Property
market is abuzz that #AchheDin has arrived. Recent Repo-rate cut by
RBI and the forthcoming budget with a lot of good anticipations of Tax
Relief, flexible Monetary policy, Submerging inflation, REIT fund, FDI norms getting
boost... all tell us a tale of a bright future of Indian economy and Real
Estate industry as a whole.
Now,
as an individual, you must have been holding on to that plan of investment in a
Ready-to-occupy home which gives you instant Rental return or option of
shifting to that Spacious living room with wide balconies or the Penthouse of
your dream!
Here's
a list of things you must check while inspecting the home. Your seller/real
estate broker/builder may not point out all these to you.
1.
How old is the building?
Ask
this question before you plan the visit. The price may be attractive as per the
location, but what is the reason? The age of the building
should not be the reason! You may not choose to buy a house more than
certain number of years old. However, keep in mind that some superior locations
in Mumbai, Bangalore or Old Delhi will not have newly built homes on sale. So,
if you happen to prefer those areas, you may have to compromise. My point is,
be ready with the information & don't get your heart broken once you like
it & then come to know of this deal-breaking information.
2.
Did anyone else occupy the house/apartment or is it first ownership?
This
may not sound so important initially, however, a completely unoccupied house
for, say, 5 years, may have it's own issues like clogged pipes, broken
taps, cracked walls, seepage, unpolished floor etc. So, you may need
to ask your seller to make all that in a proper condition before handing it
over to you. On the other side, if the property was occupied earlier, you may
want to have the sanitary ware replaced, kitchen & bathrooms
acid-washed etc., which you should utter before the deal price is set.
3.
Is there a damp anywhere?
Mumbai
happens to be a humid city. Damp is a common happening in all buildings where
proper sealing etc. has not been done, or a shoddy plumbing job gives away the
pipes and eventually shows up above the concrete. Cement is not
waterproof and whatever remedy you use, it will never get completely
cured. Your 'dream home' should not become a 'nightmare' later. Beware of this
check. Now... how to check damp? Good question. The damp can be in three
directions---roof, walls & floor. We generally look at the ceiling &
the walls and forget the floor. The easiest way to check floor-damp is to take
off your shoes & place your bare foot on the floor. If you get a wet
feeling, then look for patches on the floor, which might look like abstract
designs on the marble flooring, but it isn't. Generally floor-damps will slowly
spread to the wall too, so if there's some flaking of the paint near the
skirting of the floor, be rest assured.
4.
What has been used for waterproofing(if it's a penthouse or a villa)?
There
are plenty of chemical treatments available these days which can very well
protect the roof from excess heat, rainwater or water-logging at the roof. If
the construction company has used good materials in sufficient quantity in the
house/penthouse, no need to worry. But better check it than regret later. It's
quite expensive to do that up later from your own funds, so don't feel shy of
asking for the details!
5.
Is the paint on the wall fresh?
Though
it looks good & smells fresh, I'd like to play a devil's advocate here....
Is there anything that is being tried to be hidden from you? May be a patch on
the wall or just to make sure you like it instantly and don't ask many
questions? That designer-paint on the backdrop of the master bedroom should not
take so much of your breath away that you stop looking for what you have come
to see! You must not get carried away with the 'beauty' of the house. That
costs you nothing as against the price you're gonna pay!
6.
Is it carpeted or having wooden floor?
Many
modern day apartments are being sold with wall-to-wall carpets in study &
wooden floor in master bedroom. It enhances the charm of the house and makes it
look 'rich'. But please do the same act of barefoot checking on these two too,
especially if it looks as if the furnishing has been done recently(for the
purpose of the sale). You might discover the poor quality beneath the
rich-looking modern home!
7.
Check the plumbing. Open the taps.
Unused
plumbing is the most horrible thing a home can have. There could be clogging
of pipelines externally or internally, could be construction
debris stuck somewhere which might need complete renovation of those
pipelines, dead rodents contaminating water, building-management
company supplying dirty water in the commode, making the
sanitary-ware go badly damaged. There could be many issues. So, open all taps
to see what flows out & take precautionary actions before you decide to
buy.
8.
Quality & source of water-supply in the building & what's the water
pressure?
