The brochure says ₹1.5 Cr. What will you actually pay?

You see the ad. "3 BHK from ₹1.5 Cr." You visit, you like the show flat, you start doing the EMI maths in your head. Then the sales team hands you a cost sheet, and the number at the bottom is not ₹1.5 Cr.

This is the single most common surprise for new-home buyers in Bengaluru. Nobody is lying exactly. The brochure price is real. It just isn't the price.

Why the brochure price is never the price

Builders quote a base rate: a price per square foot, multiplied by the super built-up area. Super built-up includes your share of lifts, lobbies, corridors and the clubhouse. The space you actually live in, the carpet area, is smaller. RERA requires builders to state carpet area, so always ask for both numbers and check the gap.

Then the charges start. Some are fixed, some depend on the unit you pick, and some are taxes the builder collects for the government.

The charges that sit on top

1. Floor rise

Higher floors usually cost more, charged per sq.ft for every floor above a set level. Two identical flats ten floors apart can be priced very differently.

2. Preferential location charge (PLC)

Corner units, pool-facing or view-facing flats, and east-facing homes often carry a PLC. Ask exactly which feature of your unit is being charged for.

3. Car parking

Covered car parks are usually sold separately, and a second slot costs extra. Check whether the slot is allotted in the agreement or "subject to availability".

4. Clubhouse, infrastructure and development charges

Clubhouse membership, electricity and water connection (BESCOM, BWSSB or the project's own system), power backup and "infrastructure" charges are often listed as separate lines.

5. Deposits and advance maintenance

Many projects collect advance maintenance for the first one or two years at possession, plus a corpus or sinking fund for the residents' association. It is due at handover, when your budget is already stretched.

6. GST

Under-construction homes attract GST. For most homes that are not in the "affordable" category, the rate is 5% on the agreement value, without input tax credit. It is collected with each construction-linked payment, so plan for it in every instalment, not just at the end.

7. Stamp duty and registration

Karnataka charges stamp duty on the higher of the agreement value and the government guidance value. For homes above ₹45 lakh the duty is 5%, with a cess and surcharge on top of the duty, plus a 1% registration fee. Rates change, so confirm the current figure with the sub-registrar or your lawyer before you budget.

8. Loan and legal costs

Home loan processing fees, legal verification, agreement drafting and, later, interiors. None of these are on the builder's cost sheet, and all of them come out of your pocket.

How to get the real number

• Ask for an all-in cost sheet for one specific unit, with floor, facing and parking filled in. A cost sheet for "a 3 BHK" is not good enough.
• Get it in writing, signed or on the builder's letterhead, with a validity date.
• Compare price per sq.ft of carpet area, not super built-up. That is the only like-for-like comparison across builders.
• Ask what is not included. Every cost sheet leaves something out. The question surfaces it.
• Add GST, stamp duty and registration yourself if they are shown as "extra, as applicable".

Where PropStar comes in

Getting three honest cost sheets from three builders takes weeks of calls and site visits, and each sales team presents its numbers differently. That is the job we do for you.

Your PropStar adviser gets the all-in cost sheet for the exact units on your shortlist, goes through it line by line with you, and tells you what's good and what you give up with each one. Before you visit, not after you book. The builder pays our fee. You don't.