Well, quite simply, I think you are going to find that some people feel comfortable buying off-the-plan, and some do not. Yes, any moron probably could have made big wins buying OTP a couple of years ago. Today might be more of a gamble.
But remember, those who bought 3 years ago didn't have a crystal ball, so they were undoubtedly lucky, but presumably they felt they had secured a reasonable deal at the time.
You are placing a lot of faith in the hands of the builder to supply you with a quality product, because when you buy it is sight unseen. Due diligence probably becomes even more critical.
I've seen OTP developments where there are clauses along the lines of "plan dimensions are approximate only and variations from these dimensions shall not be sufficient cause to rescind the contract". My point is that you are open to these kinds of shenanigans.
Lotana on this forum has raised issues about the building he has bought into has a narrow entry door - so narrow you can't get a couch in!
On the other hand, buying OTP is not much different to engaging a builder to build a standalone house - once again you're not sure what the final quality will be like, and you need to rely on perhaps the builder's reputation and display homes to reach a conclusion. In an apartment complex, you probably have more issues such as noise transmission through walls/floor/ceiling, ventilation, heating/cooling effectiveness, etc. And the display suite is usually not the exact same arrangement as what you are buying, so how well the space "works" or not often can't be determined.
