Step 1: Define Budget and Location
Fix your budget including stamp duty (4–8% of value) and registration (1%). Identify micro-market — urban, peri-urban, or agricultural. Use our state pages to understand local units and price ranges.
Step 2: Verify Title for 30 Years
Ask the seller for the original sale deed chain going back 30 years. Each transfer must be legally recorded. Gaps in the chain are red flags. A property lawyer should verify this.
Step 3: Get Encumbrance Certificate (EC)
Apply at the Sub-Registrar office or online (state portal) for an EC covering the last 30 years. EC shows all registered transactions — mortgages, liens, and disputes. No EC = no deal.
Step 4: Check Land Use / Zoning
Confirm whether the land is Agricultural (A), Residential (R), or Commercial (C) in the Master Plan. Agricultural land cannot be developed without conversion (NA/DC permission), which takes 6–24 months.
Step 5: Physical Survey
Hire a licensed surveyor to measure the plot using GPS. Cross-check with the government measurement in the sale deed. Discrepancy of over 2% is grounds for renegotiation.
Step 6: Draft and Sign Sale Agreement
Pay 10–20% token advance. Sale Agreement (not deed) is signed. Include clauses for possession date, penalty for delay, and title indemnity. Notarize the agreement.
Step 7: Registration
Both buyer and seller visit Sub-Registrar office. Pay stamp duty and registration fee. Original deed is registered and you receive a certified copy. Mutation (Dakhil Kharij) follows within 30–90 days.