Guides · 25 articles

Buying a home

Start with the buyer's checklist for the order things happen in, then choose the kind of home and the place, check the builder and the paperwork, and finish with the possession inspection. These guides explain the checks; they do not replace a lawyer reading your documents.

Read them in this order

7 MIN READ
The buyer's checklist, start to keys
Every step from shortlisting to registration, in the order it actually happens.
10 MIN READ
Where to buy: how to choose a city and locality
Pick the city by your work and family, then score each locality on the same handful of things, checking every promise on an official source rather than a brochure.
8 MIN READ
Apartment, builder floor, independent house or plot: choosing the type
The right type follows from four questions: how much of your money should be in land, how soon you need to move in, how much upkeep you will do, and how much paperwork risk you can manage.
10 MIN READ
Ready-to-move vs under-construction: which flat should you buy?
An under-construction flat is often cheaper and newer at handover; a ready one is certain and GST-free. How price, tax, cash flow and risk compare, and how to decide.
10 MIN READ
New launch vs resale property: price, paperwork, loans and tax
Buying from a builder and buying from an owner are different transactions, with different prices, paperwork, taxes and risks. What changes, and what to check in each.
7 MIN READ
What is super built-up area? Carpet vs built-up vs super built-up
The three area figures on every brochure, what each includes, and which one you should compare on.
11 MIN READ
How to check a builder's track record before you book
A builder's brochure shows the best of its work. Public records show the rest: what it promised on earlier projects, how late it delivered, who complained, what its company filings say and whether it has been through insolvency. Here is where to look and what to make of it.
9 MIN READ
Buying under-construction property: RERA protections and the risks
An under-construction flat is a promise backed by a registered project, a separate bank account and a statute. Here is what RERA actually protects, what it does not, and how the taxes work.
11 MIN READ
How to negotiate a property price in India, with evidence
Negotiation works when you bring evidence the other side cannot dismiss: what similar homes actually registered for, the circle rate, the building's condition and your readiness to close. This guide shows how to gather it and use it with an owner or a builder.
8 MIN READ
Final checks before you buy: a step-by-step guide
Do the checks in the right order: money and site first, then title and approvals with a lawyer, then a small token with written terms, then the agreement, the loan, the NOC and the registered sale deed.
6 MIN READ
Possession handover checklist: what to inspect before you take the keys
Walk the flat with this list before you sign the possession letter; fixing things afterwards is much harder.
11 MIN READ
Snagging and home inspection at possession: what to check and how to record it
Snagging is the inspection you do before and at possession to find defects the builder must fix. Done carefully and recorded in writing, it protects you at handover and sets up a claim under RERA's five-year defect liability if problems appear later.
7 MIN READ
Builder floor vs apartment vs independent house
Three ways to own the same square footage, with very different ownership, upkeep and resale behaviour.
6 MIN READ
What is a builder floor?
The low-rise format that dominates Delhi NCR plotted colonies, and what to check before buying one.
7 MIN READ
Buying property in India as an NRI or OCI
What you may buy, how the money must move, and what happens when you sell.
8 MIN READ
Residential, commercial or industrial: which property suits you
The three categories differ less in bricks than in rules: land use, loans, GST, tenants and exit all work differently. Here is how, and who each one suits.
8 MIN READ
Bank auction properties: how SARFAESI e-auctions work
Bank auctions can be a fair way to buy, but the bank sells on an 'as is where is' basis. Here is the process, the deadlines in the rules, and the checks that are entirely your job.
11 MIN READ
Apartment vs plot: which is the better property investment?
A flat earns rent but its building ages; a plot earns nothing but the land is the whole asset. How the two compare on returns, costs, loans, tax and risk, and which suits which investor.
10 MIN READ
Apartment vs villa: cost, land share, upkeep and resale compared
A villa gives you land, privacy and room to change things; an apartment gives you shared costs, security and an easier sale. How the two compare, and where gated villa communities fit.
10 MIN READ
High-rise vs low-rise society: which building should you live in?
Tall towers bring amenities, views and lifts you depend on; low-rise buildings bring a bigger land share, lower upkeep and a clearer path to redevelopment. What changes as a building gets taller.
13 MIN READ
Indian real estate in 2027: the changes and trends to watch
A sourced list of the scheduled changes and visible trends that will shape buying, selling, renting and investing in Indian property through 2027. It describes what has been announced and what is under way; it does not predict prices.
11 MIN READ
Green homes in India: IGBC, GRIHA, LEED and rooftop solar explained
A green rating tells you a building was designed, and sometimes built, to save energy and water and to be healthier inside. It does not guarantee lower bills in your flat. This guide explains the three main rating systems, how to check a claim, what the benefits realistically are, and how the rooftop solar subsidy works for houses and housing societies.
11 MIN READ
Senior living and retirement homes in India: what to check before you commit
A retirement community is a home and a service contract at the same time. The property may be sound while the services decline, or the other way round. This guide covers how to judge both, how the ownership models differ, what reverse mortgages are, and the legal protections available to senior citizens.
8 MIN READ
Stamp duty and registration in Maharashtra: how it works
Maharashtra charges stamp duty under the Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1958 on the higher of the price and the ready reckoner value, and the deed is registered at the sub-registrar's office under the Registration Act, 1908. This guide explains how the duty is worked out, the surcharges and the concession for women, how to pay through GRAS, what happens at registration, and the checks for resale and under-construction flats.
8 MIN READ
Property registration in Noida and Uttar Pradesh: stamp duty, IGRSUP and the authorities
In Uttar Pradesh, a sale deed is stamped on the higher of the price and the district circle rate and registered at the sub-registrar's office through the IGRSUP portal. In Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway area there is an extra layer: most land is leasehold from a development authority, so its transfer rules apply too. This guide explains both.

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Buying a home

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