Label each figure before doing arithmetic
For every offer, write down the amount, currency and meaning: monthly rent, asking price, down payment or a particular instalment. Include the date the figure was supplied. Keep buy and rent comparisons separate. If a description says “starting from”, ask whether the figure applies to the exact advertised unit. Do not replace a missing total with the most prominent number in the advert.
Ask for dates and frequency
An instalment figure is incomplete without the payment interval and the periods it covers. Request the down payment, subsequent amounts, frequency and any stated final payment as separate items. A long plan is not automatically a cheaper plan. Use the advertiser’s actual schedule for comparison rather than assuming that a calculator includes every amount mentioned in a conversation.
Keep additional amounts in a separate list
Ask which amounts are outside the headline figure and what each covers. Examples to clarify are maintenance, parking, furniture or other charges mentioned in the offer. These are questions, not a claim that every property has the same charges. Record due dates and whether an amount is one-off or recurring. An unexplained item stays unexplained; do not count it as zero.
Compare offers on an explicitly stated basis
Build a table with one row per amount and an unanswered column. Use the same currency and purpose when comparing the headline figure; do not invent an exchange rate to force two offers into one ranking. Sakenly’s calculated results are estimates, not financing offers. This guide organises information without calculating affordability or recommending a financial commitment.
Send a precise follow-up
List the small number of gaps that stop you understanding the offer. Ask for the current description in writing and compare it with the listing. If the figures change, keep the updated date and ask which previous version is replaced. Before relying on an agreement, review its actual terms with the appropriate independent expertise.
Example wording to adapt
For this exact unit, is the displayed amount the total price or the down payment? Please confirm the currency, instalment frequency and any separate amounts mentioned in the offer.
A practical case and next step
Suppose one advert highlights a down payment and another the total asking price. Label them before comparison and ask for the missing figure. A lower highlighted number does not establish a lower total. If a separate recurring amount is still unexplained, keep it as a question rather than adding a guessed value. This is information organisation, not an affordability calculation.