This is a hub page. It tells you what to decide at each stage, what to pay and what to check, and sends you to the article that goes deeper. Figures are as of 17 October 2026.

Step 1: How much house can you afford? A worked budget

Three costs sit on top of the price. Karnataka's statutory charges rose to about 7.6% from 31 August 2025, when the registration fee went from 1% to 2% alongside 5% stamp duty, 0.5% cess and 0.1% surcharge (The South First). Under-construction flats carry GST of 5% without input tax credit, or 1% for affordable housing (carpet area up to 60 sq m in metro cities and price up to ₹45 lakh); a completed flat with a completion certificate carries none (ClearTax's GST FAQ). And banks lend only part of the value: RBI's housing finance norms tie the loan-to-value ratio to loan size (up to 90% for loans up to ₹30 lakh, 80% from ₹30 lakh to ₹75 lakh, 75% above ₹75 lakh), and banks may not add stamp duty or registration to the property cost for this purpose except on homes up to ₹10 lakh.

Illustrative example, an under-construction 2 BHK at ₹90 lakh: the loan is above ₹75 lakh, so the maximum is 75%, or ₹67.5 lakh, and your down payment is ₹22.5 lakh. Statutory charges at 7.6% are ₹6.84 lakh (₹4.5 lakh stamp duty, ₹1.8 lakh registration, ₹54,000 cess and surcharge). GST at 5% is ₹4.5 lakh. Cash you need of your own: ₹22.5 lakh + ₹6.84 lakh + ₹4.5 lakh = ₹33.84 lakh, before interiors, legal fees, parking or club charges. At an assumed 8.5% for 20 years, the EMI on ₹67.5 lakh is about ₹58,578 a month. Check your own eligibility in LTV Ratio and FOIR: How Much Home Loan You Will Really Get in 2026 and the cost detail in Stamp Duty and Registration Charges in Bangalore (2026): The Real Numbers Buyers Pay.

Keep a separate line for costs that are easy to forget: your lawyer's fee for the title check, interiors and appliances, the maintenance deposit and advance maintenance collected at possession, car park and club charges if they are not in the base price, and moving costs. Ask the builder for a full cost sheet in writing and compare it with the agreement before you book.

Step 2: Get a home loan pre-approval

Step 3: Shortlist areas by commute and budget

Start from where you and your partner work, then look at metro lines and travel time at peak hours. East Bengaluru (Whitefield, Bangalore, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore) suits the ORR and Whitefield tech belts; North Bengaluru (Hebbal, Bangalore, Thanisandra, Bangalore, Devanahalli, Bangalore) suits Manyata and the airport; South (Electronic City, Bangalore, Kanakapura Road, Bangalore) suits Electronic City. Our area-by-area comparison is in Best Areas to Buy a Flat in Bangalore (2026), by Budget and Commute, prices per sq ft by locality in Bangalore, and homes near stations in Metro Stations Bangalore.

Filter by budget early: Under 75 Lakh, Bangalore, Under 1 Crore, Bangalore and 2 BHK Under 1 Crore, Bangalore show what each band buys today.

Step 4: Under construction or ready to move?

Under construction usually costs less upfront per sq ft but adds 5% GST, delay risk and rent while you wait. Ready to move has no GST once the completion certificate is issued, lets you inspect the actual flat, and starts your EMI and living in the same month. The full side-by-side, with tax math, is in Under-Construction vs Ready-to-Move in Bangalore: Costs, GST, RERA and Risk Compared (2026). Browse both: Under Construction, Bangalore and Ready To Move, Bangalore.

Step 5: Check the project before you pay a rupee

Step 6: Booking: what you can be asked to pay

Section 13 of the RERA Act says a promoter cannot accept more than 10% of the cost as an advance or application fee before a written agreement for sale is signed and registered. Get a receipt for the booking amount, the unit number and an allotment letter. K-RERA publishes a model allotment letter on its downloads page, so compare yours against it. Ask for the cancellation and refund terms in writing before you pay.

Pay only by cheque or bank transfer to the account named in the agreement, never in cash, and keep every receipt. The project's K-RERA page has a Bank Details tab listing its 70% account, the separate account that section 4(2)(l)(D) of the Act reserves for land and construction costs, so you can see where buyer money is meant to go. If a broker is involved, check their K-RERA agent registration first.

Step 7: The agreement for sale

Steps 8 and 9: Loan disbursal and registration

Send the agreement, approved plans and RERA details to your lender for legal and technical checks, then sign the loan agreement. For under-construction flats, banks usually pay the builder in stages as construction progresses, and until full disbursal you typically pay interest only on the amount released (pre-EMI). If the price is above ₹50 lakh, the buyer must deduct TDS on payments to the seller; from 1 April 2026 this is reported through Form 141 on the income tax portal, which replaced Form 26QB. Rates move with the repo rate; see Home Loan Interest Rates in India (2026): The Real Numbers.

Book a slot on Karnataka's Kaveri system, pay stamp duty and the registration fee, and register at the sub-registrar's office with buyer and seller present. Ask the builder early for the unit's e-khata details and check them on the e-Aasthi portal. Process detail: The Sale Deed & Registration Process, Step by Step and costs in Karnataka Stamp Duty and Registration Fee in 2026: What a Bengaluru Flat Really Costs.

Step 10: Possession, then the paperwork after

Do not take keys without the occupancy certificate for your block. Inspect room by room, get a signed snag list, and collect plans and warranties: Flat Possession Checklist: Bangalore Snag List and Documents. Section 19(10) asks you to take possession within two months of the OC, and section 14(3) gives you five years to report defects, which must be fixed within 30 days. After the keys, transfer the e-khata, property tax and BESCOM account, join the association and insure the home: After Flat Possession in Bangalore: 9 Things to Do (2026). If the builder misses the date, your options and the Karnataka complaint process are in How to File a Complaint in Karnataka RERA: 2026 Guide.

Common first-time mistakes are collected in First-Time Home-Buyer Mistakes to Avoid in India. Ready to look at specific homes? Examples across budgets include Assetz Here And Now Thanisandra in Thanisandra, Provident Equinox 6 Kengeri Mysore Road on Mysore Road and Godrej 24 Sarjapur in Sarjapur; run the Step 5 checks on any project before booking.