Amazing India

[SAPPORO]

Which are some of good apartment societies ( need names and addresses like which sector they are) in gurugram where one can live comfortably in retirement years and prices in todays date for 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. If apartment will be used initial 10-15 year for 4-6 month of stay and will be locked down as plan would be go back to US/UK etc. car(s) may be left in parking for that duration and apartment will be locked.
Anything in 1-2 crore budget.

Cold weather in Gurgaon. I just love it. Lot of time there is fog and being on high floor flat makes you feel you are in clouds. You cannot see anything below or any of the skyline that city offers. On ground you cannot see a person a feet away. Ofcourse, you cannot go anywhere in such weather but chai and pakoda has its own charm. And then my mother in law makes poori and alu as soon as it's slightly foggy or rainy outside. Weather has been kind since around early October. But since Dec it has been just perfect amount of cold. I have simply forgotten what summer was like. Eating out has been a charm in winters. Things do not rot easily and risk of food poisoning is negligible. I havent visited my parents in last couple of weeks. Any thoughts of going outside and I feel I should just cozy up in the blanket and go to sleep. And then there is also risk of fog when coming back in evening. So it just best to stay in house, sip tea and enjoy the awesome view. Ofcourse will visit them this weekend. My mother makes amazing gajar halwa, saag, makka roti. I have been to Delhi a few times with my wife for shopping and street food cravings. She finds some satisfaction in purchasing a saree for 600rupees that she is never going to wear. People making short, reels and videos in such markets. Delhi is definitely a unique city with plenty of charming places. You just have to find jewels among all of the chaos.

My daily 8-10km walk is still going on. Best part about winter is that you can go for walk at any time of the day. There is competition in my society and some folks are doing around 20kms a day. I don't know how they do it and not get injured. But it's good that people are focusing on fitness. Some lady is around 70yrs of age and walks 17-20k steps a day. It's little embarrassing that I am losing out to these oldies. Walkway in my society is quite good. One round is little over 1km and landscaping is really nice with variety of trees, parks, pools, towers etc etc. While walking you always see guards greeting you, kids playing in park, people just chilling in sun with their kids or elderly, beautiful women. Ofcourse all this just makes the walk little less boring.

Currently in Bangalore - it's a financial sin to buy an apartment in India especially if it's for short term. I was at a 1.75 Cr 3 bedroom apartment on the 11th floor in a nice society from Brigade buiilders. There are multiple identical rental apartments available in the same society for 50K per month. Good that a lot of NRIs have already committed the financial sin!

[SAPPORO]

Cold weather in Gurgaon. I just love it. Lot of time there is fog and being on high floor flat makes you feel you are in clouds. You cannot see anything below or any of the skyline that city offers. On ground you cannot see a person a feet away. Ofcourse, you cannot go anywhere in such weather but chai and pakoda has its own charm. And then my mother in law makes poori and alu as soon as it's slightly foggy or rainy outside. Weather has been kind since around early October. But since Dec it has been just perfect amount of cold. I have simply forgotten what summer was like. Eating out has been a charm in winters. Things do not rot easily and risk of food poisoning is negligible. I havent visited my parents in last couple of weeks. Any thoughts of going outside and I feel I should just cozy up in the blanket and go to sleep. And then there is also risk of fog when coming back in evening. So it just best to stay in house, sip tea and enjoy the awesome view. Ofcourse will visit them this weekend. My mother makes amazing gajar halwa, saag, makka roti. I have been to Delhi a few times with my wife for shopping and street food cravings. She finds some satisfaction in purchasing a saree for 600rupees that she is never going to wear. People making short, reels and videos in such markets. Delhi is definitely a unique city with plenty of charming places. You just have to find jewels among all of the chaos.

My daily 8-10km walk is still going on. Best part about winter is that you can go for walk at any time of the day. There is competition in my society and some folks are doing around 20kms a day. I don't know how they do it and not get injured. But it's good that people are focusing on fitness. Some lady is around 70yrs of age and walks 17-20k steps a day. It's little embarrassing that I am losing out to these oldies. Walkway in my society is quite good. One round is little over 1km and landscaping is really nice with variety of trees, parks, pools, towers etc etc. While walking you always see guards greeting you, kids playing in park, people just chilling in sun with their kids or elderly, beautiful women. Ofcourse all this just makes the walk little less boring.

Wow! I cant even do 2kms walk man my legs every bones start paining.

