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New Home / Place Buying / House

Architectural Digest - YouTube

Philosophy​

People spend more on their own home, so cost of living increases

Don't buy house/land in India, since you are not going to live here

Do you want to be rich in a poor country or poor in a rich country — see the deeper breakdown

Housing isn't a great investment but for most people, it's the best investment they will ever make because it's the only asset they will leave alone and let compound for 10, 20, 30 years.

It's about people and not place where you live, you enjoy places with people and not place

We don't have a scarcity of land in the world, we have too much land, land is cheap

Why will I NOT buy a house?

Priorities​

Priorities for the Next Move​

Trigger: once kids are big, and father's healthcare is sorted.

  • Safety — low crime, low inequality
  • Clean air / good air quality
  • Healthcare — good hospitals nearby
  • Education / daycare — good schools; daycare not needed once kids are past ~5 years old
  • No discrimination / no racism
  • Long term PR / citizenship — eventual naturalization and voting rights
  • Community — good Indian community, familiar culture
  • Good house with land (~1 acre)
  • Job / career opportunity, good infra
  • Maids / domestic help availability
  • Good social security
  • Low income tax, high HDI / happiness index

Home Search Priorities​

  • Double your salary and knowledge in next 2 years
  • Budget - 25-40K
  • Office traveling distance (max 30 mins)
  • Society (high rise apartment), walkable
  • Semi furnished (AC / Cupboard / Geyser)
  • Sunlight
  • Study room

New Home Checklist​

Legal & Financial​

Utilities​

Comfort & Safety​

  • Study Room / Office Room / GYM (2 desks for WFH - no bed or people or clutter in study room)
  • Ventilators
  • Fan / Cooler / AC / Geyser
  • Maintenance fees
  • Parking
  • Floor - Lift?
  • In and out times / security
  • Sound proofing between walls rooms and outside house (Noise Pollution Levels)
  • Big Wardrobes (storage)
    • Sliding door better
    • Add door plastic below adder so cold AC air doesn't leak from below door
  • Drain - smell will be awful closer to drain
  • Why people have false ceilings
  • Folding beds
  • Rent dresses

Location & Nearby​

Flat Sizing​

Area Terminology (Carpet / Built-up / Super Built-up)​

Key Considerations​

  • Focus on carpet area: Prioritize the carpet area as it represents the actual usable space within the property.
  • Comparison based on carpet area: When comparing properties, rely on carpet area measurements to get a clear understanding of the usable space.
  • Understanding built-up and super built-up areas: Be cautious of these areas listed by builders, as they include additional non-usable spaces.
  • Ratio inquiry: Ask for the ratio of carpet area to built-up and super built-up areas to better understand the space distribution.
  • Cost consideration: Assess the cost per square foot of carpet area to make a more informed purchasing decision.
  • Difference between carpet area, built-up area, super built-up area

Bathroom​

  • Check all tap and flush working or not
  • Taps valves should not be round or circular opening, but that can be opened when the hand is wet or dirty, with elbows

Amenities​

  • Nearby Park
  • Contemporary Clubhouse
  • Multipurpose Banquet Hall
  • Indoor Games Room
  • Toddler's Play Area
  • Amphitheatre
  • Multipurpose Court
  • Sit Out Zone
  • Fully Equipped Air-Conditioned Gymnasium
  • Adequate Multi-level Parking

Tools / Sites​

  • Facebook chapters
  • MagicBricks
  • 99acres
  • nobroker
  • Investor's clinic / housing.com - India's biggest exclusive broker for property

Reflections​

General principles​

  • Don't live in tier 2 cities
  • Surround yourself with highly motivated and highly talented people

On money, pace of life, and family​

  • Life is currently too dynamic to plan very super long term, so live short term happy cycles
  • Try to create a family life wherever no one is dependent on me, so I can be free and do whatever I want
  • Therefore you need a lot of money
  • I am an implementor
  • Papa open a franchise - supermarket that is not dependent on him, but he has a place to spend time
  • Gardening for parents
  • For papa - find hobby
  • For maa - find hobby
  • Close to didi jiju

On where to live​

  • Land living in isolation vs society flat living with people
  • If not delhi, can raipur, hyderbad be our place of dwelling
  • Dubai is an option
  • Do we really want to stay in India
    • culture
    • indian people
  • Try 1st living in isolation (without needing more people or society) if it works and you are happy than move out of India

On purpose and priorities in life​

  • What do I want to do
    • give back to society
    • do fundamental core research
    • solve core world problems
    • live long and healthy
    • participate in sports
  • Find a purpose for your life
  • Live long enough so someone finds a cure to aging

On education / a school for the family​

  • Children can be a gateway to everyone's life
  • Start with tution, speak to mother, than to father
  • Give best education
  • Slowly takeover the education full time
  • Close or tieup with other schools
  • Open a school

Building Lifespan, Redevelopment & UDS (Undivided Share of Land)​

Every building has an "expiry date":

  • RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete): most modern high-rises are RCC. With proper maintenance (waterproofing etc.), lifespan is ~50-70 years; without maintenance, structural problems (cracks, seepage) can start in just 30-40 years.
  • Old load-bearing buildings (pure brick/masonry): shorter lifespan, ~30-35 years.
  • Mivan technology: not a magical, immortal construction technique — it's RCC construction using aluminum formwork instead of wood, casting walls and slabs together for a faster, stronger, smoother monolithic structure. Lifespan is still in the normal RCC range, and renovating/modifying walls inside a Mivan flat is much harder.

What happens when a building "expires" — four usual paths:

  1. Renovation/retrofitting — if the core structure is still reasonably strong, structural repairs can extend life by another 10-20 years.
  2. Redevelopment (most common/beneficial) — a builder demolishes the old building and constructs a new one; original owners usually get a new, often slightly larger, flat in the new building, sometimes plus cash compensation.
  3. Demolition — if the building is completely unsafe and redevelopment isn't feasible, it's demolished and the land is freed up.
  4. Government acquisition — government may acquire old land parcels for infrastructure development, paying compensation to owners.

UDS (Undivided Share of Land) — the most important concept:

  • Buying an apartment also buys a registered share of the land the building stands on — the UDS.
  • Over ~40 years, the physical building's value depreciates to almost zero, but the land's value appreciates multifold.
  • During redevelopment, your compensation or share in the new project relies entirely on your UDS, not the size of your old flat.
  • Low-rise, lower population-density buildings generally offer much higher UDS per flat than dense high-rises.

Actionable checklist for flat owners/buyers:

  • Check your UDS from the sale deed, or ask the builder/society.
  • If the building is older than 25-30 years, get a structural audit done to determine safety and remaining lifespan.
  • Check the society's sinking fund — a weak fund leads to big struggles when major repairs or redevelopment talks begin.
  • Before buying resale (especially a ~30-year-old flat), ask about its UDS and any redevelopment plans — an old flat with high UDS in a prime location can be an investment jackpot.

Aapke Flat Ki 'Expiry Date' — 50 Saal Baad Building Ka Kya Hoga? | Poora Sach - YouTube