What first-time homebuyers in Hyderabad usually miss

Most first-time buyers in Hyderabad who regret a purchase were not cheated. They decided in a hurry, on a show flat and an EMI figure, and found the gaps after they moved in. These are the ones we see most often.

Choosing the location on price alone

A flat that is cheaper because it is far from your office stops being cheap once you count the commute. Buyers stretch to distant areas where the roads and services are still coming up, and the commute and transport costs wear them down within a year.

Areas close to the established job corridors, such as HITEC City, the Financial District, Gachibowli and Uppal, cost more to enter. They are also easier to live in and, in our experience, easier to resell. Shortlist only the places you can commute from every working day.

Budgeting on the EMI alone

The EMI is one part of what you will pay. Before you fix a budget, add:

• Stamp duty, transfer duty and registration, about 6% of the property value in urban Telangana
• GST on an under-construction flat: 5%, or 1% if it qualifies as affordable housing. A completed flat with its completion certificate carries none
• Parking and the maintenance deposit
• Interiors and moving costs

Keep some money aside after all of this. Buyers who spend everything by possession day are under strain from the first month. Our guide to GST, stamp duty and registration has the full working.

Legal checks buyers skip

A well-known builder lowers your risk. It does not remove it. Check these yourself, or better, pay an independent property lawyer to do it.

• Title. Who owns the land, and how did it come to them? Even large projects have had land disputes that held up the occupancy certificate or a later resale.
• Approvals. Ask for the sanctioned plan and building permission instead of taking the sales team's word.
• RERA registration. Under the RERA Act, a project on more than 500 sq m of land or with more than eight apartments has to be registered before it is sold. Look the project up on the Telangana RERA portal (rera.telangana.gov.in) and compare what is filed there with what you were told.
• Undivided share of land (UDS). This is your share of the land the building stands on. Buyers ask about carpet area and forget UDS, but it affects long-term value and what you get if the building is ever redeveloped.
• Promises. Your parking slot, any storage space and your access to amenities must be written into the agreement and the registered sale deed. A promise made only on a site visit is very hard to enforce.

RERA registration makes a project more transparent. It does not check the title for you.

Buying on emotion

A first home is an emotional purchase, and sales teams know it. The show flat and the clubhouse renders do more selling than the location does. Then comes the push: "last unit", "price goes up next week". Treat every deadline of that kind as a reason to slow down. Walking away from one deal costs you far less than living with a bad one.

On a site visit, check the dull things. How noisy is it? How much sunlight does the flat get, how many flats share each lift, and what is the approach road like?

Three Hyderabad-specific checks

• Water. Many new projects depend on tankers. Ask what the long-term water source is, not only how it is managed today.
• Planned infrastructure. A road, metro line or flyover that is still a proposal should not be the only reason you buy somewhere.
• Maintenance. Charges in gated communities go up as a project ages. Ask what residents of the builder's older projects pay now.

Ready or under construction

A ready or nearly finished flat carries less risk. Buy under construction only if the approvals are in place and your finances can absorb a delay, because you may be paying rent and EMI together for longer than planned.

If you want a second opinion on a project or a cost sheet before you book, book a call with a relai advisor. It is free for buyers.