How to choose a property consultant in Bengaluru: 10 questions to ask

The short answer: a good property consultant in Bengaluru is registered with Karnataka RERA, tells you plainly how they are paid, checks title and approvals before showing you a home, and puts their advice in writing — including when the advice is "don't buy". The ten questions below will tell you, in one conversation, whether the person in front of you does those things.

Bengaluru (still searched for as Bangalore by most buyers) has thousands of property consultants, brokers and "channel partners". Some are excellent. Many are paid by builders to move stock, and a few will show you properties with khata or approval problems without mentioning them. You can't tell the difference from a website or a brochure. You can tell from their answers.

1. Are you registered with Karnataka RERA? What is your number?

Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, anyone who sells property in a registered project on someone else's behalf must be registered as a real estate agent with the state authority. Ask for the registration number and check it yourself on the Karnataka RERA website. It takes two minutes.

Registration doesn't prove someone is good at the job. But an agent who isn't registered is breaking the law on day one, and you have less protection if something goes wrong.

2. How are you paid, and by whom?

This is the most important question, and the one most buyers feel awkward asking. Ask it anyway.

• New projects: the builder usually pays the agent's commission. That is normal, but it means the agent earns only if you buy from a builder who pays them.
• Resale homes: buyer and seller often each pay a fee. Agree the percentage in writing before you visit anything.
• Advisory fees: some consultants charge the buyer directly for research and checks. This can reduce the pull towards whichever builder pays most.

No single model is wrong. What matters is that the answer is clear and consistent. If it's vague, assume the builder is paying — and that you are hearing a sales pitch.

3. Which builders do you work with? Do you have sales targets with any of them?

Many agents are "empanelled" with a handful of developers and have monthly targets to meet. That shapes what they show you. A trustworthy property advisor will tell you who they work with and whether any of those relationships come with quotas or bonus incentives on specific launches.

A useful follow-up: "If the right home for me is in a project you don't work with, what happens?"

4. What do you check before you show me a property?

The answer should be specific. At a minimum, before a home reaches your shortlist, someone should have looked at:

• the title documents going back at least 30 years, and the Encumbrance Certificate from the Sub-Registrar;
• the khata — A-khata or B-khata, and whether an e-khata exists (here's why that matters);
• the sanctioned building plan, and the commencement certificate for projects under construction;
• the occupancy certificate for completed buildings;
• the project's Karnataka RERA registration and its quarterly progress updates;
• the joint development agreement, if the builder doesn't own the land outright.

If the answer is "the builder has done all that" or "the bank will check it at loan stage", the checks are being left until after you've paid a booking amount. That is too late.

5. Will you give me your findings in writing?

Verbal reassurance costs nothing. A written note — what was checked, what was found, what is still pending — makes the consultant accountable, and gives your own lawyer something to review. Ask to see a sample (with the client's details removed).

6. When did you last tell a client not to buy?

This question separates advisors from salespeople. Someone who genuinely checks properties will regularly find problems: gaps in the title chain, a layout that was never approved, a site inside a storm-water drain (rajakaluve) buffer, a builder whose last project is years late. They should be able to give you a recent, specific example without naming names.

If they can't remember one, they probably aren't looking.

7. What have similar homes in this area actually sold for?

Asking prices in Bengaluru are often far above what buyers finally pay. A consultant who knows a micro-market — Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Hebbal, North Bengaluru towards Devanahalli — should be able to tell you recent registered sale prices for comparable homes, not just the builder's price sheet. This is also how they negotiate for you.

8. Who does the legal check — and are they independent?

Even when a consultant does their own document checks, the final title opinion should come from a property lawyer. Ask whether the lawyer works for you or for the builder, and whether you can choose your own. A lawyer chosen and paid by the seller's side is not independent, however competent.

9. What happens after I pay the booking amount?

Many agents disappear once the booking is made. The expensive mistakes often happen later: a sale agreement with one-sided clauses, a home loan disbursed ahead of construction, a handover with unfinished work, a khata that never gets transferred. Ask what the consultant does at each stage — agreement, loan, registration, handover inspection and khata transfer — and until when they stay involved.

10. Can I speak to two or three recent clients?

Online reviews help, but a ten-minute call with someone who bought in the last year tells you far more. Ask them what went wrong and how the consultant handled it. Every purchase has a problem somewhere. What you want to know is whether the consultant told the client about it.

Red flags to walk away from

• Pressure to pay a booking amount the same day ("the offer ends tonight", "only two units left").
• Asking for cash, or for payment into an account not in the builder's or seller's name.
• A shortlist made up entirely of one or two builders' projects.
• No RERA registration number, or one that doesn't match the name on the website.
• Answers like "don't worry, it's all approved" without documents to show.
• Promises that a B-khata will "definitely" be converted soon.

How we answer these questions

Since we're asking you to put these questions to any consultant, here are our answers. Keycroft Realty is registered with Karnataka RERA as an agent (PRM/KA/RERA/1251/446/AG/251021/006360). We have no builder quotas. Every property is checked for title, khata and approvals before we show it to you, and if something doesn't hold up, we tell you in writing — including when that means advising you not to buy. We stay involved through the loan, registration, handover and khata transfer. You can read more about how we work, or, if you're buying from abroad, our NRI services.

Put the same questions to us. If our answers don't satisfy you, you should keep looking.