Golden Days

Golden Days is in Kasavanahalli, just off Sarjapura Road in south-east Bengaluru. The developer has not published a full postal address or pincode, so ask for them before you visit. This is a built-up suburb, and the schools, colleges, hospitals, banks, malls and supermarkets you need are already in the area.

For work, the obvious draws are the Outer Ring Road offices around Marathahalli and the business district of Koramangala, both near enough for a daily commute. Whitefield and Electronic City are also drivable, which helps a household with two earners heading in different directions. No distances have been published, so drive each route at your usual time of day before you decide.

The flip side of a popular, well-served suburb is traffic. Sarjapura Road and the roads feeding the Outer Ring Road are busy at peak hours. Visit on a weekday evening and see how long it takes to get from the main road to the gate, how the internal roads handle school buses, and where visitors park.

Golden Days offers two home types. The 2 BHK starts at about 1,049 sq ft and goes up to about 1,300 sq ft; the 3 BHK runs from about 1,498 to 1,900 sq ft. These are built-up figures, so ask for carpet areas. The listed prices are Rs. 42.99 Lakhs up to Rs. 53.28 Lakhs for the 2 BHK and Rs. 61.40 Lakhs up to Rs. 77.88 Lakhs for the 3 BHK, which works out to roughly Rs. 4,100 per sq ft.

As built, living and dining areas have marble floors, the master bedroom has laminated wood and other bedrooms have vitrified tiles. Kitchens have a granite counter with a steel sink, windows are aluminium with mosquito mesh, and bathrooms use Jaguar, Hindware or Parryware fittings. On an older flat, check their condition.

A completed flat attracts no GST; stamp duty and registration are payable. Ask for:

• Current price and whether the seller is the developer or an owner
• Car parking included
• Pending maintenance or association dues
• Loan closure letter, if the flat is mortgaged
• Stamp duty and registration estimate

Golden Days is listed as approved by BBMP and BDA. No RERA registration number has been published. If the developer or the association gives you one, verify it on the Karnataka RERA portal at rera.karnataka.gov.in. For a completed and occupied project, the handover papers and the seller's title matter most.

Before you pay an advance, ask to see:

• The occupancy certificate for the building
• The approved building plan
• The seller's registered sale deed and the earlier title chain
• An encumbrance certificate for at least the last 15 years
• The khata in the seller's name and the latest tax receipt
• A no-dues letter from the residents' association

If you are buying directly from Golden Gate Properties, ask for the same set, plus the mother title deed for the 8 acres. Have a lawyer check the papers before registration. After the sale deed is registered in your name, apply to transfer the khata and update the association's records.

Golden Days covers 8 acres. The number of blocks, floors and homes, and the open-space share, have not been published, so walk the grounds and ask for the approved site plan. Because the project is complete, what you see on a visit is the finished layout, not a render.

This is a place for people who like to play. Mornings can begin with yoga, a swim in the pool or a workout in the gymnasium, and the joggers' track suits an early run. In the evening, the tennis court, the badminton court and the cricket practice pitch fill up, and children have their own play area.

Indoor options cover the monsoon, with table tennis, billiards and other indoor games. The library gives students and readers a quiet corner, and the senior citizens' corner offers older family members a place of their own. Larger gatherings move to the community hall or the amphitheatre. Ask the association about the monthly maintenance charge, the state of the pool and courts, and any repair work being planned.