How to find a house in a locality best suited for you: A review

The location of your house should be the pivotal point in facilitating your house-buying decision.
Take a look into the factors that empower your decision to make the right choice.

There are many factors that influence your decision to choose a house. You are restricted by a budget, a specific space requirement, the layout of the house, the floor on which it is located, the view from your house, and so many other seemingly important factors. However, the most pivotal factor that should sway your decision should be the location of your house. After having worked out the range of your budget and the space you would need to comfortably live, prepare a shortlist of a number of suitable houses in some of your preferred locations that can meet with your family’s approval. Thereafter, evaluate these short-listed houses on the following parameters before you arrive at the right decision.

Connectivity to Your Place of Work: The most important aspect of your house has to be its location in relation to the place of work of the members of the family. Ideally, it should be located either, near your place of work or that of your spouse, if both are working. Secondly, it should be located in such a way that allows the other partner to commute to that place with the minimum of hassles. The office timings of each partner can be a deciding factor in choosing the proximity of the residence you choose.

Means of Commute and its Proximity: It is likely that the location may entail some distance of commute to work, for both the partners or at least for one. Choose a location that is connected with multiple options of commute, i.e. public transport, local trains and metro service, monorail, and even easily drivable distances with good future-proof roads. The choice of location can be flexible if the above mentioned means of transport exist at a further location as it offers easy commute for both. This may enable you to choose a larger house for your budget as prices will be comparably lower at those places. “Ease of commute can make up for the long distance and long hours of travel,” says Jitesh Bhatia from Gurgaon, who takes the metro to work daily.

Convenience of Market Places: The daily requirements for provisions, vegetables, bakery, laundry, common repairs, stationery, local transport, and other essentials should be within easy reach of your house. Also, the proximity to important services like educational institutions for children and healthcare facilities in times of emergencies would reduce travel time and the unnecessary stress associated with such requirements. Additional, you should check for ease of supply of water and electricity in your locality to avoid regular hardships.

Safety and Security: A home buyer should inquire about the safety and security of the location and its immediate neighborhood for incidents creating problems of law and order. Occurrences of thefts and burglaries are a point of worry. A review of the safety and security measure of the management of the CHS to which the building belongs should be made before taking the final decision. Deployment of security personnel at the entrance of the premises, placement of CCTVs to cover ingress and egress of the premises with proper technical maintenance would be a good measure of the safety of the area. Having similarly equipped building in the vicinity adds to the safety factor of the location.

Social Infrastructure: Life is more than just work and other daily responsibilities. Leisure is of great importance, especially in the fast-paced life that we lead. Check the location for places of leisure. Parks and open spaces act as the lungs of a place. A location endowed with opportunities of recreation like gymnasiums, playgrounds for children, multiplexes, clubs, theatres, and restaurants, add value to the place. If your relatives, friends and colleagues are also in the vicinity, a support system for occasion of possible distress would be available.

Developments for the Future: A project which has great connectivity has potential for future developments. Inquire about the master plan for the area to get an idea of the planned infrastructure development slated to come up in the near future. This builds value of the area as a part of our investment.

Care should be taken to opt for an area which is majorly a residential area with a healthy mix of commercial establishments which enable fulfillment of basic daily needs. The opposite situation of a house in a chiefly commercial area with a sprinkling of residential buildings is not a very wise choice.

The ‘Green Factor’ of the area is a crucial requirement, in today’s world of pollution and increasing temperatures. Project with facilities for rain-water harvesting, use of solar energy and having built-in infrastructural measures for energy conservation, environment friendly material used for construction, the amount of natural lighting that is available at all times of day throughout the seasons, the insulation of the roof and walls, water proofing and other energy conservation measure, should be short-listed as the best available options. The presence of trees in and around the location leads to a drop in temperature and provides fresh air, and should be preferred over other locations.

While growth in infrastructural projects in the vicinity are a way to increase the valuation of the property, the location of such projects like highways or industrial estates, very close to your house should be avoided as these result in increased noise and dust pollution which pose an immediate problem and will erode the value of the property in the long run.

Last but not the least, the buyer should do due diligence about the land and its legal standing as also the antecedents of the developer and builder and their track record of the delivery schedules of previous projects. A delayed project puts a great amount of stress on the finances and mental health of the investor. Choose a reputed builder for all these aspects and live with peace of mind.