I am seriously worried for you. It should not happen in your early forties, If I were you, I would get it checked out unless you were kidding.

[dicky_bird]

I am in india and this topic came up if we decide to split time between india and US in next 4-5 years.
We do have DDA flat house in Delhi. just looking what options are avialable in gurugram for more security if apartment left locked for 4-6 months.
You made good points regarding apartment need deep cleaning and car not starting. Having to drive on your own has its advantages then depending on non reliable drivers.
Getting best of both worlds is not possible when splitting time but wanted to explore what options are there.



quote=old-spice2 post_id=1609 time=1736726026 user_id=96]

Which are some of good apartment societies ( need names and addresses like which sector they are) in gurugram where one can live comfortably in retirement years and prices in todays date for 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. If apartment will be used initial 10-15 year for 4-6 month of stay and will be locked down as plan would be go back to US/UK etc. car(s) may be left in parking for that duration and apartment will be locked.
Anything in 1-2 crore budget.

Dicky,

Are you also planning to return? I keep travelling to NCR, so we can meet one day alongwith RI.

With locked apartment in India, you need to pay the monthly maintenance, prop tax, bijli/pani bill and that is it. Whenever you visit India, need to get it deep cleaned while you stay in a hotel and then it will become livable. Cars usually will not start if they are kept parked for long time like 6 months. You will have to call a mechanic onsite to get it serviced or towed. If you have a friend then give a key to him so he can drive it once a month to keep it in running condition.
[/quote]

[dicky_bird]

Thank you RI. The points you made are valid. We have DDA flat in Delhi. but was looking for options in gated community where keeping apartment locked is not an issue. I understand as you said there will be cleaning and car maintenance required if left not used for 4-6 months.

I keep looking at 99 acres, I wish they have something like Zillow which gives more information and pictures.


quote=Returning_Indian post_id=1612 time=1736729314 user_id=150]

Which are some of good apartment societies ( need names and addresses like which sector they are) in gurugram where one can live comfortably in retirement years and prices in todays date for 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. If apartment will be used initial 10-15 year for 4-6 month of stay and will be locked down as plan would be go back to US/UK etc. car(s) may be left in parking for that duration and apartment will be locked.
Anything in 1-2 crore budget.

There is no shortage of flats to suit your requirements. But choice will be limited in that budget. Gurgaon doesn't offer many 2bhks so even their prices are not so low. In any case, I wouldn't recommend 2bhk as you may have guests etc coming in. I feel my 3bhk is not sufficient and should have gone for 4bhk.

For 1-2cr, I think there maybe some decent options around Sohna. Dwarka expressway has also shot up in prices in last one year. But both Sohna and dwarka expressway are developing areas and little further away from hub. 2-3 cr will open up some options and 3-4cr will open options to many other decent societies. But it depends on which area suits your requirements and feel comfortable living. There is also factor of the type of builder and their brand name. I have realised that bigger brands have made decent attempt to keep their society maintenance up to date while others are not paying as much attention. Maintenance of society is also important factor to consider. There are also older societies which are independently built and I personally do not like them as their maintenance is very low and feel outdated. But most societies will offer good security and amenities will vary based on the budget. You can get cameras installed all around your flat and car parking for additional sense of control/security.
We can connect seperately. 99acres can be overwhelming when you have no idea about the area. I have lived on golf course extension road which has good builders like M3M, Ireo. Then there is SPR road which has some good choices from Tata, Tulip, Signature, Paras.

Society I lived in previously had excellent senior citizen group for retirees. The one I live right now has taken it even further. These guys go on road trips together. I feel they are living much better social life than I do. They have number of religious functions celebrated together. Kitty parties. Walking groups etc etc. I also felt they have their own set of conflicts as well. There are number of them from military. Overall, you will not be short on company during 4-6month period.

Leaving flat empty for 6months will require someone to keep up with cleaning and same goes for car. That can be a challenge unless you can find a trustworthy friend.

But why choose Gurgaon? Noida is also decent option for retirement.
[/quote]

[Returning_Indian]

Dicky,

Are you also planning to return? I keep travelling to NCR, so we can meet one day alongwith RI.

With locked apartment in India, you need to pay the monthly maintenance, prop tax, bijli/pani bill and that is it. Whenever you visit India, need to get it deep cleaned while you stay in a hotel and then it will become livable. Cars usually will not start if they are kept parked for long time like 6 months. You will have to call a mechanic onsite to get it serviced or towed. If you have a friend then give a key to him so he can drive it once a month to keep it in running condition.

