Most people spend more time comparing floor plans and finishes than they do asking the questions that actually protect their money. That is understandable, since the emotional part of buying a home, imagining yourself living there, naturally comes first. But the questions below are the ones that determine whether the purchase goes smoothly or turns into a legal or financial headache later, and asking them before you pay a booking amount costs nothing except a little time.
Does the Project Have RERA Registration?
This is the first question, not an afterthought. The Real Estate Regulation and Development Act requires any project above a defined size to register with the state RERA authority before the builder can even market or sell it, and a registered project must disclose its approved layout, its committed possession timeline, and the carpet area figures its pricing is based on. As of RERA 2.0, which rolled out in early 2026, enforcement has tightened further, with a three-account payment structure that keeps a larger share of buyer funds locked into a project-specific escrow account under third-party audit, rather than left open to being redirected toward a builder’s other projects. Checking a project’s RERA registration number on the state portal takes a few minutes and tells you more about a builder’s legitimacy than any brochure will.
Is the Price Based on Carpet Area, Not Super Built-Up Area?
Under RERA, builders must quote and agree all pricing on carpet area, which is the actual usable floor space inside the flat, rather than super built-up area, which used to fold in a share of staircases, lobbies, and other common spaces that inflated the effective rate per square foot. If a builder or broker quotes a price without being able to clearly separate carpet area from super built-up area, that alone is worth treating as a warning sign, since it suggests either outdated practice or an attempt to make the price look lower than it functionally is.
Is the Title Clear and Free of Disputes?
This matters for every property, but it matters most for resale flats and older independent construction, where ownership has sometimes passed through inheritance, partial sales, or family settlements over the years. A lawyer should verify the chain of title going back several transactions, confirm there is no pending litigation or encumbrance on the property, and check that the seller actually has full and clear right to sell. Skipping this step to save a modest legal fee is one of the most common regrets buyers describe after the fact, and it is rarely worth the risk relative to what it costs to check.
What Is the Builder’s Actual Track Record?
A builder’s marketing materials will tell you about the project in front of you. What they usually will not volunteer is how their previous two or three projects performed on delivery timelines. It is worth asking directly, and independently checking through the RERA portal, whether earlier projects finished on schedule, and if not, how late they ran and how the builder handled buyer communication during that period. A pattern of repeated delays across multiple projects tells you far more than any individual sales pitch will.
What Does the All-In Cost Actually Look Like?
The quoted price per square foot is rarely the full picture. Stamp duty, registration charges, GST on under-construction property, home loan processing fees, an advance maintenance deposit, a one-time corpus fund contribution, and parking charges where the builder bills them separately can together add a meaningful amount on top of the headline price. Asking for a complete cost breakup in writing before booking, rather than discovering these charges one at a time as they come up, is the difference between a budget that holds and one that quietly overruns.
What Are the Ongoing Maintenance and Society Charges?
Beyond the one-time costs, it is worth asking what the builder expects the monthly or quarterly maintenance charge to be once the society is fully operational, and whether that figure comes from an actual estimate or a rough placeholder. Newer gated developments with extensive amenities such as a clubhouse, pool, or landscaped grounds tend to carry higher ongoing charges than a simpler building, which is worth factoring into the real, long-term cost of living there rather than just the purchase price.
How Will This Property Perform on Resale or Rental?
Even buyers who plan to live in a flat for decades benefit from thinking about its resale or rental profile from the start, since circumstances change more often than people expect. A well-located 2 or 3 BHK in a gated project with good connectivity will generally attract buyers and tenants faster than an unusual configuration or a project in a less accessible location, regardless of how nice the interiors are. Asking a broker or builder directly about recent resale activity and rental demand in the same project or locality gives a more honest picture than relying on the sales pitch alone.
What Happens if the Builder Delays Possession?
Under RERA, developers must commit to a possession date and owe compensation if they miss it, whether through a refund with interest or ongoing interest payments until they hand over possession. It is worth understanding exactly what the buyer agreement says about this before signing, since the specific terms and penalty structure can vary between builders even within the same broad legal framework. A builder who is reluctant to discuss this clause in detail is worth asking about twice.
Have You Actually Seen the Site, Not Just the Sample Flat?
Builders design sample flats to sell, and they are not always representative of what a specific unit or floor will actually look like once construction is complete. Visiting the actual site, checking the view from the specific floor and unit you are considering, and if possible speaking to residents already living in an earlier phase of the same project, gives a far more honest sense of what you are buying than a showroom experience ever will.
Getting the Right Answers Before You Commit
None of these questions aim to slow down a genuinely good purchase. They aim to make sure a good purchase stays good after you sign the paperwork. At Lali Properties, we walk clients through this exact list before every transaction, whether it is a first home or an investment property, because the buyers who ask these questions upfront are consistently the ones who look back on the purchase without regret.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the single most important question to ask before buying a flat? Confirming RERA registration is usually the most important starting point, since a registered project comes with legal disclosure requirements around carpet area, timelines, and escrow protection that an unregistered project simply does not have to meet.
What is the difference between carpet area and super built-up area? Carpet area is the actual usable floor space inside the flat, while super built-up area also includes a share of common spaces like lobbies and staircases. Under RERA, all pricing must be based on carpet area.
How can I check a builder’s track record before buying? The state RERA portal lists a builder’s registered projects along with their committed and actual possession timelines, which gives a more reliable picture than marketing materials alone.
What happens if a builder delays possession? Under RERA, developers must compensate buyers for delayed possession, typically through interest payments or the option of a refund with interest, depending on the terms in the buyer agreement.
Should I ask about resale value even if I plan to live in the flat long-term? Yes. Circumstances change over time, and a property’s resale and rental potential affects its long-term value even for buyers who have no immediate plans to sell.
