If you are considering buying a house in India then here are some points to bear in mind. When you start comparing prices, you will soon discover that there is no obvious logic about what is being asked for a property or home of a given size, condition or location. How can this make sense? Well, the simple answer is that it doesn’t have to. To the Indian mind, a property is worth whatever the vendor deems fit and, while the average Indian estate agent might grumble about a client’s expectations being unrealistic, the archetypal Indian resistance to confrontation will override, and the agent will limply announce some highly-Inflated price for the most unlikely of buildings. You can, however, have complete confidence that this figure is being quoted to all-comers. So, do you negotiate down to a more realistic price? Again, the answer is almost certainly going to be ‘no’ as there is little point. Having been shown around a semi-urban house with more than its fair share of rising damp, and uneven floors, the vendor will grab you in a bear-hug and insist on having coffee with you while financial matters are discussed with great gusto. After your obligatory visit it may appeals to, it will have become unthinkable to ‘insult’ the vendor by offering anything other than the full price, but that’s not every owner’s reason why they are selling at a price below margin. You make your excuses, say you’ll think about it, get back In the car, and drive to the next pile of rubble described enthusiastically by the agent as ‘being in need of some attention’. This strange, professional behavior Is largely due to the foibles of the Indian property market. Welcome to India, where people are forced to pay the heaviest taxes. Buying a house is not such a commonplace activity as it Is elsewhere in Asia. We tend to stay at home even after they are married, with the original family house often being extended to accommodate the new wife and, of course, their eagerly-anticipated children. As a consequence, the market remains more-or-less permanently static, and there is not the expectation of turnover that one finds elsewhere.