Some people have made arrangements with cleaners and other folks to manage the cleaning. But I think that's risky affair to put such trust in other people. Our neighbour is mostly out of town and given us the key to handover to the maid. That's one option but again you have to have great neighbour like us. Cameras in the flat act as deterrent from petty theft.
Hotel for 1day is also an option. Cleaners from urbanclap can clean the apartment in few hours. I think once people start living they make good friends and Indians in general do not mind helping their neighbours.

[Returning_Indian]

Wow! I cant even do 2kms walk man my legs every bones start paining.

it will take your body some time but consistency is the key. Walk slow, walk small but do it daily. Your body will adapt and you will be upto 10k in no time. It's amazing how quickly body responds. But I have realised that after 40 it takes longer to recover than it did in my 20s. My father walks 10kms at 3 in the morning and then stays active all day. He is 70 and has been doing it for last 20yrs atleast. I guess it's just a matter of training body.

[Returning_Indian]

Currently in Bangalore - it's a financial sin to buy an apartment in India especially if it's for short term. I was at a 1.75 Cr 3 bedroom apartment on the 11th floor in a nice society from Brigade buiilders. There are multiple identical rental apartments available in the same society for 50K per month. Good that a lot of NRIs have already committed the financial sin!

yes rentals in India are always cheaper than the monthly mortgage. So financially it doesn't make much sense to buy for short period of let's say 1month. But 6months is not short period and you are always at the mercy of landlord. You are always limited by the personalization that you do to a rental property. Basically you pay for your convenience and to have your own space. Not everything in life is about p&l statement. In addition, 10% appreciation plus 5% rental will give you 15% returns on your investment at the very least in long term. So nothing to lose really.

[old-spice2]

yes rentals in India are always cheaper than the monthly mortgage. So financially it doesn't make much sense to buy for short period of let's say 1month. But 6months is not short period and you are always at the mercy of landlord. You are always limited by the personalization that you do to a rental property. Basically you pay for your convenience and to have your own space. Not everything in life is about p&l statement. In addition, 10% appreciation plus 5% rental will give you 15% returns on your investment at the very least in long term. So nothing to lose really.

Rentals are not easy in India for someone who split their time between US/India. Most of the rental is for 11 months lease with 3-5L in deposit. This pagri menace has crept into BLR from Mumbai. Then depending on the landlord it will be a challenge to get that deposit back if you are living overseas. So buying an apartment is the only way out even if it does not make any financial sense. It will be convenient for senior NRIs. After 1-2 days of cleaning you will have a comfortable place to live. India does not have US style company owned rental apartments.

[wd40]

I am seriously worried for you. It should not happen in your early forties, If I were you, I would get it checked out unless you were kidding.

I was always unfit. Even in my 20s I couldnt walk much. Just lack of excercise and a sedantary lifestyle.

[wd40]

Rentals are not easy in India for someone who split their time between US/India. Most of the rental is for 11 months lease with 3-5L in deposit. This pagri menace has crept into BLR from Mumbai. Then depending on the landlord it will be a challenge to get that deposit back if you are living overseas. So buying an apartment is the only way out even if it does not make any financial sense. It will be convenient for senior NRIs. After 1-2 days of cleaning you will have a comfortable place to live. India does not have US style company owned rental apartments.

I kept on debating with myself about buying a flat vs renting. Eventually I decided to just go and live in the upper floor of the house my parents have built in Bangalore. My parents live in the ground floor and the upper floor is rented out currently for cheap 16k. I offered my dad that I will live there and pay the rent. He told me, no need to pay the rent. This gives us some permanency as my dad has told me I will get the whole property as inheritance. So might as well go and live there now and make friends with the neighbours etc

Although it is a bit tricky and there are likely to be frictions between my wife and mother. But then I beleive, if we keep running away from our problems, instead of facing them, then what is the point?

So far lived in Singapore, a safe haven for last 16 years and avoided the saas bahu drama, which to me is already a big achievement. Now my dad is already 75 and my mom is 70. They are super fit and they do all they work on their own and absolutely dont take any help from us. But atleast we can be there nearby for them. Living further away even though same city again is pointless, because we have to make effort to go and meet them. If we live above, my wife gets the necessary privacy and I can hop into their house anytime. Hopefully this setup works.