A buyer writes in about a 3 BHK in Kondapur. Their message arrives at 2:40 in the morning your time. They live in California, they are buying a home near their parents in Hyderabad, and they want to decide in the next few months.
Enquiries like this bring challenges a local buyer does not. The buyer cannot drop in for a visit. When you are awake, they are often asleep. And they are making a large decision from far away, which makes trust the whole game.
Here is how to handle them well.
Know what time it is for them
India does not change its clocks for daylight saving, but many countries do, so the gap shifts during the year. Roughly:
- UAE: about one and a half hours behind India
- UK: four and a half to five and a half hours behind
- US East Coast: nine and a half to ten and a half hours behind
- US West Coast: twelve and a half to thirteen and a half hours behind
- Singapore: two and a half hours ahead
Check a world clock before you call, especially in March and again in October or November, when the UK and US change their clocks. A call at 3 pm your time lands in the middle of the night in California, and nobody forgets the broker who woke them up.
Reply fast, then schedule
The usual advice about replying within minutes still applies, with a twist. If an enquiry arrives while you are asleep, you cannot call. But you can acknowledge it first thing in the morning, before the buyer's own day ends.
Your first reply should do three things: thank them, confirm the property, and ask when suits them. "Thanks for your enquiry about the Kondapur 3 BHK. I'm based in Hyderabad. Which time zone are you in, and when is a good time for a 15-minute call? I'm happy to talk early morning or late evening India time." This shows you have thought about their situation, and it gets a call in the diary. There is more on response speed in the five-minute rule for property enquiries.
WhatsApp is often the easiest channel across borders, for both calls and messages. Ask which they prefer and use that.
Put everything in writing
A local buyer can ask you the same question twice at the site. An NRI buyer is often relaying your answers to family in India, or to a spouse sitting beside them. Written summaries help everyone.
After each call, send a short email or message covering:
- The property, with price and carpet area
- The RERA registration number, where applicable
- The possession date, if under construction
- What they asked, and your answers
- The agreed next step
The RERA number matters especially here. It lets a buyer abroad look up the project on their state RERA authority's website themselves, without having to take your word for it. See why every listing should carry its RERA number.
Replace the site visit, as far as you can
Nothing fully replaces standing in a flat, but you can get close.
Offer a live video walkthrough at a time that suits them. Walk slowly, show the view from each window, open the kitchen cabinets and step out onto the balcony. Point the camera at the things a brochure leaves out: the corridor, the lift, the approach road. It is also worth offering a quick look at the building and the street after dark, which a daytime visit never shows. There is practical advice in video walkthroughs without a production crew.
If they have family in the city, offer to show the property to them. Treat that relative with the same care you would give the buyer, because their report home can decide the matter.
Leave law and tax to professionals
Property purchases by NRIs come with their own rules on how payment is made, what can be done with the property later, and how tax applies. Those rules are detailed, they change, and they depend on the buyer's circumstances.
Do not advise on them, even if you think you know the answer. Say early and plainly: "For the payment and tax side, please speak to a chartered accountant or lawyer who handles NRI property. I can share contacts if that helps." The same goes if the buyer wants a relative to act for them through a legal document; that is for a lawyer to set up. This protects the buyer, and it protects you from being blamed later for advice you should not have given.
Build trust from a distance
A buyer thousands of kilometres away is naturally cautious. Make it easy for them to check you out: a real office address, a business phone number that gets answered, a website with your listings and your track record, and reviews on your Google Business Profile. Keeping sold listings visible helps too, because it shows real deals you have closed.
Be scrupulous about dates and figures. If a possession date moves, tell them before they hear it from someone else; there is more on this in honest possession dates.
This week, add a line to your standard first reply asking for the buyer's time zone and preferred call time, and save a written-summary template you can reuse after every NRI call.
