A token advance feels small relative to the purchase. It is also the moment your negotiating position weakens considerably. Complete these twelve checks first.
Documents to see
1. RERA registration number. Verify it yourself on the Telangana RERA portal. Check that the project name, promoter name and survey numbers match what you were shown.
2. Approved building plan. Compare the sanctioned plan against what is being built. Extra floors or altered layouts are not rare.
3. Title documents and the chain of ownership. The current sale deed alone is not enough. You want the chain going back far enough that a lawyer can confirm clean title.
4. Encumbrance certificate. At least 13 years. Read the entries; unexplained mortgages matter.
5. Land conversion order, if the land was agricultural. This is a frequent gap on the outer corridors.
6. Commencement certificate, confirming construction was legally permitted to start.
Numbers to confirm in writing
7. Carpet area, not super built-up. RERA requires this.
8. The complete cost sheet — base price, floor rise, facing or corner charges, parking, club membership, corpus, maintenance advance, GST, stamp duty and registration. Ask for the all-in figure.
9. Payment schedule tied to construction milestones rather than dates. Milestone-linked plans protect you if construction slows.
10. Possession date as written in the agreement, not as stated in conversation.
Things to establish about the seller
11. Delivery record. Which projects has this developer completed, when were they promised, and when did buyers actually get keys? Talk to residents of an earlier project — they will tell you things no brochure will.
12. What happens if you withdraw. Ask directly what portion of the token is refundable and under what circumstances, and get the answer in writing before paying.
The token itself
Pay by cheque or transfer, never cash. Get a receipt naming the property, the amount, the date and the terms. If the receipt says "non-refundable" and you were told otherwise verbally, the receipt is what counts.
If you are being rushed
Urgency is a sales technique. "Three flats left at this price" may be true, and it may not. A project that will not survive two weeks of due diligence is not a project you want.
The developers worth buying from expect these questions and answer them without friction. The reaction to being asked is itself part of the information.
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