Sobha City

Sobha City stands on Thanisandra Main Road, Devin Paradise Enclave, Tirumanahalli, pincode 560064, in the northern half of Bengaluru. Thanisandra grew from a village into a residential district as this road was widened, so you get a lived-in neighbourhood with schools and daily services around it rather than an empty corridor.

Most of your journeys will start on the main road itself. Head one way and it carries you towards Kannur; that stretch is planned as another route to Kempegowda International Airport, which would help frequent flyers once it opens. Head the other way and you reach Hebbal by road, the usual link into the centre and the outer ring road. The developer has not published distances or drive times, so we do not quote any here.

Before you commit, drive from the gate to your office at the time you would normally leave, and repeat the trip in the evening. A township of 1,537 homes puts a lot of cars onto one approach, so watch how the entry and exit gates cope at school time. Walk the nearby lanes too, to find the closest pharmacy, grocery and clinic on foot.

Sobha City offers the Athena three-bedroom plan, quoted at about 1,714 sq ft built-up. Carpet area has not been published, so ask for it; that is the space inside your walls. Other plans across the 12 towers have not been listed with prices, so ask the seller or Sobha Limited what else is free and on which floors.

The starting price is Rs. 1.45 Crore, about Rs. 8,500 per sq ft on the built-up figure. A separate rate of Rs. 5,803 per sq ft has also been quoted and does not match. Settle which one applies before you negotiate. Because the homes are complete, GST does not apply once the tower has its occupancy certificate. Stamp duty and registration are payable on every purchase.

Ask for a written cost sheet that shows:

• Price per sq ft and whether it is on built-up or carpet area
• Floor-rise or facing charges, if any
• Car parking and the number of bays included
• Clubhouse membership and the maintenance deposit
• Any arrears of maintenance or tax on a resale flat
• Stamp duty and registration on the full sale value

Sobha City is listed as approved by BBMP and BDA. No RERA registration number has been published. Handover started in December 2017, around the time the Karnataka rules came in, so ask Sobha Limited whether your tower was registered. If it was, look up the entry on the Karnataka RERA website (rera.karnataka.gov.in).

A completed flat is bought on a sale deed, not an agreement to sell, so your checks are about title and handover. Ask for:

• The occupancy certificate for your tower
• The approved building plan showing your unit
• Title documents and an encumbrance certificate for the land
• Khata in the seller's name and the latest property tax receipt
• A no-dues letter from the residents' association on a resale
• The draft sale deed, for your lawyer to read before registration

If you buy from an existing owner, match the name on the khata with the name on the sale deed, and confirm the flat carries no loan. After registration, apply for the khata transfer into your name and move the electricity and water accounts too.

Sobha City covers 36 acres, with 12 towers of 20 floors arranged around shared gardens and a central clubhouse. Because it is complete, you can walk the grounds yourself instead of reading a brochure. Ask for the site plan anyway, so you know which tower faces the courts, which faces the road and how far your door is from the clubhouse.

A weekday could begin with a run on the jogging track or an hour in the gymnasium, then a swim before work. Children have a play area and landscaped gardens close to the towers, and older ones will find the tennis, badminton and basketball courts busy after school. Rainy afternoons move indoors to the games room.

Daily errands are partly handled on site. Retail spaces, a cafeteria and a bank ATM save short trips out, which counts for a lot in a large community. For celebrations you can book the community hall or the party area, and the spa and sauna are there when you want a slower evening.

With this many households, ask the residents' association how court and hall bookings work, what the monthly maintenance charge is, and whether any facility is closed for repair.