A purchase offer signals to the owner your wish to acquire their property and opens the negotiation: several exchanges may follow until an agreement is reached. At this stage, you are not yet definitively bound. Next comes the commitment before the notary, in one of three forms depending on your situation. The direct sale: the deed is signed and executed. The forward sale: you sign now, transfer and payment take place on an agreed date, and your right is noted in the land registry. The promise of sale: a notarised deed binding both parties, often with a deposit, before the final deed. Worth knowing: a promise involves two visits to the notary, and therefore higher fees; a direct or forward sale secures your purchase definitively in a single deed, at lower cost. The right structure depends on your situation (financing still to be finalised, a chain sale, an off-plan property) and is chosen with the notary and your broker. The notaires-geneve.ch website describes each of these forms in detail.