What to check on a site visit (that the sales team won't show you)

A site visit usually goes the same way. You're met at the gate, walked to the sample flat, shown the clubhouse render and then sat down to talk about the booking amount. Ninety minutes later you've seen a lot and checked very little.

The sample flat is built to sell. It has better fittings, no walls where the beams run, and furniture sized to make rooms look bigger. Look at it, but don't decide on it.

Go to the actual tower

Ask to see the tower your flat would be in, even if it's half built. Things to look at:

• Which way the flat faces. Morning sun or afternoon heat makes a real difference in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
• What's next door. A vacant plot today can be a 20-storey building in four years. Ask what it's zoned for.
• The view from your floor, not from the top-floor sample.
• Distance from the main road, the DG sets and the sewage plant. Noise and smell don't show up in brochures.

Check the build, not the finish

Finishes can be fixed later. Structure can't.

• Walk the common corridors and staircases. Cracks, damp patches and uneven floors in a new building are a warning.
• Look at the ceiling height in a real unit. Sample flats sometimes hide a lower ceiling with lighting.
• If there's an earlier phase that's already occupied, go and see it. Talk to a resident if you can. That's the best preview of what you're buying.

Time the drive

Do the visit on a weekday, at the time you'd actually leave for work. "20 minutes to the tech park" on a Sunday morning can be 55 on a Tuesday.

Ask these before you leave

1. What's the RERA registration number, and what completion date does it show?
2. How many units are sold in this tower?
3. Has this builder delivered a project late before? By how much?
4. What does the price include, in writing?
5. Who maintains the building after handover, and at what rate?

Write the answers down. If someone won't give them to you, that's an answer too.

We go on site visits with buyers all the time, and we know what to look for. If you'd like someone along on yours, tell us when you're going.