Goyal Orchid Footprints

Goyal Orchid Footprints sits in Thanisandra, a short way from Hebbal on the northern side of Bangalore. It is a green, fairly calm neighbourhood that has grown quickly into a busy residential area, with roads and civic services that have kept pace. The developer has not published distances to specific places, so none are given here.

Day-to-day needs are well covered. Within the wider area you will find schools and hospitals, supermarkets and banks, along with malls, multiplexes and IT offices. That means most errands, a doctor's visit or a film on the weekend should not take you far from home.

The Hebbal side is your likely route into the rest of the city, so your commute is the thing to test. Drive to your workplace at the hour you would really leave and make the return trip in the evening. If you are buying to let, try the same drive to the offices your tenants are likely to work in, because commute time is often what decides whether a flat rents quickly.

Walk the lane outside the gate as well, and note how busy it gets at school and office hours.

Goyal Orchid Footprints has two plans. The one-bedroom flat starts at around 763 sq ft, with a range up to around 805 sq ft, and the two-bedroom flat is around 1,092 sq ft. Carpet areas have not been published, so ask for them. Prices are on request only, so no per-sq-ft rate can be worked out here.

The specification is practical: an RCC frame with solid block walls, vitrified tiles through the flat and ceramic tiles on balconies and utility areas. Main doors have teak frames and bedroom doors sal wood frames. Bathrooms have tiles to 7 ft, a grid false ceiling and Cera sanitaryware. The one-bedroom flat gets a 3 kW supply and the two-bedroom 4 kW, each with 0.75 kW of generator backup.

A completed flat with an occupancy certificate carries no GST. Stamp duty and registration are payable on every purchase. Ask for these in writing before you agree a figure:

• Total price and the area it is quoted on
• Car parking included and whether it is covered
• Clubhouse membership and any transfer fee
• Maintenance deposit and the monthly charge
• Stamp duty and registration on the full value

Goyal Orchid Footprints lists BBMP/BDA as its approval. A RERA registration number has not been published, so search the project on the Karnataka RERA website (rera.karnataka.gov.in), and ask Goyal & Co to state its position in writing.

You are buying a finished flat, and quite possibly a resale, so ask for the papers that prove a clean title:

• Occupancy certificate for the building
• Sanctioned building plan with your flat marked
• Registered sale deeds tracing ownership back to the developer
• Encumbrance certificate for at least the last 15 years
• Khata in the seller's name and the latest property tax receipt
• No-dues letter from the owners' association

When a seller still owes money on a home loan, the bank holds the original deeds. Get the bank's letter stating the outstanding amount and how it will release the papers on closing. Have a property lawyer read the full set. At handover, register the sale deed at the sub-registrar's office, and then move the khata, electricity and water accounts into your name.

Goyal Orchid Footprints fits everything on 1.35 acres, so this is a compact, gated community rather than a sprawling campus. The number of flats, towers and the share of open ground have not been published, so ask for the site plan and walk it. Layout images are as planned by the developer, and since the project is finished, you can check them against what stands.

For a small site, the facilities go further than you might expect. A weekday could start with a swim or a workout in the gymnasium, with a game of badminton or basketball on the courts once work is done. Children have a play area close to home, and the clubhouse has indoor games for a wet afternoon.

Bigger family occasions can move to the community hall. Security staff watch the gate round the clock, with an intercom to each flat and CCTV cameras at key points, and lifts serve each tower. On a site this size, you will see the same faces often, which many residents like. Ask the owners' association how the facilities are maintained, what the monthly charge covers, and whether any major repairs are due.