Katya Naidu

Recently, when Pooja Sharma was planning to buy a home in Jaipur, she was given an interesting proposal while negotiating the price with the developer. The latter agreed to provide a furnished flat if Sharmas agreed to pay the non-discounted price. Sharma lives in Mumbai at present.

Sharmas, considering the offer, agreed to go for a furnished home (a home with furniture). “There are certainly certain advantages that come with buying a furnished home. The first is that it saved a lot of time and effort which goes into looking for the right furniture, which matches with the decor as well. Since, we also negotiated the price with the developer, this was one of the perks that we received from them,” Sharma said.

Though Sharmas got the perfect deal, there are things that one needs to consider when buying a furnished home:

Reputation of the developer

When developers try to market such schemes, ensure that you check the furniture offered, its quality and its credibility. Go for such offers, only if you are making a deal with a credible developer whose deliveries match quality. At present, such offers are mostly available with luxury homes. But, with changing times and demands of the home buyers, the need of the hour is that developers should take as much care with furnishings as much they take with the quality of construction and home installations.

Also, ensure that you check the credibility of designers employed to work on the interiors before signing the deal.

Does the furniture match the décor?

If the primary reason for choosing a furnished apartment is the perfectly matching décor, then do not compromise on any design deviations. Ensure that all your design parameters are met and the design shown and promised by the developer is delivered as it is.

Check the brand/quality of the furniture

Try and test the quality of furniture that is installed by the developer, before you ink the deal. While most of the computerised designs look good, they might not turn out to be up to the mark when delivered. Go and visit the furnished mock apartment and check the product quality for yourself. Also, know more about the brand and price of the furnishing and cross-check the details online.

Is furniture considered in the home loan?

Is extra furniture that comes with a home costing you much than it would otherwise? If so, reconsider the proposal. It should not cost much more than the furniture budget that you have allocated. Since, the bundled offer goes with the price of the home, it is quite possible that your home loan might take care of it. Otherwise, you would have to spend extra money on furnishing the home. Most people take top-up loans on home and personal loan, which might fetch a higher interest rate.