his was my second serious stint at house hunting.
Don't get me wrong. I am not fortunate (or rich enough) to own two homes. This time, I was doing it for someone else, my mother.
And I have to say, I learnt a lot this time.
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The more plush the apartment, the fewer the buyers!
My father passed away recently and my mother began to say that the house made her feel really lonely. She complained it was full of memories and too big for one person.
My sister and I could not disagree. It was a huge spacious three bedroom apartment. So we all decided to sell it and move her into a smaller house.
But would we get a buyer?
Let me explain why we were doubtful.
The apartment was in a plush suburb in Mumbai and, being on the seventh floor, each and every room (including the kitchen) had a view of the sea.
After doing the rounds, we put the value of the apartment at Rs 1.5 crore (Rs 10.5 million).
The broker told us we would definitely get corporates willing to lease it out. But we needed to buy another apartment for my mother. So a sale it would have to be.
People came and went and, finally, a Non-Resident Indian bought it.
That settled, we now focused on buying a new home.
Let me share my experience with you. It may just help you in your house hunt.
Questions to answer before you start
I have listed down three that you must answer even before you start looking at potential homes.
Once you are clear on these, you will be in a better position to evaluate apartments within your budget and liking.
Also, you -- and your broker -- will save a lot of time and energy in looking at apartments that are not to your liking or within your budget.
1. What is the space you are looking at?
The first thing I would advise potential home seekers is to decide on how big an apartment you need. Is it going to be two or three bedrooms?
This helps the broker shortlist the right ones.
If you have an area in mind, say 800 square feet, you could tell the broker you do not mind a spacious one-bedroom either.
Give him something to start with.
We had decided on a two-bedroom apartment for our mother since three was too big and a one-bedroom would be rather inconvenient when family decided to stay over.
2. What will you not compromise on?
A friend of mine would not look at any apartment that was on the second floor or below.
Some cannot do without a balcony.
Inform your broker about these decisions. He will ensure that he does not waste your time looking at apartments that do not fit the bill.
While we did not insist on a balcony, we were sure that we wanted an apartment with huge windows (or at least those that gave an option for renovation to put in huge windows).
My mother loves a room full of windows and lace curtains.
And, yes, we wanted the apartment to have great ventilation. That is why it helps to take a round of the apartments in daylight. You can see the amount of sunlight one gets or if the house is too dark.
If you are working, try and take a day or two off. Visiting apartments after sunset will not give you a clear idea.
3. Which locality are you eyeing?
This will depend on your budget and the facilities you are looking for in the neighbourhood.
While young couples generally look at a school nearby and the accessibility to the main road and market, we did not need any of those.
We wanted an apartment in the vicinity where my mother was currently staying. Since my mother was familiar with the surroundings, we wanted her to be there.
You may make a compromise here if your budget is not large. You may want an apartment in a great locality, but may just not be able to afford it.
Once again, we never had that problem. Since my mother's apartment fetched her a cool Rs 1.5 crore (Rs 10.5 million), we knew we could get a smaller apartment in the same locality.
In doing the rounds, we realised that two-bedroom apartments would cost us between Rs 80 lakh (Rs 8 million) and Rs 85 lakh (Rs 8.5 million), and they would need a fair amount of renovation.
But our broker did show us a rather nice apartment of three-bedrooms going only for Rs 75 lakh (Rs 7.5 million).
The reason? It was a TDR structure. This refers to Transferable Development Rights and permits existing buildings to further build on their current structure.
But we did not like the surroundings -- my mother would have found it very noisy and, yes, it was rather distant from her familiar neighbourhood.
Now get specific
Once you have answered the above three questions, your broker will take you on the rounds.
This time, shift your focus to the place you want to make your home.
1. Are you happy with the layout?
Visualise yourself in the apartment. It helps a great deal.
Do you see yourself here? Would you be able to redo the apartment to suit your taste? Can you see yourself making a home in this place?
We tried to visualise our mother in each and every room. Would she like the bedroom? Would she like the hall? Would she be able to renovate it to her taste?
We also took a careful look at the state of the apartment. The wiring, the paint job, the plaster, the tiling, the number of taps, and such details.
The reason: if the apartment needed a lot of renovation, we might be able to bargain for a lesser rate.
2. Are you concerned about the state of the building?
Does the building look like it will collapse any moment? Are the pillars cracking? When was the last time it was renovated and painted? Is the staircase clean?
If it has been done up recently, great. If they plan to do it in the future, you may have to pay for it.
In my mother's case, we also took a look at the security. Would it be provided 24 hours? Was there a garden in the premises where she could come down to?
Try and talk to the neighbours. Do they face any water problem? Is there any litigation going on in the society?
So much for practicality!
Now is the time to shortlist.
After looking at a number of apartments, we finally zeroed in on two. Let us call them Apartment A and B.
Apartment A had a lesser area than the other and the building was not as impressive. It also needed more renovation than Apartment B.
Naturally, Apartment B was the preferred one.
It was time to take our mother for a visit to make the final call.
We visited Apartment B first. My mother was silent.
My sister and I exchanged worried looks. If she was not happy with the 'most preferred option', what chance did we have with the other?
The moment we entered the premises of the society of Apartment A, she said, "I like the feeling I get here." Encouraged, we all went up.
After going around the house, she had made up her mind. This was to be her home.
When we were out, I could not resist asking her why she preferred this over the other.
"I liked the layout, the way the rooms were linked to one another. I looked out of the window and I could see a lovely tree. This is the home I would love to come home to," was her reply.
So next time you go house hunting, be practical but also give room for your feelings. After all, buying a home is as emotional as it is financial and practical.
And one last bit of advice: once you zero in your apartment, don't waste any time. The rates are shooting up.
We sold the apartment in March and, had we waited till now, we would have got Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) more. That's right. It is now valued at Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million).
Do you, dear reader, have a house-hunting experience to share with us? Do you have tips to suggest? Please write to us. We would love to hear from you!
The rates mentioned here pertain to this buyer and are specific to a suburb in Mumbai. They need not be reflective of the real estate rates in the country.
