First, the regulatory gate
Before evaluating any specific plot, settle what you may buy at all. Under India’s foreign-exchange framework (FEMA and its rules), NRIs and OCIs are generally not permitted to purchase agricultural land, plantation property or farmhouses in India, though acquiring such property by inheritance is treated differently. Non-agricultural property follows different rules.
Much rural Maharashtra land is agricultural on the record even when marketed as ‘NA plots’. Whether a parcel is actually non-agricultural is a records question. The 7/12 and the NA order answer it, not the brochure. Take the specific facts to a professional before committing anything.
What you can verify from anywhere
A surprising amount. Digitally signed 7/12 extracts are available online; mutation (ferfar) indexes can be obtained; registered-document searches run through the IGR’s online services; revenue-court cases can be searched by survey number on e-QJCourts, and civil cases by party name on eCourts and the Bombay High Court portals; cadastral maps are published on MahaBhunaksha.
A screening report automates most of this layer: it reads the online official sources, transcribes the Marathi entries, drafts the chain from mutations, and links every finding to its source so you can check it yourself from any time zone. The litigation screen covers the revenue courts (e-QJCourts, by survey number). The eCourts and Bombay High Court party-name searches are ones you or your advocate still run separately, and the report’s holder names are the exact spellings to use there.
What genuinely needs someone on the ground
Possession and occupation cannot be read from any portal: who is actually on the land is something a person has to go and see. Boundary reality needs a DILR measurement (mojni). Certified copies for the legal file come from offices. And registration itself happens in person or through a properly executed power of attorney.
Choose the person for these steps deliberately. A professional with no stake in the deal closing is worth more than a relative who wants to be helpful.
Power of attorney, done carefully
Most remote purchases execute through a POA. General practice for documents executed abroad involves notarisation and, depending on the country, apostille or consular attestation, followed by the applicable stamping/adjudication requirements in India. Keep the POA specific to the transaction rather than sweeping. Your advocate should draft it. This is exactly the kind of document that fails on shortcuts.
The order of operations
Screen the record first (remotely, cheaply), and only then spend on the expensive steps: 1) regulatory gate; 2) full record screen covering the 7/12, इतर हक्क, mutations, occupancy class, encumbrances, litigation leads and acquisition indicators; 3) ground verification of possession and mojni; 4) legal opinion from a licensed advocate on the assembled file; 5) POA, payment and registration. Most bad deals die at step 2, before they can cost you steps 3 through 5.
This guide is general information about Maharashtra land records, not legal advice. For a decision about a specific parcel, consult a licensed advocate, and bring the documents.