Starting off your home search during Ganeshotsav is a time-honoured tradition. After all, it is only fitting that the most important decision of your life should have an auspicious beginning. In fact, the concept makes plenty of sense from a practical point of view as well.
Since busy work schedules usually leave Mumbaikars with no time for a detailed home search, this festival enables you to kill two birds with one stone. Simply combine social obligations and area surveys while visiting relatives, friends and colleagues.
This way, you have opportunities to cover many areas. Sort out the invitations for Ganeshotsav visits area-wise and do some online research first. Figure out the micro-locations that would suit your budget and then head out.
When invited to a residence or community Ganesh pandal in an area you are unfamiliar with, ask some basic questions. Find out if it is safe to visit after dark, what is the nearest station, alternative travel routes, etc. Before you know it, there will be some knowledge, a tangible idea about an area you hardly knew anything about.
Since Ganeshotsav occurs during the rainy season, you also get a firsthand idea about how the location gets transformed during the monsoons. Is it prone to flooding? Do the lower lying sections tend to get submerged in rainwater because of clogged drains?
Are the roads made of concrete or at least properly asphalted? Do you need to trudge through pools of mud to go from one side of the lane to the other? Or is it a well paved stretch? One Ganeshotsav visit will tell you a lot about the practical aspects of living in that area.
From the train to be taken from your present residence or workplace to the metro, bus or auto rickshaw that takes you to the specific location, you again get to learn a lot about commuting to that place during peak hours or on holidays. If it is difficult to find transport for your return journey, consider dropping that location from your list.
Do you pass a nice mall with multiplex showing the latest releases in the area, while walking to your friend’s home from the bus stop? Is there a school along the way? A nice restaurant or coffee shop? Supermarkets and shopping arcades? Fast food outlets? Maybe even a cyber cafe or two? Now you know what facilities the location offers to residents.
When you visit someone’s home during the monsoons, it becomes quite obvious if the construction quality in the project is up to the mark or not. Leaking walls or damp ceilings, peeling plaster, faded paint patches are all giveaways. Similarly, if the buildings in the vicinity are looking run down, property values may not appreciate as much as they should. Look at the area from the perspective of a seller, not a buyer.
Most localities have a community idol; interact with residents from the area there, get an idea about how they react to newcomers. Exchange cell phone numbers, visit the local area groups on social networking sites, browse posts photos of celebrations held and read the complaints as well to grasp the ground realities of residing there.
Top Tips:
Check if it fits your budget
Get the host’s perspective
Confirm connectivity modes
Verify essential infrastructure
Seek multiple resident views
Browse social network sites
Do a follow up visit during Diwali
