Vaishnavi Serene

Vaishnavi Serene stands on IVRI Road in Ramagondanahalli, behind the CRPF campus, in the Yelahanka hobli of Bengaluru North. Yelahanka is a long-settled suburb, so the streets around you are already lived in rather than still being laid out. No distances to offices, stations, schools or hospitals have been published for this address, so none are quoted here.

Because you are buying a finished home, test the journeys before you test the paint. Drive from the gate to your office at the hour you would really leave, and time the trip back in the evening. If children are part of the plan, do the school run once in morning traffic.

Inside the gates, distance matters as well. Eight blocks spread over 10.3 acres means some homes are a fair stroll from the entrance, the clubhouse and the shops. Ask the seller where their block stands in relation to the gate and the main road, since that decides noise, deliveries and how far you carry the groceries.

Vaishnavi Serene has seven plans, and all are sold out with the developer, so the only homes available are those existing owners choose to sell. Built-up areas were published; carpet areas were not. The mix that was built:

• 1 BHK of about 635 or 640 sq ft
• 2 BHK of about 900 sq ft
• 3 BHK in four versions, about 1,060, 1,065, 1,116 and 1,118 sq ft

The four three-bedroom plans differ by under 60 sq ft, so your choice among them rests on facing, floor and room shape. In a four-floor block the top floor can run warmer and the ground floor feels less private, so see both.

A resale price is whatever the seller asks, so collect quotes from several blocks and compare them per sq ft. No GST applies to a finished home bought from its owner, but stamp duty and registration do. Before you agree a price, ask the seller for:

• The built-up and carpet area stated in their sale deed
• A no-dues letter from the owners' association
• The latest property tax receipt
• A loan closure letter if the flat was mortgaged
• The parking bay attached to the flat

Vaishnavi Serene does not yet show a published RERA registration number. Ask the seller or Vaishnavi Group for it and look it up on the Karnataka RERA website, rera.karnataka.gov.in, before you pay a token. In a resale, the papers that matter prove two things: the seller owns the flat cleanly, and the building was cleared for people to live in.

• Occupancy certificate for the block
• The seller's registered sale deed and the earlier title chain
• Khata in the seller's name
• Encumbrance certificate for the unit covering recent years
• Receipts for property tax and maintenance

Have a property lawyer read the set before you sign an agreement to sell. At registration you take a fresh sale deed in your own name. After that, apply for the khata transfer and move the BESCOM electricity account and the association membership to you, so bills and notices reach the right person.

Vaishnavi Serene is a low-rise campus: eight blocks of four floors on 10.3 acres, with gardens and paths between them rather than a podium under a tower. The share of open space was not published, so ask the association for the site plan and see how the ground is divided. The project is built, so what you see on a visit is the real thing, not a render.

A weekday could begin with a round of the jogging track or a session in the gym, followed by laps in the pool. Children have a play area and an activity area for after school, and older ones can take over the outdoor courts or the table tennis tables. The games room covers the monsoon evenings.

Weekends bring birthday parties to the party area and slow walks through the landscaped gardens. Shops inside the campus save you small trips outside. With a few years of use behind these facilities, ask the owners' association what the monthly maintenance covers and when the pool and gym were last refurbished.