A free home-buying guide from Sachi
Learn, then buy your Bangalore home
Run the checks on the documents, costs and decisions behind a new home, one short guide at a time. Read at your own pace. No signup needed.
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The buying journey
Follow the home-buying journey
Start with the basics, check the project and builder, understand the money, then follow the process through possession. Open a step to see every check in order.
Step 1: Check the basics Basics of buying a new home The words builders use, the areas you pay for, and what goes into the full price of a new flat. 12 guides Open this step
- 1.1 Read the guide
Property, unit, configuration: the words builders use
What property, unit, configuration and BHK mean in a builder's brochure.
- 1.2 Read the guide
Carpet, built-up, super built-up: what you pay for
The three area figures in a brochure, and which one RERA makes the builder quote.
- 1.3 Read the guide
Loading %: compute it from a brochure
How to work out the loading factor from the carpet and super built-up areas.
- 1.4 Read the guide
UDS (undivided share of land) and why it matters
What your share of the land is, where to find it, and why it matters later.
- 1.5 Read the guide
Under construction vs ready to move (from the builder)
The trade-offs in price, risk, tax and timing between the two.
- 1.6 Read the guide
Apartment vs villa vs plotted development
How the three product types differ in ownership, cost and upkeep.
- 1.7 Read the guide
The full price sheet: base price, PLC, floor rise, parking, club, deposits
Every line on a builder's cost sheet, and which ones are negotiable.
- 1.8 Read the guide
Buying a new flat in Bangalore as an NRI
FEMA rules, payment routes, NRI home loans and power of attorney for a new flat.
- 1.9 Read the guide
Apartment types: studio, duplex, penthouse and builder floor
What each flat type means in a Bangalore project, and what to check before you pay extra for it.
- 1.10 Read the guide
Area converter: sq ft, sq m, gunta, cent and acre
Convert any area between the units used in brochures, RERA filings and land records.
- 1.11 Read the guide
BDA flats and sites: buying from the government authority
How BDA housing schemes allot flats and sites, who can apply, and what to check before you pay.
- 1.12 Read the guide
PLC, FRC, IDC and other charges on a price sheet
What each short code on a builder's price sheet means, and which charges RERA lets the builder collect.
Step 2: Check the legal and approvals Legal and approvals RERA, K-RERA, khata, approvals, OC and CC, and the documents you sign from agreement to registration. 16 guides Open this step
- 2.1 Read the guide
What RERA protects, and what it does not
What the RERA Act covers for a buyer, and the gaps it leaves.
- 2.2 Read the guide
How to read a K-RERA project page (live walkthrough)
A walkthrough of a Karnataka RERA project page, field by field.
- 2.3 Read the guide
A khata, B khata, e-khata for new projects
What each khata means for a new flat in Bangalore, and how e-khata works.
- 2.4 Read the guide
Approvals chain: BDA / BMRDA / BBMP / panchayat, plan sanction
Which authority approves what, from land conversion to plan sanction.
- 2.5 Read the guide
OC and CC: possession, loans, and resale later
What the occupancy and completion certificates are, and why both matter.
- 2.6 Read the guide
JD (joint development) projects: landowner share and risk
How joint development works, and the risks for a buyer in the landowner's share.
- 2.7 Read the guide
Agreement for sale: clauses to read before signing
The clauses in an agreement for sale to read before you sign.
- 2.8 Read the guide
Registration day at the sub-registrar office
What happens on registration day, and what to carry.
- 2.9 Read the guide
Encumbrance certificate: what it shows and how to get it
What an EC records, how to get it on Kaveri 2.0, and what it does not show.
- 2.10 Read the guide
A khata vs B khata: what the difference means for a buyer
How A khata and B khata differ, and why a new flat needs an A khata.
- 2.11 Read the guide
Title deed verification: check the land title
How to check the builder's title to the project land: deeds, RTC, mutation and EC.
- 2.12 Read the guide
BDA, BMRDA, BIAAPA or GBA: which authority approved it
Which planning authority covers a project location, and how to check it on K-RERA.
- 2.13 Read the guide
RTC and pahani: check the land record of a project
Read the RTC, mutation register, 11E sketch and Dishank map for the land under a project.
