Buy with confidence.

1. Define your requirement

Start with clarity: budget (including registration costs), preferred localities, plot or built property, size, road access and your timeline. A clear brief saves time for everyone.

2. Check the title

• Sale deed / title deed in the seller's name, and the chain of previous deeds showing how ownership passed over the years.
• Khatauni (record of rights) and related land records, matching the seller's name and the land described.
• Mutation (dakhil-kharij) showing the property is recorded in the seller's name in revenue records.
• Identity of all owners — if there are co-owners or legal heirs, all of them may need to sign.

3. Confirm it is free of disputes and loans

• An encumbrance / non-encumbrance search at the sub-registrar's office to check for mortgages or registered charges.
• Ask whether the property is mortgaged to a bank — if so, how and when the loan will be cleared.
• Check for pending court cases relating to the property.

4. Check land use and approvals

• Confirm the land use (residential, commercial, agricultural) allows what you plan to do.
• For construction in the Dehradun area, building plans are generally sanctioned by the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) — ask for the approved map where applicable.
• For projects by developers, check registration with Uttarakhand RERA where required.

5. Rules on agricultural land

Uttarakhand has specific rules on the purchase of agricultural land, particularly by buyers from outside the state, and these have been revised in recent years. Confirm your eligibility with a lawyer before paying any advance for agricultural land.

6. Visit the site — more than once

• Check road access, width and approach in different seasons if possible.
• Verify boundaries and measurements against the documents.
• Look at water, electricity and drainage availability.
• Speak to neighbours about the area.

7. Understand the full cost

• Stamp duty and registration charges as notified by the Uttarakhand government — check the current rates and circle rates for the area.
• Legal fees, any brokerage and loan processing charges.
• Use our EMI Calculator and Budget Planner to plan.

8. Agreement, payment & registration

• Put the terms in a written agreement to sell before paying a significant advance.
• Pay through traceable banking channels and keep receipts.
• Register the sale deed at the sub-registrar's office, then apply for mutation in your name.