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| These tips &
guidelines from our experts shall help
you in all issues related to housing.
Whether it is help you need in buying
a new one or you need some ideas for
renovating your existing house, our
experts have extended their professional
advice for you.
We sincerely hope that our efforts
in assisting you prove to be useful
while you take an important life decision.
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Buying a Home
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are two types, one which has been under
some occupancy (old house) & the
one which is being built by some developer
(new house). |
Financing a house
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Price
of an old house is relatively
more because of the implicit price
of the location. Its price is
mainly governed by its location.
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The cost
of construction continues to decrease
with passing time. |
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Be sure to
ask for visit in daylight &
in the evening/ |
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Quality of
construction can be observed from
several areas |
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First of all
the paint should be seen. If the
paint is new & fresh on an
older house, then it should be
looked closely because it may
be used to conceal some defects
in walls. |
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Electric wiring
is generally concealed; the best
way is to check each & every
switch and socket. |
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Do not ignore
this checking by casually switching
a few buttons. Defective wiring
in some portion may even lead
to short-circuiting. |
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Plumbing is
best seen from the portions of
water pipes which are not visible
easily. Those parts which are
hidden under the kitchen sink,
wash basin, near the geyser and
those entering the house from
main supply can give a good idea
of the quality & standard
of plumbing. |
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All sanitary
fittings should be checked physically
for proper flow. |
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Water tank
or water supply system should
be inspected both for its present
quality. For water tank, it is
necessary to inspect the inner
walls. |
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Observe the
natural light available in the
house in both daylight & evening
times. Switch off all the lights
& open all window accesses
to observe the quantity of daylight
available inside the house. |
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Similarly
inspect the windows & ventilators
for air passage. Check if there
is construction in the nearby
which can block air passage in
these windows. |
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Checking all
the hardware & electrical
fittings will also give an idea
of the cost which needs to be
invested additionally. |
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For New house (by the developer)
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The
one of the most important factor
is the reputation of the developer
or constructor. At present in
Pakistani market, there are two
types of developers/constructors.
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First, those
which develop complete housing
projects and the other type is
which undertake small projects
of one or two houses. |
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Location of
the project is also very important.
It should have good accesses &
should have a pleasant surrounding. |
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For both,
you should check from independent
sources, the past projects and
their delivery. |
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Do not just
go for the words of the developer
about quality and the delivery
of the projects. |
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Also inspect
the site of the project, see the
planning of scheme and observe
the pace of development work. |
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Model houses
can be a good way to inspect the
work of a developer. Be sure to
check with the staff of what is
supplied and what is not in the
shown model house. |
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Clarify all
your doubts about the architectural
& structural plan of the individual
housing unit. |
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Also, do
the same for the overall project
area. Clarify all the doubts regarding
the amenities & other facilities. |
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Building a House
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| Building
a house is not an easy task. Whether
you choose to control it yourself or
you give it to a contractor; this activity
shall need lot of your effort, interest
& time. |
Designing
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For
building a house yourself, designing
shall need lot of input from your
side. |
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It is always
advised to hire services of a
professional consultant. |
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A good consultant
can optimize the design and appropriate
different elements where they
are needed. |
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Lot of contractors
claim that this is unnecessary
step because of their expertise,
but this is not true. |
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Experience
& technical know-how are two
different things. Research in
Engineering and Architecture has
come a long way and with passing
time, new developments are leading
to safer and more economically
optimized designs. |
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A professional
consultant will not only give
you a good design but can also
render services in supervision
& checking during the construction
phase. |
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Always follow
local building regulations like
getting the design approved. These
things save trouble in the later
stage. |
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Construction (If you choose to do it
yourself)
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Have
a supervisor who can arrange &
manage daily wage labor. |
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You should
assess material needs & try
to get them verified from some
professional engineer or consultant.
This may be a small additional
cost, but such professional opinion
will prove to be a saving in the
long run. |
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Once material
needs are confirmed, you should
have a vigilant check on using
of material. |
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It is very
important that material like cement,
steel & bricks should be accounted
for properly on the site. |
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Construction (If a constructor is used)
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Make the contractor responsible
for all the activities and progress
of the project towaards a timely
completion. |
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Make sure
that he gives account of all the
material being used and labor
employed. |
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Such level
of involvement will help you in
ensuring speedy work with proper
control of material. |
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Try to understand
different architectural &
structural features of the project
and visit your project site often
to ensure that they are being
constructed as designed. |
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In either
case, it is very important to realize
the importance of time span in completing
the project. The longer you take, higher
will be your costs & efforts, even
implicitly. You should always have a
defined timeline for the project.
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Renovating
a house
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| Renovating
a house is another area which needs
some professional advice. After years
of dwelling, your house starts to show
some signs of wear & tear. Renovation
is important to both improve the outlook
& functionality.
Unlike buying or building a house,
renovation is quite flexible. You
can divide the whole renovation job
into segments and carry them out as
your budget allows you.
It is generally recommended to first
focus on those renovations which can
improve the functionality of house
then those which improve its outlook.
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To improve functionality…..
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| You
should first pay attention to sewerage,
water supply, electrification and gas
supply. These are those areas which
will make your life much safer and easy
in your house. For every kind of work,
there are technicians available. If
there is something which you haven’t
done before then it is best to call
a technician. It will cost a bit more
but is safer. |
To improve outlook…..
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solution is entirely dependent on your
pocket. Always try to have a balance
between exterior and interior. For exterior
you can improve the plain look by adding
some sand tiles, grafix work, and grills.
For interiors, terrazzo (chips) floors
can be replaced by marble. You can do
it in parts. Get marble floor in living
room first and then you can do it in
other rooms.
Another important aspect of renovating
is financing. You should be aware
that like buying and building a house,
many financial institutes are giving
loans for renovating a house as well.
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Marketing Office:
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64 65 65
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