Happy House Hunting!

Oh God! I am back at it again L . It has been just 9 months since I have shifted to my current house and I have to start with the entire process of house hunting all over again. Looking through classifieds, online portal and making irritating phone calls to brokers have started and finally my house hunting marathon will start by this weekend. But this is just the starting of a tedious journey and by the time you will finalize the house you would be physically, mentally and financially exhausted. Finding the house in Bangalore is a nightmare and being two times experienced I would be happy to share some details with you:

The big Catch oops classified: In my earlier two instances of house hunting through classifieds / sulekha /99 acres, I have never found a single house for rent which was from the owner and not from the broker. If you really don’t want to pay brokerage, then the best way is to ask your friends in different IT companies to search for a house for rent in their respective bulletin board.

Good Samaritan aka Brokers: There are few things which you should know before going for a broker:

The very first question they will ask you is about your budget so never overprice it, as they will show you the worst of the house in highest of the money

The second question which will come promptly is about your marital status bachelors or family sir??

If you are living in Bangalore , of course you would be in IT and by default you have enough money to pay good rent and of course brokerage!

No house is too far for them and if you say how far inside they will go in the road be ready to hear “Just”

No house is bad for them even if it’s without windows or doors “it’s for your safety siirrrr”

He will ask you to become a vegetarian for the apartment, of course, not for real but just in front of the owner.

Inquisitive Owners: Yes, it’s true that it is “THEIR” house so you should be ready to deal with the possessiveness which comes along with it. “No extra electronic appliances, no nails on the wall, no loud music/party, not coming late” are some of the few. The most common one is “are you a vegetarian?” don’t expect “Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend” to be too personal: P.

I remember an incident whereby I went to a house and as I was about to step inside, the landlord shrieked “madam, how can you step inside with your shoes on?”. I apologized and removed my shoes immediately, but he didn’t stop “You should not forget that you are an Indian, you should not follow this western tradition blindly especially when you are women.” I apologized again but he still he continued and by the time he finished, I was sure that I am not taking this house. There was another landlord who quoted exorbitant figure for the house reasoning that the house is very lucky since the last tenant got two promotions in one single year: P.

Many owners have inhibitions regarding your relatives and friends visiting the place so it’s always better to clear this before taking the house. Also, do remember to ask for the electricity and water bill whether it’s individual or combined. I have a big time in getting terms of water bill of 1800/month for two families: P

Love thy neighbors : It’s very important to have good relations with your neighbors. I know it’s difficult if they peep through their windows every time to check who is visiting your house or put the entire blame of high electricity bill on you even though they are using all the family appliances like washing machine , oven etc. if you can’t love them then maintain good distance , remember good fences make good neighbors!

So , wish me all the best again!!