- 2.14 Read the guide
Kaveri 2.0: EC, market value and registration online
Use Kaveri 2.0 to get an encumbrance certificate, check guidance value and book the registration of your sale deed.
- 2.15 Read the guide
e-Swathu and e-Aasthi: khata for projects outside GBA limits
Which khata a project in a gram panchayat or town council gets, and how to check it.
- 2.16 Read the guide
FSI and FAR in Bangalore: how much a builder can build
What floor area ratio means, who sets it in Bangalore, and how it shapes the density of a project.
Step 3: Check the money Money What you can afford, how home loans work, payment plans, and the taxes and charges on a new home. 18 guides Open this step
- 3.1 Read the guide
How much home you can afford (EMI to income)
How EMI is calculated, and how much of your income it can safely take.
- 3.2 Read the guide
Home loans: fixed vs floating, how banks set your rate, project approval by banks
How home loan rates are set, fixed vs floating, and why bank approval of a project matters.
- 3.3 Read the guide
Payment plans: construction-linked, 20:80, subvention, and their risks
How the common payment plans work, and the risk each one moves onto you.
- 3.4 Read the guide
Stamp duty and registration charges in Karnataka
The stamp duty and registration charges on a new flat in Karnataka, with a calculator.
- 3.5 Read the guide
GST on under-construction homes
When GST applies to a new flat, and when it does not.
- 3.6 Read the guide
Tax benefits on a home loan (sections 80C, 24(b))
The income tax deductions on home loan principal and interest.
- 3.7 Read the guide
Recurring costs: maintenance, corpus fund, property tax
The costs that continue after possession, including property tax in Bangalore.
- 3.8 Read the guide
TDS on property purchase: the 1 percent rule
When the buyer must deduct TDS on a new flat, and how to pay and report it.
- 3.9 Read the guide
Guidance value in Bangalore: how to check it
What guidance value is, how to look it up, and why it sets the floor for stamp duty.
- 3.10 Read the guide
Home loan eligibility: how much a bank will lend
How banks size a home loan: income, RBI loan-to-value limits, credit score and documents.
- 3.11 Read the guide
PMAY-U 2.0: who gets the home loan subsidy
The PMAY-U 2.0 interest subsidy: income bands, the ₹35 lakh house value cap and how to apply.
- 3.12 Read the guide
Tripartite agreement: buyer, builder and bank
What the buyer-builder-bank agreement on an under-construction flat commits you to.
- 3.13 Read the guide
Home loan sanction letter to disbursement
The home loan steps after you apply: sanction letter, KFS, agreement and disbursement.
- 3.14 Read the guide
Home insurance and home loan insurance: what you need
What property insurance and loan-linked life cover protect, and whether a bank can make you buy them.
- 3.15 Read the guide
Home loan documents and CIBIL score: what banks check
The papers a bank asks for, how a credit score affects the loan, and what pre-approval gives you.
- 3.16 Read the guide
Home loan prepayment and balance transfer
When paying early or moving your loan to another bank saves money, and what RBI says about charges.
- 3.17 Read the guide
Section 54: capital gains tax when you sell to buy a new flat
How the exemption works when you sell a house and buy or build another, under the old and new Income-tax Acts.
- 3.18 Read the guide
Rent vs buy in Bangalore: how to compare the costs
The costs on each side, the numbers to plug in, and when renting longer can make sense.
Step 4: Check the builder Judging a builder How to check a builder's delivery record, RERA progress, complaints and older projects. 5 guides Open this step
- 4.1 Read the guide
Delivery track record: promised vs actual dates
How to compare a builder's promised and actual completion dates.
- 4.2 Read the guide
RERA quarterly progress: read it, spot a stall
How to read RERA quarterly progress reports and spot a stalled project.
- 4.3 Read the guide
Complaints and litigation: where to look
Where to find RERA complaints and court cases against a builder.
- 4.4 Read the guide
Builder grades and size vs risk
What builder grades mean, and how size relates to risk.
- 4.5 Read the guide
Visiting a builder's 3 to 5 year old project
What an older project tells you about how a builder builds and maintains.
