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Buying a house in the hills is a daunting yet worthwhile task. Aditi Phadnis lists some properties worth investing in and the challenges of owning them.
How many times have you, at the end of a long and weary day, shut down your computer and thought to yourself: "That's it. I'm going to find a cottage in the hills"? Or dreamt of long and winding roads that lead to your home through pine or deodar forests?
These are not just dreams. If you walk from Barlowgunj to Mussoorie, there is a turn in the road where you will spot a blazing 'Guraas' tree, an orange beacon on the velvet green hillside. There are places in Coorg where the scent of orange blossom can intoxicate you. And toasting bread on a log fire after a six km walk through the Nilgiris …what more can one say?
However, there is a practical side to all this. Research suggests that while there is pent-up demand for a second home in the hills (and this is growing), you would typically spend just 13 days in a year there: because children get bored easily, the wife doesn't want to cook every day, and e-mail works only sporadically. Even before you get to that point, there are multiple challenges: buying land in the hills is mired in legal tangles, building on that land is even more difficult because rain and snow leave only six months in a year free for construction; everything, from labour to building materials is twice as expensive; and the quality of construction especially at the lower end of the market cannot be guaranteed.
But put those problems aside for a moment. Assuming that you're a double-income family which wants to invest in a second home in the hills, where should you go, what should you buy and what should you watch out for?
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Real estate experts say more and more families where the husband and wife are in ages ranging from 25 to 40 years now want a hill getaway. This is a new trend; earlier, it was the retirees who represented the market. The new Home in the Hills project belongs to young working professionals who want, on their holiday, to be in touch with the working world on their terms; so the getaway should be within easy reach of an airport or railway station, with easy access to amenities (there is nothing worse than giving the final touches to the chicken curry only to find that you've run out of gas and delivery of a fresh cylinder will take ten days!), and reasonably close to restaurants and hotels.
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the north and Coorg and the Nilgiris in the south have emerged as the most sought after destinations. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have fairly strict restrictions about letting outsiders (those not domiciled in the state) buy land. In Uttarakhand you can only buy 250 sq m and, in Himachal Pradesh, you can't buy land at all except on a 99-year lease or a built-up structure from the owner but not the land. Coorg and Nilgiris have land ownership rules that restrict the sale and purchase of land owned by tribal communities. So you can still buy a three-acre rubber estate in Coorg for around Rs 60 lakh and build a small dwelling there. But remember, Coorg is five hours driving time from Bangalore and though an airport is going to come up in Kunnoor, Kerala in the neighbourhood, that could take several years. The upside is: how many places in India can you think of that might have a small brook warbling its way through your property?
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Manav Singh, an entrepreneur, agriculturist and developer is creating a resort-style fully serviced complex, Auramah Valley, just off the Naldehra Golf Course, about 30 km from Shimla. These are apartments but are designed for the luxury and comfort of a hotel. Still under construction, he has created the concierge first: Subhash, who has been appointed to take care of every wish of a customer. Domestics are discouraged: simply because Auramah has its own fleet of domestic help which will come in and clean, dust and wash up every two days.
Starting at Rs 92 lakh for a 1700 sqft two-bedroom flat (basic selling price), this is not cheap. And you are invited to buy a place. But just outside your door is the legendary 18-hole golf course, the sharp mountain air and every mod con you can conceive of.
If you want something more homely, there's Chamfi in Uttarakhand. As you go towards Mukhteshwar from Bhimtal, you encounter an iron bridge about 8 km down the road. This road is also a bird watchers' trail. At the end of the road, there is a group of nine cottages, created by developer-architect Sameer Jain."The breeze is perfect here and vistas very fine", says Jain about his project. He has designed the cottages using local materials and local labour. "The cottages are on the banks of a major stream in village Chamfi near Bhimtal in Nainital. Mountains and water is a remarkable combination and the area is famous for its mountains and lakes", he says. The construction is such that you need minimal electricity. Water, a scarce resource in the hills, is easily available, though it needs to be purified for drinking. These cottages are comfortable rather than luxurious. They start at about Rs 40 lakh.
Kiran Rao of Cloud9Assets deals with property in South India, Coorg, and the Nilgiris especially. He says that Coorg is a destination still in the process of being discovered. But prices have gone up 250 per cent in the last four years. He says some real gems can be found in the Nilgiris which really qualify to the hill station appellation in south India at 7,500-8,000 feet above sea level.
So which will it be? Dhanachuli in Uttarakhand? The banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh? Or on the banks of the Talacauvery in Coorg? Take your pick.
LIVING ATOP A HILL
The pros and cons of owning a fanciful hill home
Upside
* You can get away from it all. The air is clean, the food is fresh
Downside
* Life in the hills is unpredictable and sometimes, not comfortable. You need to be flexible
Upside:
* No one knows you. No one knows where you are
Downside
* No one knows you. So you can’t call Dominos Pizza, or your favourite minister/broker/cablewallah. There’s no one to call
Upside:
* A cozy cottage, all your own
Downside
* You’re going to use it just 13 days in a year. Is it really worth it ? Houses last a lifetime — only if they’re cared for. Who’s going to look after it ? A caretaker? What if he takes care of it so much that he considers it as his property ?
Upside
* Life in the hills is uncomplicated and uncluttered, good for the soul
Downside
* There is politics in all relationships, especially if you’re going to be absentee landlord. And villages are not as romantic as they seem. Haven’t you read Agatha Christie?
Upside
* Roughing it out is good for you. Sharpens your reflexes, awakens your wits
Downside
* Rural life is not what it used to be. Nor is your system. Rural folk are used to impure water. You will need either bottled water or a water purification system. Otherwise an idyllic holiday may turn into a bout of jaundice or worse.
Upside
* A change of scene always revitalises you
Downside
* If you have a home in the hills, the tendency will be to go there rather than anywhere else for a holiday. Can you live with that?
Upside
* All real estate is an investment
Downside
* Holiday homes is the most illiquid real estate there is. It is a buyer’s (and developer’s) market.
