The Pre-Purchase Site Visit Checklist

A listing photograph is a sales tool; a site visit is your reality check. Never pay an advance on a builder floor you have not walked through yourself, ideally more than once and at different times of day.

Start outside. Check the approach road width, parking, distance to the nearest main road and metro, and how the sector looks after dark. In Gurgaon, drainage and waterlogging during monsoon vary sharply between sectors, so ask neighbours how the street behaves in heavy rain.

Inspect the structure for cracks, damp patches, seepage stains on ceilings and walls, and the condition of the terrace and external walls. Damp near bathrooms and the roof is the most common and most expensive hidden defect.

Test what photos cannot show: water pressure and supply timing, borewell or municipal water, electrical load and the state of the wiring and distribution board, and whether there is power backup or a DG connection. Ask about the actual daily situation, not the theoretical one.

Check natural light and ventilation in every room at the time of day you would actually use it. A bedroom that is bright at noon may be dark by evening, and a kitchen without cross-ventilation gets hot and smoky.

Look at the immediate surroundings — the floors above and below, any commercial activity, garbage points, and the general upkeep of the building. You are buying the surroundings as much as the flat.

Verify the basics on paper during the visit: the floor and unit match the documents, the built-up and carpet area feel consistent with what is claimed, parking is allotted and demarcated, and any promised fittings are actually present.

Take photos and notes on every visit and, for an older floor, consider a professional structural inspection before you commit. A few thousand rupees spent now can reveal defects that would cost lakhs later.