I'll be honest with you. Many buyers have sat with me for the briefing, taken my brief, visited property after property with me, and then gone quiet and bought something else through someone else. They walked away with the knowledge, and I walked away with nothing. That's why I now ask for a Rs 20,000 engagement fee before we start: it shows me you're serious, and from that day my research and my weekends are blocked for your search only.
On a Rs 3 Cr home, Rs 20,000 is less than 0.1% of the price. The token you give a seller is usually Rs 2 to 5 lakh, and one missing paper or one disputed power of attorney can put that whole amount at risk.
The Rs 20,000 engagement fee is not refundable. It comes off my 1.5% when you buy through me. If you end up buying from a builder, where the developer pays me, the Rs 20,000 stays as the fee for the search, the brief and the visits. The only time it comes back is if I break my promise.