Introduction
I am a proud owner of a flat in Harivillu. I prefer anonymity in this review because of the nature of it. Make no mistake – in terms of architecture there is nothing to beat Harivillu but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. One of the main reasons for this article was to break the power present in the hands of promoters/real estate sellers. Consumers are king. If there was atleast a little bit of transparency about the prices that they pay among buyers, this market would be more efficient.
Where is it located?
Harivillu is about 5 km from Hitec City and about 7 km from Jubilee Hills. It is a stone’s throw from Lanco Hills(promoted by the Congress MLA Lagadapati Rajagopal) and its entire value depends on Lanco. So if the Congress is out of power in the next election(which looks most likely), expect a big swing in value. It is situated about 2 km from the main road. There is no public transport plying near it and your buying expense should also factor in the cost of a 2 wheeler or a 4 wheeler.
When was the project started?
Harivillu’s construction began in 2007 at the peak of the realty boom. The area(Shaikpet Dargah) seems to have received substantial focus during YSR’s time since many of his cronies owned plots here.
The Project
Pros
Gated community
Well planned
Strategchandru021y located
Upcoming area – there is a fair chance of getting a good return on investment.
Cons
Poor execution – just take a look at the wood work of these guys – it sucks big time. The site engineer is good for nothing.
Poor follow up – The guys who are responsible for the maintenance try to convince you that there is nothing wrong with your house. They take ages to respond.
Poor skills – The guys who fit the grill, who paint the house, the plumbers etc are equally unskilled. The promoters just got the cheapest guys available and this is the result.
New Harivillu block – I am particularly worried about this. The promoters got themselves additional land next to Harivillu and are planning to ‘extend’ Harivillu. Currently Harivillu has about 160 families and the proposed addition would bring in about 30. Ideally, the promoter has to ask the current owners first before embarking on this activity. We all collectively own the ‘clubhouse’ and adding new owners to it without our prior permission decreases the value of our holdings.
Approval - This project is still not approved by GHMC. When that day comes, I am pretty sure we will be made to pay fines. My gut feeling is that the promoter would not be around that day and we will have to bear the additional burden.
Complaints - Just take a look at the complaint book available with the main security. You will get an idea about the kinds of trouble each Harivillu resident faces.
Poor drainage - Poor drainage facilities in the common areas as well as in the bathroom. These people even got the slope wrong in the bathrooms.
Cost
Please perform due diligence for atleast 6 months before you make a move. I did mine in 3 and left out asking many important questions that every homeowner should. At the time of writing, the builder is quoting 2700/sft+ 5L for maintenance. In light of the cons listed above, IMHO, do not pay more than 1900/sft. The 5L flat sum is the premium we are paying for a gated community and that is more than enough. I am tired of watching these fat rats take our hard earned money and build themselves 2-3 houses in Banjara Hills. I bought my flat @2500/ft and I must say I overpaid.
Conclusion
Go ahead and buy a house in Harivillu. But make sure to get yourselves good discounts based on the cons I ve listed. It does pain me to see so many shortcomings in my home. But as I said, hope each one of you make informed choices. If enough of us raise arms against the high handedness of rich real estate developers, we all will get a better deal. Hoping to see you as a neighbour there.
For the greater good,
SJ
P.S. MouthShut_Official wouldn’t let me write a review on the appartments so I wrote one on the’company’:D