House Hunting

The dreaded moment is not far away... a few months to be precise...

Rajesh and I have to move out of the flat we had been renting for about 8 months now... (but we did it up so well!)
Of course, the owner doesn't have a choice in the matter.. he is not evicting us.. just coming back to the country...

So, we decided to buy... at least if we keep the EMIs going, no one's going to throw us out (or can they?)

Buying a home in Bangalore is like shoving a hand into sand and looking for that perfect shell.. your fingers get dirty along with your clothes, feet etc... you might find despicable objects leaving traces on your hands and if you're lucky, some sort of insect will try and make friends with you...

So you come back the next day and try digging somewhere else... same story...different day...
Maybe, if you hold on to your hopes, you will find that dream home... (I wonder if that word exists though)

In the last 2 days, we have seen three apartments.. None of them were bad actually.. except the first flat had an excuse of a kitchen; more like a phone booth really.
The second one was quite nice except for the fact that it had a large dumping yard in front of it.. the funny thing is that this flat is most expensive.. I still haven't been able to figure out why... the location isn't exactly the best...
The third was quite a curious apartment.. it has hospital tiles all over.. is cheap... not bad.. except that owner wants a part in cash.. up front..
Okay then, we don't really belong to the 'oh yeah, cash no problem' category...

Does it sound like I'm complaining... am not.. Just thought it to be a very interesting experience...

A couple of tips to those looking for a house:

1. Don't wear great clothes.. Brokers (if you are using one) think you have a lot of money if you are dressed well.
2. Don't ever comment on the cost of the flat.. even if you like the price.
3. Don't look happy to see something you like. Keep a poker straight face.. in fact, find some fault if you can.
4. Look out of the window and see if you can touch the next building's wall with your hands... if you can, move on. You don't want neighbours to be that close.
5. Make sure you can turn around, brush your teeth, change your clothes in the bathroom without bumping in to the wall or door.

That should help.. in a way...

And see at least 5 to 6 homes before you decide...