Have you finally decided to listen to all the innuendos and outright comments by all the busy bodies in your life about it ‘being time’ you bought your own home? A great decision on your part, but then there are a whole lot of factors that you have to take into cognizance while selecting a home. Whether it’s an apartment or a villa that you are thinking of, make sure that you have all the knowledge on your fingertips before deciding on ‘the one’.

Since buying a home is a major investment, you should do your homework carefully right from determining how much you are ready to invest, to where you want your home to be located. Home buying is a huge decision that is difficult and tiresome to undo once you have signed on the dotted lines, so take your time in deciding.

There are a number of points that you need to consider, and some of them include the following:

• Check that your preferred property is located close to the facilities you need, such as shopping centers, hospitals, schools, public transport, and of course, your place of work.
• Stalk your intended neighborhood. Check out the streets at different times of the day and night to determine the types of activities going on around the area. Ask around to find out if there are any property disputes or cases of illegal occupation on your intended plot.
• Make sure there are no polluting industries nearby.
• Determine the type of security measures being taken in the building of your choice.
• Will your apartment’s windows or balconies be blocked by other structures, blocking the sunshine and open views?
• Enquire about as many properties as possible to see what the best your money can buy is.
• Check if the car parking facility is included in the deal or it’s on additional payment. These are some of the hidden charges that some realtors deal in.
• Find out what the maintenance charges are. Do they include factors like, water, electricity, elevator charges, payment for security and cleaners, as well as municipal and property taxes?
• The size of the apartment may not be what is mentioned in the brochures as it could include elevators as well as public spaces like the staircase and lobby area. It’s therefore advisable to ask for the exact carpet area inside the walls of your apartment.
• Always go with your instincts and not your heart when it comes to selecting a home. You are going to buy the home, not date the home, so emotions could lead you to making the wrong choices, so stay calm and don’t head for financial disasters.
• Verify your builder as well as the property to be used. Do they have a decent history of timely delivery of apartments? Check that the builder has the appropriate license and approvals, to safeguard against any mishaps.

Hopefully, with all these background checks, you will be able to get a decent deal on your dream home. Of course regrets happen and about 80% of home owners admit to remorse over some feature or the other in their new home. But just like relationships, nothing is perfect and you just have to work your way around it to make it a pleasant experience!