NORTH: UTTARAKHAND TAKES OFF
CHANDIGARH
Population: 8 lakh
Real estate drivers: Services, IT and investments by NRIs
Areas to look at: Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Dera Bassi
Prices: Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,500 per sq ft in different suburbs
Keep in mind: Baddi in Himachal Pradesh is becoming an investment magnet, but people working there prefer to live in Mohali or Panchkula.
JAIPUR
Population: 23.2 lakh
Real estate drivers: Trade, tourism, proximity to Delhi
Areas to look at: Sitapur,Ajmer Gate, Tonk Road, Malviya Nagar, Bani Park, Jawahar Nagar and Shastri Nagar.
Prices: Rs 1,700 to Rs 2,500 per sq ft
Keep in mind: Major residential development along the Jaipur-Ajmer road, including the proposed 2,000-acre SEZ.
LUCKNOW
Population: 22.6 lakh
Real estate drivers: Services and migration
Areas to look at: Gomti Nagar, Rae Bareli Road
Prices: Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,400 per sq ft
Keep in mind: Property prices have risen by about 30% in a year to reach over Rs 2,000 per sq ft.And this fast-paced growth is likely to continue unabated in the next year too.
RUDRAPUR
Uttarakhand’s industrial hub has big business houses queuing up, fuelling demand for commercial — and residential — property.
HARIDWAR
Tourism and pilgrimage has drawn second home buyers and builders to Haridwar. Property price is between Rs 1,200 and Rs 2,400 sq ft. Prime areas are Ranipur Modh and Shivalik Nagar.
WEST: PUNE LEADS THE PACK
PUNE
Population: 37.5 lakh
Prices: Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500 per sq ft
Growth since 2004: 50-80%
Areas to look at: Eastern Corridor and Western Corridor. Baner, Kharadi,Wakad and Viman Nagar are likely to become hot spots.
Most expensive areas: Kalyani Nagar and Koregaon Park.
Keep in mind: Prices will rise by about 15-20% in a year.
AHMEDABAD
Population: 45 lakh
Real estate drivers: Industrial, trade and services
Areas to look at: S.G. Road,Thaltej, Gota and Bopal. The Sabarmati River Front Development will give the city a facelift.
Prices: Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,800 per sq ft
Keep in mind: The Gandhinagar Sarkhej highway could be an emerging centre for growth.
NAGPUR
Population: 21.2 lakh
Real estate drivers: Services and manufacturing
Areas to look at: Around the proposed international airport and Wardha Road.
Prices: Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,600 per sq ft
Keep in mind: Nagpur’s good road and rail connectivity to all parts of the country. Also, property rates are expected to go up by 40% over the next year.
RAJKOT
A city of about two million people, Rajkot has witnessed spiralling of property prices on the back of investments by retail giants. Experts predict a good year ahead. Prime residential locations like University Road and Kalavad Road have houses going for Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,400 per sq ft. Good connectivity to Mumbai and major cities of Gujarat like Ahmedabad and Surat is an advantage.
EAST: OUTGROWING KOLKATA
BHUBANESWAR
Population: 6.5 lakh
Real estate drivers: IT, urban regeneration, and administration
Areas to look at: Khandagiri, Patia, Shahid Nagar
Prices: Rs 900 to Rs 1,800 per sq ft
Keep in mind: Proximity to Puri and Konark and good connectivity to Kolkata.
RANCHI
Population: 8.6 lakh
Real estate drivers: State administration, and services
Areas to look at: Morabadi, Kanke
Prices: Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,700 per sq ft
Keep in mind: Some consultants feel Ranchi is more attractive for investment than Jamshedpur.
SANTINIKETAN
Outgrowing its image as the Visva Bharati University town, property prices have shot up by up to 60% in a year. Tagore's Getaway is the destination where excess cash from Kolkata is parked.
SILIGURI
A traditional trading centre and the gateway to the North-east, it should benefit from the opening of Nathula Pass. Bengal Ambuja Housing is already building a mega township in 4,000 acres.
SOUTH: THE SILICON BELT
MANGALORE
Population: 5.4 lakh
Real estate drivers: Services
Areas to look at: Gandhi Nagar, Falnir and Kodialbail
Prices: Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,800 per sq ft
Keep in mind: Most IT majors are already in Karnataka's second Silicon city — and are fast expanding. That has led to a 20% appreciation in property prices in the past year. Experts see a 40% rise in a year.
KOCHI
Population: 13.5 lakh
Real estate drivers: Tourism and export
Areas to look at: Thrikkakara-Kakkanad due to the IT park and the Edappilly-Kalamaserry belt for its proximity to the city centre.
Prices: Appreciation is expected to be 10-12% in a year
Keep in mind: Excellent telecom network and air connectivity. NRI remittances are a determinant of real estate demand.
MYSORE
Population: 7.8 lakh
Real estate drivers: IT and tourism
Areas to look at: Jayalakshmipuram, Lakshmipuram,Vontikoppal and Yadavgiri.
Prices: Price hike in the past one year was between 20-30%
Keep in mind: The Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor that includes five townships. The townships are planned to act as population countermagnets to Bangalore.
COIMBATORE
Population: 14.4 lakh
Real estate drivers: Manufacturing, services and IT
Areas to look at: Race Course, R.S. Puram,Avinashi and Peelamedu.
Prices: Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,200 per sq ft
Keep in mind: Good connectivity to Bangalore and Chennai and easy availability of land on the outskirts will allow bigger commercial and residential projects to come up.
CENTRE
INDORE
Population: 16.4 lakh
Real estate drivers: Trade and manufacturing
Areas to look at: Bombay Hospital Road and Mayakhedi.
Keep in mind: New master plan proposes to open up 20,000 hectares of land.
