Ask Sam

This is the question everyone should ask before signing anything. Here is what I check.

RERA registration first. Any broker operating in India (post 2017) must be registered with the state RERA. Ask for the registration number and verify it on the state RERA portal. Takes two minutes. If they hesitate, walk away.

Track record next. Ask for three transactions they have closed in the last six months, with client contact details. Not LinkedIn recommendations. Real phone numbers you can call. A confident agent hands this over immediately.

Watch for the rush. Trustworthy agents do not pressure you to decide by tomorrow. Urgency is almost always manufactured. The moment you feel pushed, slow down.

Understand who they actually represent. In India, most "buyer's agents" are developer-paid channel partners. Their incentive is the developer's commission, not your best deal. Ask plainly: "Are you paid by the developer or by me?" The answer tells you a lot about where their loyalty sits.

Test how they handle bad news. Ask what the three biggest risks are with the property you are considering. If they cannot name any, they are selling you, not advising you.

Thirty years in Indian real estate has taught me that the best agents are not the smoothest talkers. They are the ones who tell you what could go wrong before you sign.

Depends entirely on what you are trying to solve.

Dubai makes sense if you need a second home, a global address, or rental yield in USD with no capital gains tax. The market is liquid, the legal framework is developer-friendly, and Indian buyers understand it. But you are buying into a city with no permanent residency attached to most property price points and a rental market that can shift quickly when sentiment moves.

India makes sense if you are building long-term wealth in the world's fastest-growing large economy. The demographic story is real. Infrastructure is catching up fast, RERA is adding credibility, and pricing outside the top five cities is still early in the appreciation cycle.

The mistake I see most NRIs make: they buy Dubai because it is easy and familiar from visits, and marketed hard to them. India feels complicated because they do not have a trusted local advisor. That is a logistics problem, not an investment problem.

If I were advising my own family: India for the 10 to 15 year wealth play. Dubai only if you need the lifestyle asset or want geographic diversification. Not both unless you have the patience to hold in two markets simultaneously.

Most agents focus on the commission split first. That is the wrong question to lead with.

The split is a fraction of what determines your income. Here is what actually matters:

Training and systems. What do they hand you on day one? A defined lead generation process, a CRM, transaction support? Or a business card and a wish you luck? The gap between these two is enormous.

Brand and market reputation. Can the brokerage's name open doors for you, or do you have to fight for credibility on every call?

Income architecture. A single-split income is fragile. The best brokerages give agents multiple income streams alongside their production. Ask if any exist beyond the transaction commission.

Culture. Are the agents competing against each other, or helping each other grow? This matters more than any number on a split sheet. Ask to spend a day in the office before you decide.

The honest read on the Indian market right now: most brokerages still operate on an old model. Hand the agent nothing, take a high split, hope they produce. The ones treating agents as the real asset of the business will win this decade. That is the shift to look for when you evaluate where to plant your career.

The FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) framework governs this and the good news is straightforward: NRIs can buy residential and commercial property in India without special RBI permission. Restrictions apply only to agricultural land, farmhouses, and plantation properties.

Step 1: Confirm your NRI status. Under FEMA, an Indian citizen who has resided outside India for 182 days or more in the preceding financial year qualifies. This determines which account you route payments through.

Step 2: Activate an NRE or NRO account. All property payments must come from an Indian bank account in rupees. NRE funds allow full repatriation of proceeds. NRO accounts have annual repatriation limits of one million USD.

Step 3: Get a PAN card if you do not have one. Mandatory for any transaction above Rs 50 lakh.

Step 4: Verify the property title. RERA registration for under-construction projects. Encumbrance Certificate for resale. Always confirm the seller is the actual title holder, not a power of attorney holder from a chain of transactions you cannot trace.

Step 5: Budget beyond the sticker price. Add stamp duty (roughly 5 to 7% depending on state), registration fees, GST on under-construction properties, and any society transfer charges on resale.

The biggest mistake NRIs make is buying during a site visit without a local advisor who will still be reachable after the transaction closes. That relationship is worth more than any price negotiation.

I have watched three full market cycles in Indian real estate since the early 1990s. Here is what I have learned.

Market timing is largely a myth for end-user buyers. For someone who will live in the property or hold it for 8 to 12 years, whether you buy in Q3 or Q1 of any given year matters far less than whether you buy the right property in the right location with clean title.

That said, here is an honest read of mid-2026. The top tier cities — NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad — have seen meaningful appreciation over the last three years. That appreciation is backed by genuine demand, not speculative flipping. Correction risk is limited to niche segments that got ahead of themselves. Broad corrections in those markets are unlikely without an external macro shock.

The real opportunity sits one layer beneath the headline cities. Tier 2 markets with improving connectivity, planned infrastructure, and populations moving up the income curve. The airport pipeline, highway corridors, and data centre belts are the three themes worth tracking closely right now.

If you are an investor, the question is not "will it correct?" The question is "what is the 10-year demand driver here?" Find that, and buy there. Everything else is noise.