Top Questions to Ask a Dholera Builder Before You Pay
Six groups of questions separate solid Dholera projects from risky ones: registration, land status, price, timelines, exit, and accountability. Ask them all, insist on written answers, and verify the checkable ones yourself. A builder's reaction to these questions is often as informative as the answers.
Registration and legal standing
These questions come first because their answers are independently checkable.
- What is the project's GUJRERA registration number?
- Who is the registered promoter, and is that the party my agreement will name?
- Is the registration current, and what does it cover?
- If there is no registration, why not?
Then verify every answer live on gujrera.gujarat.gov.in rather than accepting a brochure or screenshot. The verification guide shows how, and how to read a registration number decodes what you find. A missing or non-verifying number is a documented red flag pattern, and it ends the conversation.
Land status and location
This group exposes the most common traps: agricultural land sold as plots and outside-boundary projects marketed as inside.
- Is the land N.A. today, or inside a sanctioned TP scheme, which Gujarat treats as N.A.?
- Which TP scheme, and what is the Final Plot number?
- What village and survey number, exactly?
- Is the project inside the SIR boundary?
- Can I see the 7/12 extract?
Vague answers here are answers. A builder who knows the project can give you the survey number from memory. Cross-check on the master plan and TP schemes page and through AnyROR.
Price and every charge behind it
The headline rate is rarely the whole price. Ask:
- What exactly does the quoted rate include?
- What development, maintenance, or preferential location charges apply on top?
- What are the government costs? Stamp duty is effectively 4.9 percent plus 1 percent registration, so confirm what the builder expects you to pay.
- What is the payment schedule, and what does each instalment unlock?
- Is the rate per sq yd or sq ft, and what is the exact plot area?
Units matter: 1 sq yd is 9 sq ft, and confusion between them changes a price by a factor of nine. The hidden charges guide lists what tends to surface late.
Timelines and what happens when they slip
Dholera runs on targets, so ask how this project handles them.
- When is possession, and is that date in the agreement?
- What development is committed, by when, and what happens if it is late?
- Which claims in your marketing are confirmed, and which are targets?
A fair builder will distinguish, for example, the confirmed Tata fab under construction from the airport's targeted September or October 2026 opening, which is a target and not a date. A builder who presents every timeline as certain is either uninformed or selling. Neither is comforting. Written commitments with defined remedies are the standard to hold out for.
Exit, resale and transfer
Ask about the way out before you go in.
- Can I resell the plot freely, and are there lock-in periods?
- What transfer charges apply if I sell before possession?
- What is the process for transferring the booking or the plot?
- Does the builder assist resale, and on what terms?
No builder can promise you a resale price, and appreciation is an expectation, never a guarantee, so treat any answer that includes a promised return as a warning rather than a comfort. The resale and exit guide covers what a realistic exit looks like in this market.
How to judge the answers
Score the conversation on three things. Precision: good builders answer with numbers, survey references, and documents, not adjectives. Verifiability: every important answer should be checkable, and the builder should welcome the checking. Consistency: the brochure, the verbal pitch, the agreement draft, and the government record should all say the same thing, and any gap between them is your finding, not your misunderstanding. Take notes, email a summary after the meeting, and keep the reply. Then run the full questions to ask before buying list once more before any money moves. Builders comfortable with informed buyers are the ones worth shortlisting.
Questions buyers actually ask
What is the one question that filters out most bad projects?
Ask for the GUJRERA registration number, then verify it live on gujrera.gujarat.gov.in while the conversation is still fresh. If the number is missing, does not verify, or names a different promoter than your agreement, stop. That single check defeats several documented fraud patterns at once.
What if the builder says RERA registration is not needed for this project?
Treat the claim as something to verify, not accept. Check the project and promoter on gujrera.gujarat.gov.in yourself, and ask the builder to give the exemption reason in writing. Missing or non-verifying registrations are a documented red flag pattern in this market.
Should I get the answers in writing?
Yes, all of the important ones: possession dates, included charges, land status, and commitments about development. Verbal answers do not survive disputes. A simple habit works well: email the builder a summary of what was discussed and keep their written reply with your records.