Thinking of buying a second home in the hills? Here are things to look for | Lifestyle News
Written : Nilanjan Bhowal3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 29, 2026 07:09 PM The Home Edit is a weekly series curated Shiny Varghese that invites architects and designers to share their hands-on expertise on ideas for your home. Whether you are building, renovating, or simply refreshing a space, the series provides actionable advice and inspiration to help you make better choices for where you live. In this part of the series, Nilanjan Bhowal shares tips for buying a property in the hills.
At a time when life in the cities is getting too tough to bear, many are moving to the hills as a refuge from the busy way of life. Be it in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, Shimla or Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu or Coorg in Karnataka, one can access a combination of natural beauty and quality of life. Most of these places are now easily reachable road, rail and air. While some states restrict non-domicile people from purchasing land, in Uttarakhand for instance, outsiders can purchase 300 sq. yards of land without a problem.
What makes hill stations attractive?
Locations with year-round accessibility from major cities
Sites that offer mountain views, privacy, and proximity to essential services
Destinations with established infrastructure and growing demand for holiday homes
Areas that retain their natural character and cultural identity
Long-term appreciation potential alongside lifestyle benefits
Your home should be in the vicinity of a near market (Photo: Design Consortium)
What to keep in mind while looking for a hill property
Verify land ownership, approvals, and development regulations
Check if there is a perennial source of water on the land
Research the road conditions and ensure that your land is directly accessible a motorable road
Check for available amenities like home should be in the vicinity of a near market and access to good medical facilities, within reasonable driving dance
Ensure that the land is south, west or south-west facing to get maximum winter sun into your home
Use an option of solar panel energy generation, without relying only on the local power supply
Check for land ownership, and development regulations (Photo: Design Consortium)
Be mindful
Don’t overlook internet availability, if you are considering online remote working from hour hill home
Don’t use building materials that require high maintenance
Don’t do a land regry through a broker, without meeting the owner of the land directly
Nilanjan Bhowal is principal architect, Design Consortium, which follows and promotes environment friendly and sustainable green branding practises. With over 30 years of architectural expertise, they have done projects across India, ranging from residences and institutions to hospitality and urban design
