The short answer
Price against what comparable properties actually registered for, not against the highest asking price in your building. Have the title chain, approvals, tax and society papers, and any loan closure documents ready before you list, because a buyer's lawyer or lender will ask for them and delays here kill deals. Publish a listing with good daylight photos, the carpet area, floor, facing, age, parking, maintenance and, for a project unit, the RERA registration number.
Then respond quickly, make viewing easy, put agreed terms in writing, and understand the buyer's loan timeline and the TDS the buyer must deduct. Plan your capital gains tax before you agree a date, because the timing can affect what you owe and what you can reinvest.
Nothing here guarantees a sale within a particular time. Local demand, the season and the type of property all matter. The steps below remove the delays that are within your control.
Price it against real comparables
Buyers and their brokers compare your asking price with what similar homes have sold for and what else is on offer. If your price is well above both, serious buyers will not visit, and the listing will age. A listing that has been on the market for months invites low offers.
Build a comparables sheet: registered sales in your building and pocket over the past year or two, if you can find them through your state's registration records; current listings of similar homes, noting how long they have been listed; and the circle rate for your area. Adjust for floor, view, condition, parking and age. Our negotiation guide explains how to find registered values, and our property rates pages show asking rates by locality, which are asking rather than selling prices.
Decide three numbers before you list: your asking price, the price you would accept today, and your walk-away. Leave reasonable room between the first two; a price that leaves no room makes every offer feel like a loss.
Avoid pricing below the circle rate without advice. Stamp duty is charged on at least the circle value, and the income-tax rules can treat the circle value as your sale price beyond a small tolerance, which could increase your tax.
Get the documents ready before you list
Title: the registered sale deed or conveyance in your name, and the earlier chain of title documents, ideally going back far enough for the buyer's lawyer to be satisfied — many lawyers and lenders ask for the chain over a long period, commonly 30 years for land. If you inherited the property, keep the death certificate, will and probate or succession documents, and any family settlement or release deeds.
Records: the mutation record in your name, recent property tax receipts, the encumbrance certificate, and for land the current record of rights. Our property mutation guide explains why the record must be in your name.
Approvals: the approved building plan, the occupancy or completion certificate, and for a project unit the RERA registration details. For a plot, the layout approval and land use or conversion order.
Society: the share certificate, the society's NOC for sale where its bye-laws require it, and a no-dues letter for maintenance. Our society transfer guide explains what the society may and may not charge.
Loan: if the property is mortgaged, ask your lender for the outstanding amount, the foreclosure process and the list of original documents it holds. The buyer's lender will usually pay off your loan directly from the disbursement and collect your documents from your lender; agree the sequence in writing.
Identity and tax: your PAN (the buyer needs it for TDS), Aadhaar and address proof, and if you are a non-resident, the documents your buyer will need for the higher TDS that applies to a non-resident seller.
Make the listing answer buyers' questions
Photos: take them in daylight, with lights on, after decluttering. Show every room, the kitchen, bathrooms, the view from the main windows, the building entrance and the common areas. Do not use wide-angle distortion that makes rooms look larger than they are; buyers notice at the visit and lose trust.
Area: give the carpet area. If you also quote built-up or super built-up area, say which is which. A buyer who discovers at the visit that the quoted area was super built-up will mark down everything else you said. Our area guide explains the difference.
Facts: floor and total floors, facing, age of the building, parking (covered or open, allotted or not), maintenance per month, power backup, water supply, lifts, and whether the occupancy certificate has been issued. For an under-construction or recently completed project unit, give the project's RERA registration number so a buyer can check it.
Honesty: disclose what a buyer will find anyway — a pending repair, a leak that was fixed, a road-widening notice. Disclosure early saves a renegotiation later.
Price and terms: state the asking price, whether it is negotiable, and what is included: wardrobes, kitchen, fittings, appliances.
Viewings and offers
Make the home easy to see. Agree viewing times, keep the home clean and aired, fix small things that look like neglect (a dripping tap, a broken switch plate), and be present or have someone present who knows the answers.
Qualify buyers politely: ask whether they have a loan sanction or funds, their timeline and whether they need to sell first. A slightly lower offer from a buyer with a sanction letter may close faster than a higher one that depends on another sale.
Respond to offers promptly and in writing. If you counter, give a reason. Agree all the main terms — price, inclusions, timeline, who pays which costs, and the refund conditions for the token — before you accept a token, and give a written receipt. Our token receipt and sale agreement templates show the clauses.
If you use a broker, agree the brokerage and the scope in writing, check the broker's RERA agent registration where your state requires it, and decide whether the appointment is exclusive.
