Home Sweet Home - Part II

My mom took a whole half a day to clean just the TV stand. She went to the extent of using the mud and dust collected as new mud for the potted plant. I jumped at the last minute to rescue the plant from an unintentional murder. Thats one of the biggest disadvantages of having your house near the city's main traffic road. By the time you finish cleaning your second room, the first room is already getting new visitors. The upside is that it keeps you busy and FIT :-)))

The advantage being
a) to get a 'balcony' view of all the accidents taking place in your area,
b) the metro-water carrying mobile murderer waking you up early in the morning and
c) all other licensed killers trying their best during the night.

If, on the other hand, your house is in a bit 'interior' in the area, then driving a car is seen as a scandulous act, given that the road size will be suitable to drive only a single auto. That this size is more than enough for two autos to drive side by side do speak volumes about the other biggest killer roaming free. This ones keeps you inside it and then transmogrifies itself into a 007's support vehicle.

Its a trade-off with regards to the location of the house. A flat system I saw recently is being built in the middle of a once(read recently)-flourishing lake. Hence, the path to the construction site is worse than a WRC course. Of course, the builder will be giving you access with tarred roads. But be sure, he isn't going to spend it from his pocket. Rest assured that the extra amenities in that house will be costing heavens.

Lands purchased near industrial areas do have their set of pros and cons. Pro being that the land value will be a bit cheaper when it comes to building a residential flat. The obvious con being the noise and the culture of the area. Industrial areas
do deliver their part in contaminating the ground water, though not to the extent the corporation does. After all, its their cup of tea (or s***). You cant beat them at their own game.

Houses near the beach in Chennai do cost more with the advantage of getting a good view of the sea and receiving the lion's share of the cool sea breeze. In hindsight, the salt acts as the cigarette of the house. It slowly and surely damages the strucutural strength of the house. Though you won't be short of ground water, you dont always get 'touchable' or edible' ground water there.

Contd . . .

Home Sweet Home - Part I

A lot many people have asked me to write a blog (well, not actually write one.. but rather enquired about) relating to purchasing a house. Being the 'nice' guy I am, I decided to put down in ones and zeros the "training" I underwent in buying a house.

Two choices. Its either a flat or an individual home. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Buying an individual house in madras automatically shoots ur rating to the caliber of the president of a 'billion dollar asset' company. Apart from being the "King of your country" status,you can expect no more than a penny of help from our government regarding practically everything, starting from water to theft in your kingdom. But, its YOUR kingdom. You get to do what you want. You can have your bedroom "vasthoooed" and shift it two inches towards nearest man-hole in the road, because its the place to BE. ( Ask the vasthu consultant - he will clearly tell you that the man-hole was fully vaasthu-level 5 compliant ). In Chennai, a normal individual house (along with the cost of the land) comes to a nominal rate of 30-40 lakhs.

If you prefer the second option, but are a president of a 'billion dollar asset' company, then you have those builders who are always ready to provide you with the 'nominal' rate luxury apartments. An average 2 bedroom house from a decent builder costs anwhere between 10 lakhs to 18 lakhs, depending on the location, the builder, the facilities he builder gives and availability of "tidel park", mahindra city, school, bus stand, etc.. etc...

Some of the basic requirements I would cover when looking for a house are,
a) Who's the builder.
If you have a 2 ground land, you are a builder. Too many builders are mushrooming all over madras that the ant population is feeling the heat of this growth rate. One concerned ant leader expressed concern over his colony having had to move to many different places to "colonise" new areas in a very short time duration.

As a potential house owner, you deserve the right to see the original document of the purchase of the land where the flat is being built. Always make sure that the document does not contain any 'villangam', or the illegality state.

For the rookie, here goes; Any land coming under the corporation/municipality will be covered by a survery number. take the example below.

.

The concerned land where we are going to build our flat is 130. The first survey information will go somewhat like this... "the specified land with survey no. 130 is surrounded by 129 to the north, 128 to the north-east, 127 to the east... etc covering all other survey numbers which surround yours.

From the date of first survey of the land (which will sometimes date back to the early 1900s) to this date, the survey number will be the same. It may have changed hands umpteen number of times before it reached your builder. Make sure that nowhere in between the first and the last transaction, the land (survey number) has not been modified or cut into two and sold, and or no missing link of purchase is there. The current purchaser should have purchased the proper survey numbered land (the land which he would have showed you) without any hassles or 'villangam'. If there is even a small hitch to it, you can trust yourself to expect trouble.

to be contd...