Buying a Flat in Mumbai This Festive Season? A Calm, Honest Checklist Before You Sign

There's something about the festive season in Mumbai. Families who have been looking at flats for a year suddenly want to sign before the auspicious day. Developers roll out offers. Everyone feels the pressure to decide now.

The numbers show it. During the Ganesh Chaturthi window this September (14 to 25 September), Mumbai registered 5,379 properties, 22% more than the same period last year, according to Knight Frank's analysis of state registration data (Business Today). With Diwali still ahead, the next few weeks are likely to be just as busy.

I love that families buy homes at these moments. I just want them to buy well. So here is the checklist I'd give a friend.

1. Know the full cost, not just the price

In Mumbai, the agreement value is only the start:

• Stamp duty: 6% for men and 5% for women, including the 1% metro cess, charged on the higher of the agreement value or the government ready reckoner value. Registering in a woman's name, or jointly, saves 1%.
• Registration fee: 1%, capped at ₹30,000.
• GST: applies to under-construction flats. Ready flats with an occupation certificate (OC), including resale flats, carry no GST.
• Brokerage, legal and society transfer charges on top.

On a ₹2 crore flat bought by a man, stamp duty alone is ₹12 lakh. Our buyer's tool hub brings the calculators together.

2. Read the festive offer properly

"Stamp duty waived", "no GST", "free car park", "pay 10% now". Some offers are genuinely good. Others move the cost somewhere you won't notice until later. Ask for the offer in writing, on the allotment letter or agreement, and compare the total you'll actually pay with a flat in a similar building without the offer.

3. Check the project and the paperwork

1. Search the project on MahaRERA. Confirm the registration number, the promised completion date and any complaints. Our RERA guide shows how.
2. Compare carpet area, not super built-up area.
3. For resale, check the OC and the full chain of agreements.

That last one matters more than people think. In one resale we handled in Kandivali East, the buyer's bank found an old agreement on the flat that had since been cancelled and paused the loan. We put together the cancellation papers the bank needed and kept buyer, seller and bank on one timeline, but it's exactly the kind of thing that's better found before the token than after.