Five questions to ask your real estate agent

Ask which registered colony the plot is in, whether the sanctioned layout can be matched to the ground, what master-plan zone it sits in and whether a road is proposed across it, what is on file and what is missing, and who else has sold there and at what. Two minutes each, before anyone mentions a token.

How to read this list

These are not trick questions and they are not a test of the person across the table. They are a shortlist. An agent who knows his stock answers all five in a few minutes, and usually enjoys doing it, because this is the part of the job the next person cannot do. The only ones who bristle are the ones who never looked.

Indore's better agents already work this way. What this platform holds comes from verified government sources and verified RERA-registered brokers, and the questions below are the ones a good agent is glad to be asked.

Question 1: which colony is this, on the register?

ये कौन-सी कॉलोनी है — रजिस्टर में?

A colony name painted on a boundary wall is a name. Registration is a separate fact, recorded somewhere you can look it up, and it is the fact that everything else in the purchase hangs on. The plot belongs to a colony; the colony is either on the register or it is not; and the sanctioned layout, the zone and the documents all attach to that registered colony, not to the name on the wall.

A good answer sounds like: "This one. Registered, and here is its boundary. See how it sits against where we are standing."

Question 2: can we put the sanctioned layout on the ground?

मंज़ूर नक़्शा दिखाइए — और ज़मीन से मिलाइए।

The sanctioned layout is the drawing the planning authority approved: roads, open spaces and plot numbers as they are meant to be. The plot in the brochure and the same-numbered plot on the sanctioned sheet should be one piece of earth. The road the brochure shows should be a road the sheet shows too.

An agent who can lay the approved drawing over the real ground on one screen has just done half your diligence for you. One who has only the brochure has shown you a promise.

Question 3: what zone is this, and is a road proposed across it?

यहाँ कौन-सा ज़ोन है? कोई रोड तो प्रस्तावित नहीं?

The honest answer names the land use off the published master plan: residential, commercial, agricultural, public and semi-public, or whatever the plan actually says for that ground. "Good locality" is a reputation, not a land use, and a plot in a good locality can still sit under a proposed road on the plan.

A good answer sounds like: "Residential on the plan, and here is the sheet. The proposed road is two plots over, not through this one."

Question 4: what is on file, and what is missing?

क्या-क्या फ़ाइल में है — और क्या नहीं?

Almost no file is complete. There is nearly always one approval still pending, one document still with the office, one paper that exists but has not been copied. This is normal. What separates a good agent from the rest is not a complete file but an honest account of the gap.

A good answer sounds like: "These are in hand. This one is still pending, and here is where it stands." An agent who names the missing paper before you find it is the one worth keeping your number with.

Question 5: who else has sold here, and at what?

यहाँ और किसने बेचा, और किस भाव?

This is the part no website can hand you. A rate for the city is a headline. A rate for the colony is knowledge, and it is the single thing a good local agent has that nobody else does: which plots changed hands, how recently, whether they were on the front road or inside, and what moved the price.

A good answer sounds like: "In this colony, recently, around this much, and here is why this plot sits above it." If the number moves every time you ask, it was never a number.

These questions test the land, not the agent

Read this part twice. Every one of the five is a question about a plot, not about a person. Which is exactly why an agent carrying good stock enjoys them: five clean answers make his inventory look better than the one down the road, and the questions do the sorting for him.

Ask them in this order

Over tea, before anybody talks about a token.

1. Which colony is this, on the register? ये कौन-सी कॉलोनी है?
2. Sanctioned layout, matched to the ground? नक़्शा और ज़मीन, दोनों एक हैं?
3. Which zone, and any proposed road? ज़ोन क्या है, रोड तो नहीं?
4. What is on file, and what is missing? फ़ाइल में क्या नहीं है?
5. Who else sold here, and at what? कॉलोनी का भाव क्या है?

Buyers, ask. Agents, be the one with the answers.

Questions people ask

What questions should I ask a real estate agent before buying a plot?

Which registered colony the plot is in, whether the sanctioned layout matches the ground, what master-plan zone it is in and whether a road is proposed across it, what is on file and what is missing, and what plots in that colony have recently sold for.

How do I know if a real estate agent is genuine?

Ask for their RERA registration number and check it on the MP RERA portal. Then ask the five questions above and see whether the answers are specific and come with documents.

Do real estate agents need RERA registration in Madhya Pradesh?

Yes. Section 9 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 requires real estate agents to register, and the registrations are searchable on the MP RERA portal.

What is the difference between a colony name and a registered colony?

A name is what is painted on the wall or printed on the brochure. A registered colony is an entry on the public record with a recorded boundary, and it is the entry that the sanctioned layout and the documents attach to.

Why does the agent's rate matter if I can find rates online?

Online rates are for areas, which are ranges. A local agent knows what specific plots in a specific colony changed hands for, how recently and why. That is the one figure no listing can give you.

Where the facts come from. The facts and figures in this post come from verified government sources and verified RERA-registered brokers.

Indori Zameen is a private platform. It is not a government body and is not affiliated with one — always confirm a record with the concerned authority before you commit money.