Making the decision to buy a home is an all-consuming affair as there are many factors involved. To begin with, buying a home can be a pretty costly affair for the average middle-class man. Even though a majority of the payment is done through a home loan, it sets the stage for being in debt for the next 10-20 years and paying EMIs – thus taking a good chunk out of your monthly income.

And that’s not all, as you first have to make an initial down-payment out of your pocket which can wipe out most of your savings too.

This heavy investment makes homebuyers look for short-cuts to save expenses. This brings you to the stage of construction at which you want to pay for your home. It’s no secret that paying for a home at the pre-launch stage of the project can save the homebuyer up to 30% of the cost price of the property! But then the question arises – is this the best option to go with?

The pre-launch stage refers to the phase when the ‘product’ is yet to be ‘manufactured’. Some would consider it an expensive gamble paying for a home where even the first foundation stone hasn’t been laid. It’s a major dilemma as every homebuyer wants to save money by investing in the pre-launch stage. Do note that at this stage, the builder doesn’t even have all the pertinent permits to start building.

On the upside, there is RERA now to control fraudulent builders and strict building guidelines to deter any unpleasant surprises. So when buying a pre-launch property, the best thing is to go with a reputed builder; there is less risk involved with developers who have their reputation to keep up.

And for those who are averse to taking any kind of risk, they can always go for the ready-to-move-in homes. This way, they can actually see what they are buying and check whether all permits and documents are in place before putting down their money. The only downside to a ready-to-move-in home is that they are comparatively more expensive than pre-launch and under-construction properties.

But looking at the larger picture, buying into completed projects means there is no waiting period where you have to pay EMIs on it as well as rent costs while waiting for it to be built.

In the end, it all depends on how much you are ready to invest and how much risk you can afford to take.