Step 5: Check the location Judging a location How to compare Bangalore micromarkets, infrastructure promises, water and flood risk, rent and commute. 5 guides Open this step
- 5.1 Read the guide
Bangalore micromarkets: how to compare them
A way to compare Bangalore micromarkets on price, access and supply.
- 5.2 Read the guide
Infrastructure timelines: metro, roads, how often they slip
How to read promised metro and road timelines, and how often they slip.
- 5.3 Read the guide
Water, flooding, lake buffer zones
How to check water supply, flood risk and lake buffer zones for a project.
- 5.4 Read the guide
Rental yield and future resale liquidity
How to estimate rental yield and how easy the flat will be to sell later.
- 5.5 Read the guide
Commute math: the peak-hour test drive
How to test the real commute from a project at peak hour.
Step 6: Check the project and the unit Judging the project and the unit How to read masterplans, tower plans and unit plans, and what to check on a site visit. 7 guides Open this step
- 6.1 Read the guide
Reading a masterplan: density, open space, tower spacing
How to read a project masterplan for density, open space and tower spacing.
- 6.2 Read the guide
Reading a tower plan: units per floor, lift ratio, corridors
How to read a tower plan for units per floor, lifts and corridors.
- 6.3 Read the guide
Reading a unit plan: room sizes, wasted area, ventilation
How to read a unit floor plan for room sizes, wasted area and ventilation.
- 6.4 Read the guide
Facing, floor choice, and vastu (what is fact, what is preference)
What facing, floor and vastu change in practice, and what is preference.
- 6.5 Read the guide
Amenities: what you will use vs what you pay for
How to judge amenities by what you will use and what they cost to run.
- 6.6 Read the guide
Site visit checklist for an under-construction project
What to check on a site visit to an under-construction project.
- 6.7 Read the guide
Stilt, podium and basement parking: what you get
The parking types in a new project, how car parks are allotted, and what RERA says about selling them.
Step 7: Check the pre-launch, EOI and launch terms Pre-launch, EOI and launch buying What pre-launch, EOI and launch mean, when your money stops being refundable, and how launch prices move. 5 guides Open this step
- 7.1 Read the guide
Pre-launch vs EOI vs launch: what each stage means
What each stage before a launch means for your money and your rights.
- 7.2 Read the guide
EOI terms: refundability and price at reveal (an EOI is never RERA'd yet)
What an EOI is, when it is refundable, and how the price is set at reveal.
- 7.3 Read the guide
Allotment letter: where your money stops being refundable
What an allotment letter commits you to, and what you lose if you cancel.
- 7.4 Read the guide
Launch offers and price ladders: how builders move price by phase
How builders price launch phases, and how to read a launch offer.
- 7.5 Read the guide
Negotiating with a builder: what is negotiable, what is not
Which parts of a builder's price and terms can move, and which cannot.
Step 8: Check booking to possession Booking to possession Booking amounts, tracking construction, your rights on delays, and the checks at handover. 9 guides Open this step
- 8.1 Read the guide
Booking amount and cancellation charges
What the booking amount covers, and the charges if you cancel.
- 8.2 Read the guide
Tracking construction after you book
How to track construction progress after you book.
- 8.3 Read the guide
Delays: your RERA rights and the complaint route
Your rights under RERA when possession is late, and how to complain.
- 8.4 Read the guide
Possession: OC check, snag list, handover documents
The checks and documents at possession, including the snag list.
- 8.5 Read the guide
Khata transfer and association formation
How to move the khata to your name and form the owners' association.
- 8.6 Read the guide
Possession letter: what it must say
What a possession letter is, how it differs from the OC, and what to collect with it.
- 8.7 Read the guide
Deed of declaration and the owners' association
The deed of declaration under the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, and why your association depends on it.
- 8.8 Read the guide
Corpus fund and maintenance charges: when they reach the association
What the builder collects for maintenance and a corpus fund, and when it must hand them over.
- 8.9 Read the guide
Conveyance deed for a new flat in Karnataka
The deed that transfers the flat and the land share to you, and the builder's duty under RERA.
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Resale homes: coming soon · Buying a flat from its current owner.
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