Real(i)ty check

I had to shift my house recently for personal reasons. I was staying in Govandi, a suburb on the Harbour line (Bombay divides itself based on the train lines that ply through it - Central, Western and Harbour lines are the three lines that ply through). I was paying an amount of Rs.15K as rent since the owner was acquainted to me. I was not aware of the rent trends since this was a deal agreed upon at the time of shifting from Madras. The necessity to shift led to the need to look out for apartments. It was when the reality of realty hit me like a bolt from the blue. The rents in the place where I was staying were close to double of what I was paying. A bit farther, in New Bombay (upto Nerul, which was what I thought of limiting myself to) rents had grown in humongous proportions since I left in early 2008. Rentals for a flat in the same society that I was staying till 2008, for which I was paying Rs.7.5k was going for Rs.31K!

With a tight budget, every day of search brought in a new shock and I was flummoxed. Staying in small places makes me claustrophobic and after seeing the sizes of one bed apartments at various locations, I concluded that I had to settle for a two bed apartment. There is this concept of a 1.5 bed apartment (I don't like using the work BHK - Bedroom, Hall, Kitchen - as I think a Hall and a Kitchen are an inevitable must to every home) which I got acquainted with. Now, this 0.5 of a bedroom is almost like a World War bunker, making it a crime to call it half a bedroom! The rents for the 1 and 1.5 bed apartments were not much different from the two bed ones, making a lot of sense to go for two bed apartments itself.

However, the advantage of searching for apartments on rent (or even purchase) is the availability of online websites like magicbricks, comonfloor et al which make it easier to choose without going to the actual location. Moreover, brokers are really wired these days and send you the photographs of the apartments through social media, which makes your decision making easier.

After days of impatience and added tension as work at office was at its peak during this period, I managed to zero in on one really nice apartment in faraway Thane - a good 30 kms from office, a far cry from a 11km hop skip and jump from my previous house.

While I thought I would drive down, five trips on consecutive days over the last week put paid to that thought. Neither does it make economic nor environmental sense to do that! I can't be an armchair preacher on pollution.

So after 8 years, I would be taking public / contract transport. Life has come a full circle.