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Pics / Dutta Kumbhar

It was the desire for more space that pushed Sachin and Seema Ghosalkar to look for a 3BHK in Thane. Their labour finally paid off last year when they moved into a plush 15th floor flat at Pokhran Road 2, one of Thane's prime residential hubs. They share their home-buying experience with Hot Property:

Looking for a home…
We were hunting for a 3BHK for nearly six to eight months. I must have seen at least 28-30 flats. We sourced the info from property ads, brokers and friends. A trip to the MCHI Thane property exhibition also proved informative. I zeroed in on this flat, as I liked the locality and the view

Arranging the finances...
I took a loan from LIC and my company, Cipla Limited. Besides, we had some
savings

Negotiations...
I did my share of bargaining on the price and parking space. We managed to bring it down by 18 per cent. The real estate prices shot up a couple of months after we purchased the flat. Considering that, it seems like a good investment

Doing up the interiors...
My wife and I have done up the interiors. We took a few ideas from various sources and modified them to suit our tastes. Out of all the rooms, the children's room is the brightest, as we have put maximum efforts to do it up

The flat...
We love the spacious and airy look of the flat. The windows let in a lot of light and offer great views of the Yeoor Hills. My kids have a lot of space to move about and there's a separate dining space for us. I like to socialise and now I can invite more friends at one go.
The locality has good facilities like the Vasant Vihar High School, Lok Hospital and small shopping arcades

Lessons learnt
One has to check the quality of construction and the amenities offered by the builder. Be prepared with the paperwork and check the society's registration. Also, I think that a young buyer, with the potential of buying a 2BHK, should try and stretch it to a 3BHK or at least a 2.5BHK as in Mumbai the property always appreciates