This is one of the famous Ilayaraja songs that created a buzz in Tamil industry during early 90s. Not only the music but also the lyrics are rich and philosophical. When I was listening to this melody, she nudged me and said 'See, it's all about Square Feet!'. I nodded in agreement. She smiled and went inside. A moment later I realized, she isn't only talking about the song but also the discussion we earlier had about buying a home.It’s been exactly 6 months I started thinking about investments. She has been nagging me to invest for quite sometime now. Since our second honeymoon, I totally lost my mind over her reminders, there are some 50+ sticky notes all over my table and closet. One can collate all of them and make a presentation about investments.
This is what happened in our trip.
Thus, our honeymoon ended in a not so honey way.
We returned back to Chennai with a Mission Impossible which I chose to accept. I would not want to end up in a Civil War with my sweety where I could never face the Dawn of Justice. She thinks I always like to wander around like Mowgli of The Jungle Book and buying a home will make me responsible like the Dragon Warrior.
Even someone as carefree as me knows that buying a house is a Herculean job. A long term investment that makes it a bit risk prone. Well, I had no idea where to start, but I was determined to get the basics right. If only the foundation is strong, so will be the house.
Meanwhile...
Guy 1: I think it’s the anger of Lord Devendran on the builders.
Guy 2: Really!!! So what do we do?Guy 1: We should do Indira Loga puja before laying the foundation. Only then, the house will be safe!Guy 2: You're absolutely right. Er, can I order one more Sambhar Vada?,*then turned towards the waiter* Thambi tea innum varala!
Over hearing the above conversation at a restaurant of people talking about home buying, jinxed me right at the start.
With the recent floods in Chennai due to heavy rains, people have been skeptical about buying homes. But that does not seem right to me. I'd say, few greedy builders, some desperate buyers, bunch of poor planning by the government along with the rain god’s ambition to break a 100 year old record during the monsoons, turned our Singara Chennai upside down, at the exact same time. But now, the city is recovering well and good, and we should grow along with it in an improved manner.
I finally decided to do the groundwork myself and that's when I found this video of the Open Secrets Season 2 with Square Feet Subbu. 'Real estate tips.. Straight from my lips' is very catchy start for a 4 minute webisodes.
This is the quirkiest way one can educate about home buying. And especially for a person like me who cannot stand seriousness in any form, Sq.Ft Subbu and his Sequel Sq.Ft Subbu Returns became the best buddies. I got to know how to look for locations, price comparisons, building regulations and other important aspects of buying a property. I learnt the trick of keeping myself balanced between being ignorant and overlooking.
The DRA Group, a brand most popular for its innovative and unique approach to real estate has just made matters simpler. They have roped in stand-up comedian Venkatesh Harinathan from the theater group Stray Factory for their branding activities. And what’s more, you get to upgrade your knowledge while you are being entertained!
Failing is not a problem, not retrying is. As Sq.Ft Subbu rightly says how Ranbir will bounce back in a better way to find his dream girl, we, the prospective home buyers, should also research the market thoroughly, find a trusted builder and buy a home when the time is right. Anyways, I have my Katrina and would not want to lose her ever.I plotted a 3 months plan for our home buying process and showed it to her today. And you know what she just jumped and hugged me saying 'You're the best!'. What more do I need?
Happy Wife! Happy Life! Happy Home Buying!PS - Couple of tamil dialogues I used here are famous funny dialogues from Tamil movies. :-)