The
plumbing issue reminds me of another important issues in apartment complexes
these days- the water supply. Does the building have adequate supply of bore-well
ground-water or the building survive on water from the tankers which
is purchased everyday? Even if we don't like it, buying water has become a part
of life for all highrises across the country. Some cities like Kolkata, part of
Bangalore city & some South Delhi homes still get the 'corporation-water'
supply, but others will have to use the 'tanker-water' even in their swimming
pools! So, if you are getting attracted towards the jacuzzi in your master
bath, be sure also know what is the water pressure in your building,
specifically on your floor; else your health faucet may also not work, leave
alone the rain-shower! FYI, higher the floor, lesser the pressure. So, if this
is the most expensive penthouse you are looking at, the water-pressure is the
least!
9.
Garbage disposal facility
Waste
management is a science. Disposal of garbage in a
planned way is important for the environment as well as for healthy living. I
have homes in different cities and they all have different modes of management.
Some use different colours of buckets fororganic/hazardous/garden wastes,
some have only wet & dry garbage disposal facility. I am
sure this is evolving more every day and soon there will be different trucks
coming to each building from the city-garbage cleaning team to take different
types of garbage & we will be fined for non-compliance too!
So, please check what method & facility is being perused in this property,
which will give you a fair idea of how the people in this complex are, whether
progressive or not.
10.
Neighbouring area & notices inside or outside the building
While
going for the inspection, please stop talking on your mobile phone for office
work, or generally otherwise. When you are about half a kilometer away, start
observing the road, bus stops, market, pedestrians, trees, cleanliness, cars
plying around, plantation.... does it give you a homely feel? Do you
feel you belong to this area? Will you allow your teenage daughter to commute
alone? It might sound a little too much for you, but trust me when I
say, I have seen people renting/buying a lovely property & vacating/selling
it in less than six months as the 'neighbourhood didn't suit'! Check
specifically for any notices outside the building with any litigation/ lawsuit
number mentioned or notices inside the complex of some funny stuff like-'bicycle
missing', 'deposit unpaid-disconnection notice', 'nobody turned up for owners'
meeting', 'pay transfer charges to association before you rent/buy' etc.
These will give you a fair idea of how everybody else is living their lives
here, as well as of any hidden charges that may come up when you come here to
take possession!
11.
Sound-proofing & Dust-busters
Wanting
to buy that beautiful road-facing sunlit large apartment? Having dreams of
sitting on that wide balcony with a cup of ginger tea & teaching your
daughter for her maths exam? Expecting parents to enjoy the lovely afternoon
sun on the deck listening to old Gazals? Hey, first check out how noisy is that
place? Don't regret later. Even if the road is not that noisy today, if there's
a road widening on the cards & buses and trucks
are supposed to ply then how dusty will that be always? Will you have
the willingness to even step out on the balcony, or are you buying it for
the pigeons to have safe havens to lay eggs & dirty them?
Remember, you pay 100% of your square-foot cost for the balcony too! So,
check before you invest in it.
12.
How's the traffic during peak hours
It
must have taken you 30 minutes to drive to the property on a Sunday when
you inspected it, but will it take the same on your work-days? I'm
sure you don't want to be late in your office everyday or miss your TV serial
by half the showtime everyday waiting 100 meters away from home in the traffic
snarl! How stressful will that be if it happens to you everyday? So, check that
out too. Ask your colleagues who live nearby that property, about the bottlenecks &
take feedback. Or simply, try yourself once.
13.
See it once in daylight & once after dark; once during weekdays & once
on weekdays.
Don't
worry, it's not four, but two visits only if you plan it :) See it on a weekday
during daytime and on a holiday in the evening. Trust me, the colour of
the house, the light-fittings, the breeze, the mosquitoes, children paying on
the corridor/porch, the wait time of the lift.....everything changes! Experience
it before you decide.
14.
What facing is the house?
Though
I am personally not a believer of any methodology, but I believe that having
themorning sun in the house and the south-breeze is really good for
well-being. If you are a vaastu/feng shui believer, go ahead and check that out
too, for peace of your mind. Making peace with your own self & with family
who will live with you is important.
15.
Is your family liking the place?
While
inspecting the house, try to gaze the expression in your spouse,
parents & childrens' face too. You can quite understand whether
they are liking the place. After all, those non-working home-folks are
going to live here more than you will! Your wife will have to like the
kitchen & neighbourhood, your children will have to make friends here and
your parents should have same-age neighbours to chat with. I will ask you to
take one step further to check on the pet-policy of the building
too, if you own a cat/dog as there has been many issues around this.
Now, I just
hope I have not made your decision difficult. We are doing a simple discussion
here and if you wish, please do trash all my views and go ahead to buy what
your heart wants. We will see what happens next. Happy buying a new DREAM home!
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