Mohali investors: Pre-launch vs payment plans, what's smarter?

Sector 24, Mohali — just moved into my 3BHK with CHD Developers Ltd. possession was in March. Honestly, things nobody told me about payment plans. I went with a construction-linked plan, thinking it was safer, but the stage payments felt so rushed sometimes. My friend bought pre-launch for a project near Sector 65, and he swears he got a better deal than what I paid later. Is pre-launch pricing always a real discount ya bas marketing hype? Matlab, mera EMI schedule kaafi tight ho gaya. Also, brokers ne jo figures dikhaye, final cost usse thoda upar hi gaya. Did anyone else feel like they could've negotiated more on the payment terms or gotten a better deal pre-launch? Kya strategy honi chahiye for an investor looking at long-term ROI?