You’re buying a home, not an average square foot.

Use the number to open a question.

Price per square foot makes it tempting to put two properties side by side and pick the lower figure. It can be a useful starting point. It cannot describe everything that makes those homes different.

Before deciding what a price means, identify exactly which unit you’re discussing. An average across a development and the asking price of one particular home are not interchangeable.

Look at what you would actually buy.

Consider the total price together with the space and attributes you receive. Look at the floor plan and ask how the rooms would work for your household. Notice any space that would be difficult for you to use.

Then look beyond the plan. The floor, outlook, facing, condition and surroundings may matter to your comparison. A difference in price may raise a question about those attributes; it does not explain the answer by itself.

Choose comparisons that help.

Two homes can share a bedroom count while offering very different propositions. Their age, tenure, location and condition can make a broad comparison misleading.

Ask why a particular property is being used as a reference. What is similar? What is different? Which differences matter to the decision you’re making? A comparison is most useful when you can explain its limits.

Bring the timeline back in.

Your move-in timing and intended period of ownership belong beside the property comparison. So do any practical works or other commitments needed before the home can serve your plans.

For your own circumstances, confirm the applicable transaction and financing details with the appropriate professionals. The purpose here is to make the property questions clearer, not to replace those checks.

Ask what would persuade the next person.

If a future sale is part of your thinking, consider why someone else might choose the home. Is the price story supported by useful evidence, or mainly by an appealing description of the area?

Nearby amenities and potential buyer groups give us something to investigate. They do not make every entry price worthwhile or guarantee future demand.

A better question to bring.

Instead of only asking ‘Is the PSF low?’, try ‘What explains the price of this particular home compared with the alternatives?’ Bring the units you’re comparing, and we can start there.