schedule for each unit. Book a live video walkthrough, then arrange your representative’s visit before you pay anything.

WhatsApp usually works across time zones better than calls, and it leaves a written record. There is no sales email for China Center, so do not rely on any address claiming to be one.