328. Power of Attorney to

purchase property

Q: I am staying in US from past few years. I would like to purchase property in Bangalore. My wife is going to India to buy the property. We are still in search of property. Can I give a general POA to my wife while she is travelling to India? Or do I need to send POA after the property is finalized? Can a general POA used for buying the property as well as applying for loan? Can I get the sample POA according to my requirement Please pour in your suggestions Thanks, Chandrashekhar A. You can send a Power of Attorney to your wife to buy property on your behalf. Whether it is a general power of attorney or a specific one depends on your choice. However, I usually discourage people from giving general power of attorneys to anyone. A general power attorney allows a person to just about anything on your behalf. While your wife would naturally act in your best interests, the possibility that a property dealer or even a banker may take advantage of a person cannot be ruled out. You will have to get the Power of Attorney document certified by the Indian consulate near your residence in USA. Two copies of the Power of Attorney document with photographs affixed on each copy, near the place of your signature at the end of the document is normally required. There is also a fee charged by the Indian Consulate of US$20. Call the nearest Consulate office for more information and timings. Whether you send one or separate POA documents is also a matter of personal preference. However I would suggest you wait till your wife notifies you when she needs the Power of Attorney and at that time she can also tell you the exact wording a bank may require on a POA in case of a property loan. I don't have a POA sample but I am sure you can find many such documents on the Internet.