Deciding to buy a house is just the first step in the long list of things-to-do before you actually zero in on your dream property. Today, while buying a property, most people seem to be focusing primarily on location and price. However, knowingly or unknowingly, they tend to ignore the most important aspect a house should be known for – quality.

From issues pertaining to the inferior quality of plumbing and electric wiring, window frames and grills, and faulty alignment of doors to the leakage and sub-standard flooring, it is better to do some fact finding to ascertain you are paying for the as-promised house and not for one which is of sub-standard quality.

Here’s what you should do to check the health of the house:

• One of the best ways to find out the quality of a construction is to visit the previously built properties of that developer/builder and talk to the occupants there. That will give you a fair idea about the developer’s reputation. Remember, reputation is of utmost importance in real estate as well-established and trusted developers could take a goodwill hit if they use sub-standard materials.

• Always insist on quality certifications or ratings provided by third-party agencies/authorities on the building materials used in the construction. If the construction is already completed, the buyer should seek ultrasonic pulse velocity test report or any other non-destructive test report that assessed the integrity of the structural

• In case you are not satisfied with these reports/certifications, hiring an independent building Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) agency can be of help.

• Alternatively, you can also approach CREDAI’s Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum, where an aggrieved buyer can register a complaint against a CREDAI member developer. CREDAI is the apex body of real estate developers and it has a presence across 23 states and 154 cities.

Home-buying could be the biggest investment you would make in your entire life. Hence, it’s always wise to keep calm and take enough time to ascertain you are buying the right property. And this is why choosing a developer committed to quality will go a long way in ensuring you get a house free from any structural and safety malfunctions.