Why I only buy land after the court and the BPN agree it is clean

The land has owners. It just does not have paperwork

Along the coast of Sekotong, where Kinnara Capital has assembled its land, families have farmed and fished the same ground for generations. Their ownership is real and recognised locally. What they often do not have is a modern certificate from the BPN, the national land office. Their rights sit in old village records, inherited and divided across generations, sometimes with disputes nobody has had reason to settle.

That is the opportunity and the danger in one fact. It is why the land is still available, and it is why so many foreign property stories in Indonesia end in a lawyer's office.

What "clean" means

A parcel is clean when three things line up. The people selling are the people who own it, with every heir accounted for. The boundaries on the ground match the boundaries on the record. And the BPN can issue a certificate in the buyer's name with no competing claim against it. Each of those takes work, and the work cannot be rushed from Bali or Hong Kong.

How we do it

Kinnara Capital buys a parcel only once ownership has been confirmed through the courts and the BPN. Where a family's ownership needs to be formally established, that is done first. We hold powers of attorney so that, once the certificate is issued, it moves straight into the company's name without a second transaction and a second chance for something to go wrong.

We have assembled our land in Buwun Mas one parcel at a time. Six adjoining plots already settled hold our site office and staff housing. The rest of the holding was bought the same way.

Why slow is the only speed

Every shortcut in Indonesian land has a name. A nominee who holds freehold for you. A sale agreement with one heir when there are six. A certificate "in process" that has been in process for years. Each saves time at the start and costs the whole asset at the end. I have watched it happen to other people's projects. I would rather spend two years on title than ten in court.

What this means if you are buying a villa

You are not buying the land yourself, so you need the developer to have done this for you. Ask to see the certificate for the site. Ask how the land was acquired and from whom. Ask whether any part of the holding is still under old records. A developer who has done the work will be glad to show you. A developer who has not will change the subject.

The terms are in the glossary. The rest of my rules, most of them paid for, are on how he runs companies.