Check the current title deed and also previous title deeds for the land. This should give you a clear idea of the owners of the land.

   Get and check the encumbrance certificate for the land. This check should be done for at least 13 years but doing this for 30 years is recommended. This should clear the land of any legal disputes.

   In case of pledged land ask the owner to produce a “Release certificate” from the bank.

   Have an attorney examine all the documents and get a legal opinion to make sure that everything is in order.

   An agreement must be signed between the buyer and the seller to make sure that nobody goes back on the agreed terms of the sale.

   Get a recognized surveyor to measure the land and see that the dimensions, area, borders etc. are as stated by the seller.

   If buying from and NRI then the NRI should be present at the time of the sale or he/she should have given a power of attorney duly signed by an officer of the Indian embassy in the presence of a witness.

   The next step is to register the land in a sub registrar office. The expenses involved are Stamp Duty, registration fees, Document writers/lawyers fees etc. The stamp duty will depend on the cost of the property and varies from location to location. 2% will be charged as the registration fees.