How to Read a New Launch Price Sheet Without Getting Fooled

A Price Sheet Is a Marketing Document

A new launch price sheet is a marketing document. It is not a transaction price.

There is always a gap — and in Gurugram's current market, that gap is 18 to 25% of the headline number.

BSP Is the Starting Point, Not the Price

The Basic Selling Price is the base on which everything else is layered. BSP of ₹18,000/sqft sounds like a price. It is actually just the first number.

On top of BSP:

PLC (Preferential Location Charges) Floor rise charges Car parking (₹4 to ₹8 lakh per slot, mandatory) Club membership (₹2 to ₹4 lakh, optional in theory, not in practice) IFMS (Interest Free Maintenance Security — 24 months upfront, refundable in theory) EDC/IDC (External/Internal Development Charges — builders often mark these up) GST on the under-construction component

Add all of these on 1,600 sqft at ₹18,000/sqft BSP and total consideration at registration typically sits at ₹3.4 to ₹3.8 Cr on what the price sheet showed as a ₹2.88 Cr flat.

That is not fine print. That is the price. Read the cost sheet, not the price sheet.

The Super Area vs Carpet Area Trap

New launch price sheets almost always quote price per sqft on super area — which includes common areas, lift lobbies, stairwells, sometimes external corridors.

Carpet area is typically 65 to 72% of super area in Gurugram projects.

On a 1,600 sqft super area apartment, you are buying 1,040 to 1,150 sqft of usable space.

When the builder shows a 3 BHK at 1,600 sqft, ask for the RERA carpet area. If they quote super area and carpet is not clearly documented in the booking form, ask why not. RERA mandates carpet area disclosure.

At 1,600 sqft super area at ₹18,000/sqft, you are paying ₹28.8 lakh per 100 sqft you can actually use. That is the honest price per sqft.

The Payment Plan Decision

Construction-linked plans are safer for buyers than subvention or down-payment plans in most cases.

Subvention shifts cash flow risk from the builder to the bank — but the EMI burden ultimately lands on you, and any project delay extends your liability without extending your benefit.

Down-payment plans give you a discount, but they also give the builder your money before they have built anything. If the project stalls, your leverage is gone.

Last Thing — and It Matters Most

One last thing: the price sheet has no legal weight. The builder-buyer agreement has legal weight.

Do not make a financial decision based on a price sheet. Make it based on the agreement — which you should read in full, with a lawyer if needed, before signing.