Buying a home in Pune: what to check on locality, budget, RERA and the sale agreement

For most families in Pune, buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions they make. But the decision is not only about a flat. It also covers the daily morning route, the commute to the office, the children's school and the hospital that may be needed in the middle of the night. Water supply, society maintenance, the builder's record, paperwork, loan, tax and possession date matter just as much. The most important question is whether the home will still serve the family five or ten years from now.

Pune is no longer a single residential market. It is a web of different localities linked to jobs, education, transport and the spread of the city. A family buying in Baner makes a very different decision from one buying in Wagholi. Someone working in Hinjewadi may have different needs from someone working in Kharadi. For a retired couple, a hospital and the facilities of an older neighbourhood may matter more than living near an IT park. So there is no single best locality in Pune, only the location, project and budget that fit a particular buyer.

According to Knight Frank's figures for the first half of 2026, 24,890 homes were sold in Pune, 2 per cent more than a year earlier. Builders launched 31,116 new homes, a rise of 17 per cent. The average price in the city was about Rs 10,063 per sq ft, 5 per cent higher than a year ago. But this is a city average, and not every locality has the same rate or demand. The advice is clear: do not buy a city, buy a neighbourhood, a project and a specific home, and check all three separately.

Start with yourself. Why are you buying: to live in, for the children, for retirement or for rental income? Where is the office? How many years will you stay? What is the real budget? The real budget is not what the bank will lend, but the amount whose instalment you can pay comfortably alongside education, insurance, emergencies and other expenses. Write down three things you will not compromise on. Test the commute at 8.30 am on a Monday, not at 11.30 am on a Sunday, in both directions and in the rain as well.

The price in an advertisement is rarely the final cost. Floor rise, preferred location, parking, stamp duty, registration, GST where applicable, maintenance and corpus, legal costs, loan costs, interiors and shifting are added to it. So compare total cost rather than the rate per sq ft. Ask about carpet area too, because two flats described as 1,500 sq ft can turn out very different to live in. Stamp duty is generally reported to be between 6 and 7 per cent, but do not fix the budget without getting the exact figure for that property from Maharashtra's registration and stamps department.

Separate the promises about metro and roads from reality. Pune Metro runs from PCMC to Swargate and from Vanaz to Ramwadi, and according to the official website 29 stations are operational and the network is about 33.1 km long. PMRDA's Line 3 is a 23.203-km elevated route from Maan-Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar with 23 stations. The Inner Ring Road is an 83.12-km project with a planned width of 65 metres. A metro that is coming and a metro that is running are two different things. Ask how far your project is from the facility.

For a new project, Maharashtra RERA should be the first stop. Check the legal promoter's name, registration number, phase, completion date, extensions and complaints. RERA provides transparency but not a guarantee of quality. Before the agreement for sale, no more than 10 per cent of the total amount should be taken as earnest money. Read the agreement in full, because a verbal promise is not a contract. If the salesman says not to worry, ask where it is written. A bank's loan approval is also not a certificate that the property has been vetted.

See the project at least three times: once on a weekday morning, once in the evening and once at the weekend, and if possible in heavy rain as well. Talk to residents and do not hurry. When you like a flat, take 48 hours: look at the papers, check RERA, add up the total cost, speak to a lawyer and the bank, and then decide. A home is not a pair of shoes. It is a long-term financial and emotional responsibility.