Century Greens

Century Greens lies at Survey No. 94 in Kundana, a village in Devanahalli taluk on the north side of Bengaluru, pincode 562110. The landmark to give a driver is Cambridge Institute of Technology, which stands next to the layout. The developer has not published distances to the airport, the highway or the city, so we quote none; time the drives yourself.

Daily life on a plotted layout at this distance from the city is built around the car. The school run, the weekly shop and the commute all begin at the gate and follow the local roads to the wider Devanahalli network. Drive from the layout to your workplace at your usual hour and back at the evening peak, and try the run to the nearest hospital and market too.

When you build, the same roads carry your trucks, so look at the width and condition of the approach on your visit. Inside the layout, note how far your plot is from the entrance and whether the internal road in front of it is paved and lit. A completed layout lets you see all of this as it is, which is the main advantage over buying from a plan.

Century Greens has no floor plans, because you are buying land. Two plot sizes are on offer: 30x40 ft, which is 1,200 sq ft, and 40x60 ft, which is 2,400 sq ft. What you can build on either depends on the setbacks and floor limit in the layout's sanctioned plan and the local building bye-laws. The developer has not published that limit, so confirm it with the approving authority before you draw a house.

The 30x40 plot is priced at Rs. 29 Lakhs and the 40x60 plot at Rs. 58 Lakhs. Both work out to about Rs. 2,400 per sq ft, so you are paying for area, not for a premium on the larger plot. Since the layout is complete, this is a straight sale rather than a milestone schedule.

Land does not attract GST, so the tax on the plot is stamp duty and registration in Karnataka, on the purchase price. Construction later is a separate budget, and a builder's contract carries its own GST. Ask for a cost sheet that shows:

• Plot price and the exact dimensions and area it covers
• Corner or park-facing premium, if any
• Clubhouse membership and the maintenance deposit
• Current monthly maintenance for a vacant plot
• Khata transfer and any association fee on a resale
• Stamp duty and registration on the full consideration

Century Greens has no published RERA registration number. Ask Century Real Estate for one and look it up on the Karnataka RERA website, rera.karnataka.gov.in. Handover began in 2019, so check whether the layout was registered or whether the developer claims an exemption, and get that answer in writing.

On a plotted layout the approvals matter more than the registration, because they decide whether you can build. Ask for:

• The conversion order changing the land from agricultural to residential use
• The approved layout plan from the planning authority, showing your plot number
• The release order that frees your plot for sale
• The mother deed and the chain of title for Survey No. 94
• An encumbrance certificate for the plot, covering the years since the layout was formed
• The khata and the latest property tax receipt, in the seller's name

If you are buying from an owner rather than the developer, add the seller's registered sale deed and a no-dues letter from the owners' association. Have a lawyer read the title chain before you pay an advance. At registration the sale deed goes into your name, and the khata transfer follows; keep both safe, because the building plan approval for your house will ask for them.

Century Greens has 239 plots on 18 acres, with a clubhouse, a swimming pool and landscaped gardens held in common and internal roads linking every plot to the gate. Because the layout was finished in 2019, none of this is a render; it is on the ground and can be walked. Ask for the sanctioned layout plan anyway, so you can see where your plot stands in relation to the clubhouse, the park and the boundary.

A morning here might begin on the jogging track, continue in the gym and end with a swim before the drive out. Children have a play area, and the outdoor courts and table tennis take care of the evenings. The party area covers festivals and birthdays, and the games room fills a wet afternoon. A few retail units are part of the plan, which saves a trip out for small errands.

Two things are worth checking on the visit. First, how well the common areas have been kept since handover, because five years of use shows in a pool and a garden. Second, how many plots have houses on them, since the feel of a layout depends on whether neighbours have built or the plots around you are still empty. The maintenance charge covers all of this, built or not, so ask for the current figure.