Look beyond the glossy ads of real estate

Currently real estate prices have escalated to a price range well beyond theu00a0reach of common man.

The real estateu00a0u00a0industry has now become a predominantly high price to the customer andu00a0high-margin development for theu00a0u00a0builder.
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Most of the time buyers do not get their value's worth in terms of quality and design of the building.

With the festive season on us mostu00a0have one more reason to buy or booku00a0an under construction home for theu00a0family.

Advertisements with glossy pictures of aesthetically beautifulu00a0 buildings and lush green gardens are printed in newspapers to lure the buyer.
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What the builders don't tell you areu00a0the type of materials being used in construction, the codes adopted foru00a0u00a0 building design, the strength of concrete or type of concrete.

Much ofu00a0u00a0 northern India and western regions fallu00a0u00a0 under medium to high probabilityu00a0u00a0 earthquake zone but there are very fewu00a0builders who design buildings takingu00a0into account the effects of an earthquake.

Continuous usage of building will require maintenance but given highu00a0 initial costs we as consumers want ouru00a0u00a0 property to function without muchu00a0u00a0 maintenance.

Unfortunately buildersu00a0u00a0 get away from providing a guaranteeu00a0that such damages will not occuru00a0because municipal bye-laws do notu00a0require them to do so.
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The real estateu00a0industry is largely unregulated despiteu00a0u00a0 being the largest contributor to nationalu00a0growth. The government requirementsu00a0for authorising a residential or commercial building are very minimal andu00a0poor at best.
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How long a building willu00a0u00a0 function safely with bare minimumu00a0maintenance schedules is dependentu00a0u00a0on quality of materials used, qualityu00a0control and quality assurance adoptedu00a0at site.

Superior quality finishes andu00a0aesthetically pleasing structure doesu00a0u00a0 not always result in good quality construction.
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Quality assurance fromu00a0builder can be relied upon either basedu00a0on past 20+ years of performance ofu00a0u00a0 his buildings or by assessing a paperu00a0trail maintained during constructionu00a0site.

Most builders are fly-by-night operators. In the absence of any real estateu00a0regulatory authority it's essential thatu00a0the buyer is well-informed.

As an informed buyer it is necessaryu00a0to ask for information about materials,u00a0techniques and time span from theu00a0builder.

While buying directly from theu00a0builder request for an authorised structural plan of the building.

Many a times builders accept booking amounts for a certain type of planu00a0u00a0 and sometimes even build a few floorsu00a0u00a0 before going back to the drawing boardu00a0u00a0 and adding a few more floors to theu00a0u00a0 building.
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The builder does not necessarily go back and increase the strength ofu00a0u00a0 the foundation safety levels similar tou00a0u00a0 prior design.

This means that theu00a0building is now standing precariouslyu00a0on minimal design and safety requirements.

All these factors and a few more areu00a0important behind the glossy advertisements. Look before you leap in to the quagmire of buying real estate.

The writer is an expert in concrete technology and has taught in various universities in the US