House hunting adventures in Bangalore - 2

In our search for our dream home, well we certainly saw a lot of places. Out of every 10 homes we saw in a fortnight, we probably liked 2. Dont despair, some people find a place and like it and sign it immediateley - Remember they are an exception and NOt the rule.


You might wonder if your agent have some quota of places he needs to show in a day and is that he is showing you a few crappy ones too. Be firm and state what you don't want to waste your time looking at stuff which is not in your criteria. 


As we dont have any HGTV in India, most apartments/houses are very very poorly staged. So its very important to like what you see because of what you think it can become in the future. Worst are places where current tenants maintain the home like a sewer!

1. A few homes we saw and liked had some super master bedrooms but a galley like kitchen. In our homes we dont have maids to do the cooking. It is a joint activity. So our Kitchen criteria was something with a lot of work space. Say in case two women-(imagine that) are in the kitchen.
2. Make a list of who all are going to stay in your apartment/house. If there are elderly, be sure NOT to choose too many split levels -as these are sure  traps for having a fall.
3. Ensure the bathrooms are well lit/roomy/dry and elderly/child friendly too. Not all guests/visitors leave bathrooms dry like you might want to, so ensure that is taken care of in the guest/common bathroom.
4. Look for places that dont require too much re-modelling. Sometimes one man's treasure is another man's trash. We were keen to buy an empty shell if the wood work was not up to the mark in most places. 
5. Remember that most sellers who bought their place for investment, and have tenants currently, would have compromised on the interior work with some cheap woodwork. 
6. Do a little home work around the society/gated community you are targeting. Are those sports/gym etc actually working? 
7. What is the cost of maintenance?(some places have a higher maintenance charge)Dont forget to factor that in, as it will add to your monthly expense along with your EMIs.
8. We made a mistake of making just some perfunctory queries thro our agent, who ill advised that some known tenant in the same property said "they had absolutely no problems". 
9. What we overlooked was the gym had stuff which was not working, a swimming pool that was redundant, water issues that were being addressed by the committee and so on..
10. Also a good idea is to figure out what are the rules of the committee,the charges etc. We for one had to struggle while doing up our interiors -as the rules of work timing/workers staying in property changed all the time. 
11. These are things that might have become clear had we introduced ourselves to the committee instead of the builder.
12. Find out the water situation, example we didnt know that after HAL there was no Kaveri drinking water. We have borewells that are treated with Reverse Osmosis.
13. Check the common areas and how they are maintained. 

There are pros and cons with large apartment complexes. 

1. Ask yourself if your kids need a larger play area, and more friends/people to hang out with - a larger apartment complex helps that. 
2. Imagine in a smaller complex if you didn't get along with your  US returned, always-complaining-about-everything-neighbours, well you are stuck aren't you ? But the flip side is its also cosy and you get to know everyone intimately(Maybe a con for some)
3. We zeroed in on an eco friendly building complex which was not ostentatious to look at, and had a very earthy feel to it. It also had fewer buildings/villas and thats why seemed less crowded. 
4. A smaller apartment complex is good if you dont want the crowd and the whole beehive look of the residential property. 
5. Selling and buying property in large complexes would be easier as they are differentiated on price and value addition done.
6. Larger complexes have a good supply demand of work force and prices can be kept optimum esp for domestic help, gardeners, car washers, dog walkers etc..Might not have the same luxury in smaller residential areas.
7. Do check proximity to markets, schools, public transport. Places that are away from the noise/well secluded have the issue of planning your outings/errands due to distance.

So choose whatever appeals to you and your family. Think long term. These are expensive decisions and cannot be changed overnight.