The Questions That Make Builders Uncomfortable — Ask Them Anyway

Key Takeaways

• The sample flat is a promise; the agreement's specification annexure is the contract. Ask which one you're buying.
• Always ask for the RERA possession date specifically — it's often later than the date the sales team quotes.
• "What's the all-in carpet-area rate?" is the single question that makes honest comparison possible.
• Transfer charges and lock-ins decide how expensive it is to change your mind — ask before booking, not after.
• How a builder answers matters as much as what they answer. Written replies are diligence; charm is not.

Why the sales office counts on you not asking

A good sales gallery is theatre — the scale model, the sample flat with the shrunk furniture (yes, sample-flat beds are often smaller than real beds; rooms photograph bigger), the quarter-end urgency. None of it is evil. But the process is engineered so that questions feel like rudeness, and buyers who don't want to seem difficult end up doing lakhs of diligence-by-vibes.

So here's the counter-script. Twenty-five questions in five groups, in roughly the order a deal progresses. You won't need every one for every project — but the pattern of answers, and especially of non-answers, will tell you more than any brochure.

Group 1: Legal standing (the deal-breakers)

• "What is the RERA registration number?" Then verify it yourself the same evening — five-minute walkthrough here.
• "Which legal entity owns the land, and which entity will sign my agreement?" They should match the RERA promoter.
• "Is the land freehold with clear title? Can I see the title search report?"
• "Are the building plans sanctioned — and does what you're selling me match the sanction?" Extra floors beyond sanction are a classic trap.
• "Any active litigation on the land or the project?" Cross-check against the RERA filing's litigation section.

A builder with clean paperwork answers these in minutes, usually with pride. Evasion here isn't a negotiation tactic — it's the answer.

Group 2: The real money (where lakhs hide)

• "Email me the complete cost sheet for this exact unit — every charge, nothing verbal."
• "What is the all-in rate per sq.ft. of RERA carpet area?" The only number that compares projects honestly.
• "Which charges are negotiable or waivable this quarter?" Asked flatly, this works — PLC and club membership move first.
• "What exactly does the IFMS cover, and when does it transfer to the residents' association?"
• "If the project is under construction: what's the GST, and what would this cost after completion certificate?"

The anatomy of every one of these charges — PLC, IFMS, parking, power backup, the lot — is in our hidden charges guide; the government's own take is in the stamp duty breakdown. Walk in having read both and watch the sheet get honest faster.

Group 3: Construction (what you're actually getting)

• "What's the structure — RCC frame, MIVAN/aluminium formwork? Seismic zone compliance?" Mohali sits in Zone IV; the answer should be immediate.
• "Which brands for flooring, sanitaryware, electrical, lifts — as written in the agreement's specification annexure?"
• "Is the sample flat specification the same as the agreement specification?" Make them say it, then check the annexure.
• "What's the carpet area, per RERA definition, for my exact unit?" Not super area, not saleable area.
• "How many units and lifts per tower?" Four homes to a floor with two lifts ages very differently from eight and one.

Groups 4 & 5: Timeline and the exit

• "What possession date is filed with RERA — not the marketing date?" The gap between the two is your first data point on candour.
• "What delay compensation does my agreement provide, and does it match RERA's?"
• "What's the construction-linked payment schedule, and can I verify progress before each demand?" (The QPR filings let you.)
• "If I sell before possession, what are the transfer charges and is there a lock-in?" Often ₹100–200/sq.ft. — the exit cost nobody volunteers.
• "When does the residents' association form, and when do you hand over maintenance?"

Timeline questions matter double for investors, because holding-period math is return math. The full stage-of-construction decision — early discount versus ready certainty — is worked through in under-construction vs ready-to-move.

Reading the answers (and the silences)

Three response patterns, three conclusions. Immediate, specific, happy-to-put-it-in-writing: this is what good builders sound like, and Mohali has several — the branded projects on our verified listings generally clear this bar comfortably. Vague-but-charming, "sir we'll see all that at agreement stage": proceed, but slower, and get everything in email. Irritated, deflecting, "nobody asks these questions": plenty of other projects exist. Say thank you and use the door.

One last habit worth stealing from seasoned investors: visit the builder's last delivered project and talk to two residents in the parking lot. Ten minutes of "how was possession, how's maintenance, would you buy again?" beats any brochure ever printed. Execution history is the one spec sheet builders can't decorate.