L&T Elara Celestia

L&T Elara Celestia has its full address at Byatarayanapura, in Yelahanka Hobli, on Bellary Road, Bengaluru 560092. The project is grouped with Hebbal. Bellary Road carries most city traffic heading to Kempegowda International Airport, so if you fly often, the road you live on is the road you travel on.

For the daily commute, you can drive to Hebbal and onto the Outer Ring Road, which puts the north and east business districts within range. The developer has not published distances or drive times, so we do not quote any. Drive to your office at your usual hour and time it, then do the same in the evening.

Schools, hospitals and shops are available in the neighbouring localities, according to the developer, but no specific names are given. Make your own short list of the school, clinic and supermarket you would actually use, and check how long each takes to reach. A home on a busy arterial road also means some noise and slow exits at peak hour. Ask which side of the site each tower faces and where the gate opens onto the road.

L&T Elara Celestia offers six layouts, quoted by built-up area. Three-bedroom homes come in an S version of about 1,525 sq ft (Rs. 3.35 Crore to Rs. 3.75 Crore) and an L version of about 2,094 sq ft (Rs. 4.15 Crore to Rs. 5.48 Crore). Four-bedroom homes are about 2,757 sq ft (Rs. 5.40 Crore to Rs. 7.17 Crore) and about 3,155 sq ft (Rs. 6.25 Crore to Rs. 8.04 Crore).

The two duplexes are a class of their own. With four bedrooms and about 3,735 sq ft, the smaller begins at Rs. 10.50 Crore. With five bedrooms and about 4,931 sq ft, the larger runs between Rs. 13.25 Crore and Rs. 15 Crore. The entry price on the smallest home comes to about Rs. 22,000 per sq ft. Carpet areas are not published, so ask for them.

Since the homes are under construction, GST is charged on top of the price. Stamp duty and registration are extra too. Ask for a cost sheet that shows:

• Base rate and the area it applies to
• Floor-rise and view premiums
• Car parking and the number of bays
• Clubhouse and maintenance deposits
• GST as a separate line
• Stamp duty and registration

L&T Elara Celestia has no RERA registration number published yet. A project of this size that is still being built must be registered, so ask L&T Realty for the number covering your tower and check it on the Karnataka RERA website (rera.karnataka.gov.in). The entry shows the declared completion date, which you should compare with the 2029 date in the sales material.

Before you book, ask for:

• The RERA certificate for your tower or phase
• The sanctioned building plan and the plan for your floor
• Title documents and an encumbrance certificate for the 10 acres
• The environmental clearance for the project
• A draft agreement for sale with the payment schedule and delay terms

If you take a home loan, the bank's approval of the project is a useful second check, so ask which lenders have approved it. Keep every receipt, and make sure each payment matches a construction milestone in the agreement.

At handover, ask for the occupancy certificate for your tower, register the sale deed in your name and apply for the khata. Check that the car parking bays allotted to you are written into the sale deed.

L&T Elara Celestia places three residential towers on 10 acres, with 630 homes between them. The clubhouse is on the roof, and every resident shares the pool, the courts and the gardens. Any images you are shown are as planned by the developer, since nothing is complete yet.

Picture a working day once it is finished. An early run on the jogging track or a session in the gymnasium, then a yoga class in the activity area. If both parents work, the creche takes care of young children, and the concierge desk handles deliveries and small errands while you are out.

After school, children have the play area, the indoor games area and the sports courts. The rooftop clubhouse becomes the place to meet neighbours in the evening, with views that ground-level clubhouses cannot give. Weekends bring the pool, the gardens and the multipurpose party area for family celebrations, and the health centres are on site for routine needs. Ask which facilities will open with the first tower, how the rooftop is shared across the three towers, and what the maintenance charge will be per sq ft.