A brochure shows the best side of a project. A site visit shows the rest. For a first home, it is the most useful hour or two you will spend before you pay anything. It is also easy to waste: a friendly sales team, a lovely show flat and a cup of coffee can fill the whole visit without you checking much. Here is a step-by-step plan, from before you leave home to the week after.
Before you go
- Look up the RERA registration. Karnataka's RERA website lists registered projects. Note the registration number, the promoter's name and the completion date the promoter has declared.
- Read the project's filings. The RERA page usually carries the approved plans and quarterly progress updates.
- Plan the timing. Go at the time you would actually commute, at least once.
- Write your questions down. You will forget them once you are inside.
- Take a second person. One of you talks, the other notes and photographs.
- Pack simple tools: a measuring tape, a phone compass and a notebook.
On the way
Notice the road, the traffic and how long it takes from your office. Look for schools, hospitals, shops and public transport nearby. Check the last kilometre: is the approach road paved, lit and wide enough for two cars? This is your daily life, not just a weekend view.
At the site
- Progress: does the work match what the builder claims and what the RERA update says?
- Quality: look at the finishing in the show flat, but ask about the actual specification too.
- Light and air: use the phone compass to see which way homes face and how much light they get.
- Density: how many homes share each lift, the parking and the open space?
- Water and power: ask about the water source, storage and power backup.
- Site safety: a well-run site has barricades, helmets and clear walkways. It says something about how the builder works.
Inside the show flat
A show flat is built to impress. Use it to judge layout and finish, but measure it. Check that the room sizes match the plan for your unit, and ask which fittings are standard and which are upgrades. Open wardrobes, taps and windows. Note anything marked "for display only".
A worked example: reading the cost sheet (illustrative)
Ask for an itemised cost sheet and add it up yourself. A made-up sheet might look like this:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cost of the flat | ₹70,00,000 |
| Car park | ₹2,00,000 |
| Other charges (power, water, legal) | ₹1,50,000 |
| GST (illustrative figure; ask for the notified rate) | ₹3,67,500 |
| Corpus and advance maintenance | ₹1,00,000 |
| Total before stamp duty | ₹78,17,500 |
The "headline price" was ₹70 lakh; the sheet comes to over ₹78 lakh before stamp duty and registration. All figures here are illustrative. Ask the builder for the rate and how it is applied on your sheet. The habit to build is simple: never compare projects on the headline. Compare the totals.
Questions to ask the sales team
- What is the carpet area of this unit, as defined under RERA?
- Can I have an itemised cost sheet, including GST and all charges?
- What is the payment schedule, and is it linked to construction stages?
- Which banks have approved the project for home loans?
- When will the residents' association be formed, and when is the common area handed over?
- What is the expected monthly maintenance charge, and from when?
Papers to ask for
- A copy of the draft agreement for sale
- Approved plans and the RERA registration certificate
- The specification sheet
- The floor plan of your actual unit, with dimensions
Common mistakes first-time buyers make
- Booking on the first visit. Special "today only" offers are a sales tool. A good project will be there next week.
- Visiting only on a weekend. Traffic, noise and water tankers look different on a weekday.
- Not checking the RERA page. It takes ten minutes and tells you more than the brochure.
- Forgetting to photograph. Photos of the site, the approach road and the show flat help you compare later.
- Paying a large token. Under section 13(1) of RERA, a builder cannot take more than ten per cent of the cost before a registered agreement for sale. A small token is enough.
After the visit
- Write down your impressions the same evening.
- Add up the cost sheet and compare it with your budget.
- Read the draft agreement for sale at home.
- Visit once more, at a different time of day.
- Talk to your family before you pay anything.
A good builder will give you time.
Talking to residents
If the builder has a completed project nearby, visit it. Residents will tell you things no brochure will: how quickly defects were fixed, whether the water held up in summer, how handover to the association went and what maintenance really costs. Ask politely at the gate or the association office. Even two short conversations are worth an hour of sales talk.
Visiting with family
If parents or in-laws will live with you, take them on the second visit. Check lifts, ramps, handrails and the distance from parking to the lift. If you have young children, look at the play area, the boundary walls and how cars move inside the campus.
Reading the RERA progress update
Promoters of registered projects must upload quarterly updates on the RERA website under section 11 of the Act. Compare the latest one with what you see. If the update says the tenth floor slab is done and you can count only seven, ask why. A small gap may have a simple reason; a large one needs a clear answer.
Thinking about the loan on the visit
Ask which banks have already approved the project. An approval means the bank's own lawyers and engineers have looked at it, which makes your loan faster. It is a useful check, not a guarantee. Keep your own documents ready too: salary slips, bank statements and identity proof.
Keep a simple visit log
Use one page per project: date, time, commute minutes, the unit you saw, the cost-sheet total and three things you liked or disliked. After three or four visits, memories blur. A log turns a confusing month of weekends into a clear side-by-side comparison you can share with family.
Your site visit checklist
- RERA number checked before the visit
- Commute timed at peak hour
- Approach road and last kilometre seen
- Show flat measured against your unit's plan
- Itemised cost sheet collected and totalled
- Draft agreement, plans and specification taken home
- Second visit planned
If you are looking at Sarjapur–Attibele Road, you can ask us anything about The Shalott Marque. Call +91 91838 91839 to plan a walk-through; price is on request.