Alembic Urban Forest

Alembic Urban Forest stands at Survey No. 136, AB Vajpayee Road, in 3G Homes Crimson Layout, Whitefield, pincode 560067, on the east side of Bengaluru. Whitefield has been a working apartment district for years, so the shops, schools and clinics around the plot are already open. The roads you would use every day already carry the traffic they will carry. The developer has not published distances to offices, stations or schools, so none are quoted here.

The advantage of a community that has been occupied since 2018 is that you can ask the people who live there. Talk to a resident about the morning run to the IT parks, how long the school bus takes and whether AB Vajpayee Road backs up at peak hour. Then drive the route to your own office at your usual time, once in the morning and once in the evening.

Four blocks with 636 homes mean a steady flow of cars through the gate, so check the entry, the visitor parking and the lane outside on a weekday evening. If you depend on public transport, ask which bus stops and stations residents actually use rather than the nearest one on a map.

Alembic Urban Forest was built in three layouts, all quoted as built-up area. The two-bedroom flat is about 1,314 sq ft, the three-bedroom flat about 1,762 sq ft, and the 3.5 BHK about 1,890 sq ft, where the half-room suits a study or a small guest room. Carpet areas were not published, so ask the seller for the floor plan or measure the flat yourself. The developer has no unsold stock in any type.

A resale price is whatever you and the owner agree. The same layout can differ by block, floor, facing and how the flat has been kept, so look at more than one unit before you decide. Ask the seller for the original agreement value, and ask the association what similar flats have changed hands for recently. A finished home with an occupancy certificate carries no GST; stamp duty and registration are payable on the sale consideration.

Before you agree a figure, get the seller to set out:

• The asking price and whether furniture and fittings are included
• Any outstanding home loan on the flat and how it will be closed at registration
• Maintenance dues and any arrears the association is owed
• The car parking bay that transfers with the flat
• Transfer charges the association levies on a resale
• Stamp duty and registration on the full value

Alembic Urban Forest has no RERA registration number published by the developer. Ask the seller or the owners' association for it and look on the Karnataka RERA website (rera.karnataka.gov.in). A project handed over in December 2018 may pre-date the registration requirement, in which case the occupancy certificate and the sanctioned plan carry the weight instead.

In a resale the seller's title is your main risk, so ask for:

• The seller's registered sale deed and the chain of earlier deeds
• The occupancy certificate for the block
• The khata in the seller's name and the latest property tax receipt
• An encumbrance certificate covering the flat since 2018
• A no-objection letter from the association confirming dues are paid
• A loan closure letter, if the seller has a mortgage on the flat

The sanctioned building plan should match the flat as built; an extra room or a closed balcony that is not on the plan is a problem you inherit. Have a lawyer check the title before you pay a token. At registration, execute the sale deed, then transfer the khata and the electricity and water connections into your name.

Alembic Urban Forest has four 19-floor blocks on 8.23 acres with the clubhouse, pool and gardens between them. Because the community is complete, you do not have to imagine any of it. Walk the grounds, note which block your unit is in, how far it is from the gate and the clubhouse, and what it looks out on. The developer has not published the open-space share, so judge it with your own eyes.

A morning here can begin on the jogging track or in the gymnasium, followed by a swim. The clubhouse also holds a spa and sauna, a games room and a party area, so a weekend does not need to leave the gate. Children have their own play area, and the outdoor courts are there for an evening game. The retail spaces inside the community cover small errands.

Evenings gather in the landscaped gardens and, on occasion, at the amphitheatre. Since these facilities have been in use for years, look at their condition rather than the brochure: is the pool maintained, is the gym equipment working, are the gardens kept? Ask the association for the monthly maintenance charge, the sinking fund balance and how many of the 636 homes are owner-occupied.