From deciding a budget to collecting the keys, the stages of a purchase and what to do at each.
The price on a listing is not the amount you will pay. Add stamp duty and registration, the loan's processing fee, any parking or club charges, and the cost of moving in. Then work back from what you can pay each month without strain.
A common rule of thumb is that all your loan repayments together should stay within about 40 per cent of your take-home income. It is a guide, not a promise from any lender, but it is a sensible ceiling to plan under.
Ask a bank for an in-principle sanction early. It tells you the loan you can expect and lets you negotiate with a seller from a position of certainty. It is not final until the property itself has been checked by the lender.
Photographs and plans flatter. Visit at the time of day you would be home, check the water, the noise, the road outside and how long the real journey to work takes. For a project that is still being built, visit the site and ask what stage it has reached against what was promised.
Ask for the documents first and pay only once you are satisfied. The guide on documents to check lists what to ask for, and for a new project the guide on RERA explains how to look a registration up.
A booking amount reserves the home; the agreement to sell sets out the price, the payment schedule, the possession date and what happens if either side is late. Read it fully, and have it read by a lawyer if you are unsure of any clause. On a completed home the sale is finished by registering the deed with the sub-registrar after paying stamp duty.
Before taking the keys, walk through with the agreement and the approved plan in hand. Note defects in writing, check the meters and fittings, and collect the completion or occupancy certificate and the society's no-dues letter where they apply.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ between states and change over time, so confirm the details that matter to you with a qualified professional or the authority concerned before you act.