From agreement to registration
Sign an agreement for sale with the agreed terms and the timeline. The buyer pays stamp duty and registration on the sale deed; your agreement can say who pays for anything else.
If the price is ₹50 lakh or more, the buyer must deduct TDS of 1 per cent from the payment to you and deposit it with the government, quoting your PAN; you can see it in your tax statement and claim credit for it. If you are a non-resident, the buyer must deduct tax at the higher rate applicable to a non-resident's capital gains, unless you obtain a lower deduction certificate from the tax department. Our TDS guide explains both.
Coordinate the payment flow: token, advance at agreement, the buyer's loan disbursement on registration, and payment of your existing loan from the proceeds if there is one. Be at the sub-registrar's office with your originals and identity documents on the day.
After registration, hand over the keys, original documents, society transfer papers and utility documents as agreed, and keep copies of everything, including the TDS certificate the buyer gives you.
Tax: plan before you agree a date
The gain on a sale is taxed as capital gains. Whether it is short-term or long-term depends on how long you held the property, and the rates and the exemptions for reinvesting in another house or in specified bonds differ accordingly. Since 1 April 2026 the Income-tax Act, 2025 applies, with renumbered sections.
Timing can matter: the date of transfer decides which tax year the gain falls in and whether the holding period has crossed the long-term threshold, and the reinvestment exemptions have deadlines that run from the date of sale. Read our capital gains guide and use our capital gains calculator for an estimate, and take advice if the amount is large.
Common reasons a sale stalls
Price set by the highest listing nearby rather than by sales.
Title or inheritance papers incomplete, so the buyer's lawyer or lender cannot clear the deal.
Society NOC or dues not sorted out, or a dispute with the society.
A mortgaged property without a clear plan for closing the loan and releasing documents.
Listing that quotes super built-up area as if it were carpet, or omits parking and maintenance, so buyers lose trust at the visit.
Slow responses to enquiries and offers.
Selling a plot, an inherited home or a jointly owned property
A plot: buyers and their lawyers will want the layout approval, the land use or conversion order where applicable, the record of rights, demarcation of the boundaries and, for a plot in a registered project, the RERA details. Clear the boundary with a fresh demarcation if there is any doubt, and keep the property tax or vacant land tax receipts up to date. Our plot buying checklist shows what buyers will check.
An inherited home: complete the succession paperwork and the mutation before you list. A buyer's lawyer will want the death certificate, the will and probate where required, or a succession certificate or legal heir certificate, and the consent of every heir. If the heirs disagree, settle that first; a property with a family dispute rarely sells quickly at a fair price.
A jointly owned property: every co-owner must sign the agreement and the sale deed, or give a properly drawn and stamped power of attorney to one of them. Agree in writing how the proceeds will be divided and paid. Each co-owner's share of the gain is taxed in that co-owner's hands, so each will need the TDS certificate and their own tax advice.
A non-resident seller: the buyer must deduct tax at the higher rate for non-residents, unless you obtain a lower deduction certificate before the sale. Apply for it in good time; our NRI and power of attorney guides cover the rest.
Common questions
What documents do I need to sell my flat?
Your registered sale deed and the earlier title chain, mutation record and recent tax receipts, encumbrance certificate, approved plan and occupancy certificate, society share certificate and NOC where required, a no-dues letter, loan closure papers if mortgaged, and your PAN and identity documents.
How should I price my property?
Against recent registered sales of comparable properties in your building and pocket, adjusted for differences, with current listings as a check on competition. Asking prices are not sale prices.
Who pays TDS when I sell?
The buyer deducts it from the price and deposits it with the government. It is 1 per cent when the price is ₹50 lakh or more and the seller is resident; a non-resident seller faces a higher deduction.
Can I sell a flat that still has a home loan?
Yes. Your lender holds the original documents; the outstanding loan is usually paid from the buyer's payment or loan disbursement, and the lender releases the documents to the buyer. Agree the sequence in writing with both lenders.
Should I mention the carpet area or super built-up area?
Give the carpet area, and if you quote another area, label it clearly. Buyers compare carpet areas, and a mislabelled area undermines trust.
Does the RERA number matter in a resale listing?
For a unit in a registered project, giving the project's RERA registration number lets buyers check the project's approvals and status, which helps them decide faster.
Sources
- Income-tax Act, 2025 — TDS on purchase of immovable property from a resident (1 per cent at ₹50 lakh or more) and on payments to non-residents; capital gains; as summarised in this site's TDS and capital gains guides; checked 2 October 2026
- Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, section 9 (registration of real estate agents) and section 11(2) (registration number in advertisements); checked 2 October 2026
- State stamp laws on duty on the higher of guidance value and consideration; checked 2 October 2026
Last checked 2026-10-02.