A Deal We Almost Got Wrong

An illustrative example drawn from patterns we see repeatedly. Details are generalized, not a specific client.

Due diligence in real estate isn't a formality — it's often the single thing standing between a good investment and years of legal trouble. Here's the kind of situation that illustrates exactly why.

The Situation

A buyer was ready to move on a plotted parcel of roughly 2,400 square yards near an expressway corridor, priced at about 1.2 crore — a little under what comparable plots nearby were fetching. The seller was warm, responsive, and keen to close before month-end, and the buyer was days away from paying token money.

What We Found

Two things surfaced once we pulled the paperwork. The Encumbrance Certificate showed a loan still registered against the property that the seller hadn't disclosed — the plot was mortgaged. Separately, the survey number on the sale deed didn't cleanly match the parcel physically pointed out on site. Neither was visible from a walk-through or a conversation; both only showed up on the documents.

What Happened Next

We paused the transaction and asked the seller to clear the registered charge and reconcile the survey number before any money moved. When a clean title couldn't be produced within the window we'd agreed to in writing, the buyer walked away — token intact, because the terms had been documented up front rather than left verbal.

The Lesson

A price that sits noticeably below the local market, paired with pressure to close quickly, is a prompt to verify harder — not to move faster. Pull the Encumbrance Certificate and match the survey number on the deed to the physical parcel before a single rupee changes hands. The check that feels like it's slowing you down is usually the one protecting you.

This is why every deal we close goes through the same document checks before a single rupee changes hands. If you'd like that same level of scrutiny on your next purchase, get in touch.