It is amazing that financial services – mutual funds, life insurance and banking are seen as villians in terms of charges in a country which has so many real estate deals!

Who can become a builder, who can become a broker, how much brokerage to charge, should prices be quoted for built up, super built up….NOTHING is even documented forget being regulated. You could go and look for a flat for Rs. 1.3 crores. On finalizing the flat you realize that the ‘other charges’ – loading, brokerage, stamp duty, parking charges, etc. etc. add upto Rs. 15 lakhs – about 12% of the so called ‘price’ of the house.

At least some of these costs are available upfront, while some of the costs is just a guess – like loading. Sometimes the neigbhouring building also seems to be in the loading – at least in big Indian villages like Mumbai.

The other real cost is the interest cost – let us say you borrowed the full Rs. 1.3 crores + the stamp duty + the life insurance charges – after all you want your wife to inherit only the home, not the home loan as the SBI life advertisement tells you! If you repay this as an EMI – for 20 years, the true cost of your house is Rs. 2.6 crores (without considering the regular maintenance and tear and wear that would have happened).

However if a person sells this house after 27 years, he will tell his friends “I bought this house for Rs. 1.3 crores (remembering the brokers words) and now I have sold this house for Rs. 4 crores – it is a 3 bagger in 27 years. I wish I had bought one more flat”. Mathematically I leave it to you to calculate the profits, and find out the IRR.

Amar Pandit has written a nice article in rediff.com about the list of ‘charges’ while doing a real estate deal. It is worth reading while finalising your house purchase.