The First-Time Home Buyer’s Checklist

Start with affordability, not aspiration. Fix a total budget that includes stamp duty, registration, interiors and a contingency — then let that number filter your search, not the other way round.

Get a home-loan pre-approval early. It tells you exactly how much a lender will fund, strengthens your negotiating position, and surfaces any credit issues while you still have time to fix them.

Shortlist on the essentials that cannot be changed later: location, connectivity, floor, facing and the age and reputation of the builder. Interiors and fittings can be redone; a bad location cannot.

Verify the paperwork before you pay any advance — title chain, encumbrance certificate, approved building plan, occupation certificate where applicable, and the RERA registration for newer projects. When in doubt, have a property lawyer review it.

Read the agreement to sell carefully: payment schedule, possession date, penalty clauses, and exactly what is included (parking, fittings). Get every promise in writing.

Plan the closing: arrange the down payment and loan disbursal to line up with registration, book the sub-registrar appointment, and keep originals of every document you sign.

Finally, complete mutation (transfer of the property in municipal/revenue records) after registration — it is what makes you the owner of record for tax and utility purposes.