Assetz Earth & Essence

Assetz Earth & Essence stands at Hosahalli in Jala Hobli, north Bengaluru, off the Bengaluru International Airport Road, pincode 562157. That road is the spine of your travel: it leads towards the airport in one direction and towards Yelahanka and the city in the other. The developer has not published distances to the airport, to any office park, or to schools and hospitals, so no figures appear here.

What a location on the airport road usually means is a fast run in either direction on the highway itself, followed by slower local roads at each end. Time the trip from the gate to your workplace and to your children's school at the hours you would actually travel, and do it on a weekday. The return leg in the evening is the one that decides whether the commute is bearable.

This is a low-density, low-rise community at the edge of the city rather than a walkable urban block, so expect to drive for most errands. Ask existing residents where they shop for groceries, which hospital they use and how far the nearest school bus pickup is. Their answers are more useful than anything a brochure can tell you.

Assetz Earth & Essence was built in three layouts, quoted as built-up area. The three-bedroom home is about 3,027 sq ft; the four-bedroom about 3,308 sq ft, a step of under 300 sq ft; and the five-bedroom about 4,125 sq ft, more than 800 sq ft above the four. Carpet areas have not been published; ask the seller for the floor plan and measure the flat if the number matters to you.

The developer has sold out. The last figure it published was a price label of Rs. 3.2 Crore, which on the smallest home comes to about Rs. 10,600 per sq ft, but that is history rather than a resale guide. Today the price is whatever you and the owner agree. Ask for the sale deed value of recent transactions in the same block, and compare per-sq-ft rates rather than lump sums, because the three sizes differ by over 1,000 sq ft.

A completed home with its occupancy certificate carries no GST. Stamp duty and registration on the agreed value apply, as do the association's transfer formalities. Before you pay a token amount, get a written breakdown that shows:

• Agreed price and the area it rests on
• Number of car parking bays and whether they appear in the deed
• Maintenance dues, cleared to date, and the deposit being transferred
• Any transfer or no-objection fee charged by the association
• Stamp duty and registration on the full value
• Brokerage, if any

Assetz Earth & Essence does not yet show a published RERA registration number. Ask the seller or the owners' association whether one exists and search the Karnataka RERA website (rera.karnataka.gov.in) before paying anything. If the project was registered, the entry confirms the promoter's declared completion date and lists any complaints filed against it.

For a resale in a completed community, you are checking the seller's title as much as the developer's approvals. Ask for:

• Occupancy certificate for the block your home is in
• Sanctioned building plan showing the flat as built
• The seller's own sale deed from Assetz Property, and the agreement before it
• Khata in the seller's name and the latest property tax receipt
• A fresh encumbrance certificate covering the years since the seller bought
• No-dues and no-objection letters from the owners' association

Your purchase registers on a sale deed, and the khata then transfers to you. If the seller has a home loan, the bank holds the original deed; agree in writing how the loan is closed and the papers released at registration. Walk the flat with the sanctioned plan in hand and ask about any change to walls, balconies or the garden, since an unapproved alteration passes to the buyer.

Assetz Earth & Essence is 75 homes in two-storey blocks on 25 acres. That ratio is the reason to look at this project: each home has a large share of land and open ground around it, with no lift, no long corridor and no tower lobby. The developer has not said how many blocks there are or what share of the site is open, so ask the association for the sanctioned plan and read the layout for yourself.

A day here could start on the jogging track, then a swim or a session in the gymnasium at the clubhouse. The outdoor courts and table tennis cover the evening, and the games room takes care of a rainy afternoon. Children have a play area of their own, and the landscaped gardens are where the community actually meets. A spa and sauna and a party area round off the clubhouse, and retail spaces within the grounds cover small daily needs.

All of this was handed over in December 2021, so nothing here is a render. Judge the pool, the courts and the gardens as they stand today, because their condition tells you how well the owners' association has run the place. Ask what the maintenance charge is and what reserve fund exists, since 75 homes carry the full cost of a clubhouse between them.