Buying a high-end apartment? Read this

If you go scouting for a high-end apartment in Delhi, NCR or any other affluent city in the country, builders will promise to offer you the best that money can buy.

But before we list the basics that slot an apartment as a high-end one, seek your luxury nest only if you are a high net-worth and a well travelled individual, or else developers won't even allow you a sneak peep.

Usually, in developer terms, a high-end apartment is a three-BHK (bedroom/hall/ kitchen) of 3,000 sq ft with a servant's quarter, centrally air-conditioned, with a three-tier security system, separate guest and service elevators - often of glass, like the ones at Omaxe's property, The Forest on the Noida Expressway.

A high-end apartment would typically be a three-sided open apartment with a good view, offering a picture-perfect city skyline, or a golf course and greenery, parking space for at least two cars, roof gardens if possible, and proximity to the city centre but far enough for a tranquil environment.

The interiors of a luxury apartment would also sport Italian marble/wooden/imported tile flooring, acrylic emulsions, the best modular kitchens - sometimes fitted with a chimney, fridge, cooking range; basically, the works. Bathrooms will sport the best sanitary fittings with master bathrooms having delightful add-ons like sauna, steam, jacuzzi and snazzy shower cubicles.

"A high-end luxury apartment is usually like walking into a five-star hotel," says Kunal Banerjee, VP, marketing, Ansal Properties. To classify them in the luxury category, apartment sizes can range from a 3-7 BHK complete with add-ons and with a starting price tag of Rs 1.5 crore (Rs 15 million).

But won't the cost of these high-end apartments reduce, especially if one chose to buy them minus the frills, deciding to spruce up the interiors personally? What if the client refuses the tempting add-ons like split ACs, Jaguar fittings, Pergo flooring, Italian lighting and what have you?

After all, developers have the edge as they buy material and manpower in bulk, thereby benefiting from economies of scale. Most developers admit that apartments then would be cheaper - marginally or considerably is a matter of debate.

Getamber Anand, managing director, ATS Greens, feels, "There is a big misconception about high-end apartments." He adds, "Our apartments, like the ATS Greens Village in Noida, boast of quality with the best possible luxury add-ons, but they are still affordable. In fact, 3,000-4,000 sq ft apartments are available for Rs 3,500 per sq ft."

So does the price tag of an apartment put it into the high-end bracket? Is it used as a marketing tool by developers? A spokesperson from Omaxe Developers says, "The exclusivity of a luxury apartment or a penthouse boosts the individual ego as a class apart segment."

Anand differs and feels that sometimes buyers wrapped up in the high-end notion suffer by paying extra. He feels that any apartment pegged at around Rs 5,000 per sq ft is put into the luxury bracket nowadays, even if other developers provide the same facilities for a lower-priced apartment.

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