Saturday, November 10, 2007

Renting a House

So you are planning to shift to a new place!! Here are some of the tips that you might want to keep in mind while deciding how and which place to choose!!

Finding and letting agents know what you want

  • Go to 99acres and magicbricks and search for houses online. Call these agents
  • Typically agents divide their areas of operation. And they have a very closed group. So just let a couple of them know in an area and everyone else shall get informed
  • If your budget is X then quote 0.75 * X to the dealer. He will invariably take it higher
  • Be clear on what you want in the house (Furnished/unfurnished, power backup/inverter etc) and convey this to the dealer

Choosing a house

  • Once an agent calls you to tell that he has found a house, ask him if he has seen it himself
  • If no then tell him to do so once and ensure that he has the keys to the house before spending your time in visiting the place. Ask him if the landlord is willing to give the house to bachelors
  • Take a girl along to look at the house. They can spot the small missing things easily. For e.g. missing curtain rods, hangars in the bathroom etc
  • If possible take a house where someone has lived before. This ensures that all things are in working order

Finalizing a house (so you like a house and have bid for it)

  • Talk to the previous tenants about the house. Also go and talk to the neighbors once. They are the most reliable source of information
  • Make your demands clear in front on the landlord and don’t move in unless they have been met. Don’t get swayed by the lines ke 'ho jayega'

Finally, to make things easier, take useful phone numbers from previous tenants/neighbors. Also keep the watchman happy, he is your link to the plumber, electrician, your couriers and everything!!

Happy hunting!!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

First Salary

Things have come a complete circle. Two years and 3 months after I received my first salary, CoCubes paid out salary to our first employee, Rakesh. Way to go.. .