Property Buyers Beware: Check These Things Before Investing in Bangalore

Investing in a property is a major financial decision, whether you are looking for a house, a flat, a villa or a plot. In Bangalore, purchasing property comes with its own set of challenges.

Here’s a checklist to ensure that you don’t get blindsided and make an informed decision before buying property in the city.

While the rules apply to any location, some of the aspects are featured specialties of Bangalore.

1. Look For Traffic Bottlenecks, Not Just Location

Analyze the entry and exit points of the project. If access is through a narrow railway under-bridge, a railway crossing or a single-lane road, traffic nightmares are guaranteed.
For example, the Panathur area in Bellandur faces extreme congestion due to a narrow railway underpass.
Check peak-hour traffic conditions on Google Maps before deciding.

2. Builder Reputation – Research on Your Own

Never trust a builder’s reputation blindly, even if it’s a Tier-1 builder like Prestige, Brigade, Sobha or Salarpuria.
Visit the Karnataka RERA website and check for cases filed against the builder.
Find the complete list of complaints here: https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/promoterComplaintReport
For example, there are several RERA complaints against Nitesh Estates and the RERA court orders mentioned that the builder ran low of funds. Similar cases were reported for Mantri Developers. Beware of any promoters running into funding issues.

3. RERA Cases for the Project

Search for RERA complaints related to delays in possession, refund issues, or legal disputes regarding the project.
Even a moderate number of cases should be a major red flag.
You can look for project complaints here: https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/projectComplaintReport

4. Don’t Trust Google Reviews Blindly

Most developers keep a high budget for advertisements and reviews. This means many of their positive reviews might be posted by their own employees and channel partners. Don’t allow fake reviews to influence you.

Look for reviews on past projects completed by the builder. This is where many present residents of those projects will post their genuine rants. Reviews on existing projects also give a fair idea about how the post-sales support from the builder.

5. Check Reddit & Subreddit Reviews

Search builder-specific threads on Reddit to get honest reviews from past buyers.

Pay special attention to feedback on project delays, construction quality, and post-sale support.

6. Avoid Getting Tricked into Buying Bad Units

Builders often sell off less desirable units first while keeping premium units at a higher price.

Stick to your requirements for direction, layout, and floor plan—don’t compromise.

These days, many builders advertise row houses as villas! Check if your neighboring villa has any adjacent walls. If it does or if the gap between two villas is too narrow, it’s not a villa at all! It’s a row house.

7. Verify Surroundings with Google Earth

Check for hidden drains, planned CDP roads, garbage dumps, or industrial zones near the project.

Many builders conveniently hide undesirable surroundings in their marketing materials.

Just check the 1-star Google reviews for Sumadhura Eden Gardens, many customers have reported that the builder deliberately hid vital facts about the project surroundings.

Similarly, look for the 1-star Google reviews for Brigade Utopia, you’ll hear feedback directly from the home buyers.

8. Avoid Properties Too Close to Lakes

Many lake-adjacent properties are built on lake-beds and risk legal disputes.

Builders resort to heavy bribing to encroach and convert lake-beds into construction suitable lands. But such constructions end up having weak foundations due to loose soil. There have been many cases of buildings sinking by several inches or more, due to this very reason.

Mosquito infestations and foul odors from stagnant water in lakeside areas make living conditions miserable.

9. Caution with Tier-2 Builders

Builders like DNR, Sumadhura, Heritage, Adarsh, Assetz, etc, are actually Tier-2 builders, although they price their projects like Tier-1 builders.

While Tier-1 builders too can have long project delays, the post-sales customer support with most Tier-2 builders are horrendous. Customers are often kept in the dark about potential delays and the waits seem never-ending.

Of course, project delays often happen due to bureaucratic obstacles. But if a builder has a history of delays in multiple projects, you know what to expect.

So, if you’re going with a tier-2 builder, always choose projects that are nearing completion rather than those with a long timeline.

10. Prefer Ready-to-Occupy Properties

What you see is what you get—no surprises.

No risk of delayed possession or construction quality issues. You can see things for yourself, talk to residing neighbors, etc.

Don’t Make Compromises

Buying a home or plot is a once-in-a-lifetime investment, often involving crores of rupees and decades-long home loans.

Even the smallest red flag should be a reason to reconsider. Stay informed and make decisions based on solid research, not just sales pitches!