ZAMEEN.COM MARKET REPORT – KARACHI REMAINS STEADFAST, LAHORE AND ISLAMABAD SHOW MIXED PICTURE

OVERVIEW

The property market teetered into October 2015 largely displaying a mixed picture. Prices in some localities persevered and posted more-than-modest gains, some went through a bit of a rough patch, while others effortlessly sailed through the month, depicting stability on every front.

According to data meticulously compiled by Zameen.com, Karachi’s realty market continued its upward climb. The only exception to this was Bahria Town Karachi (BTK), where prices dropped despite the fact that development work is in full swing. DHA Karachi and DHA City Karachi (DCK), on the other hand, performed remarkably well in terms of prices and remained very popular among investors.

Lahore’s property market posted a motley of numbers. While DHA Lahore failed to impress, Bahria Town remained sturdy. However, a price drop in DHA Lahore does not mean that investor focus has shifted, as it retained the top position in Zameen.com’s popularity index. Prices in LDA Avenue I also dropped. Because we saw this coming, we were not too taken aback by this.

The realty market of Islamabad also brought forth a varied bag of ups and downs. Bahria Town impressed investors by posting brilliant numbers for its 10-marla plots and DHA Islamabad also maintained its ascent by remaining popular among investors. Sector F-11 experienced its usual controlled growth, but property prices fell slightly in Sector E-11.

In terms of popularity, DHA was the top performer across the board, with one noticeable exception: the the city by the sea saw rapidly increasing demand for homes in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town Karachi, which knocked DHA down to the second position. Surprisingly, Bani Gala remained one of the top five localities for homes in Islamabad this time around as well.

LAHORE

Although Lahore’s property market could not witness a spectacular upward push of any sort, it still saw reasonable sale-purchase activity in October 2015. DHA Lahore slightly disappointed investors as prices for both 1-kanal and 10-marla plots dropped by 1.95% and 2.82% respectively. However, there is no need to fret too much as these are simply controlled drops.

Strangely, although Bahria Town faced multiple controversies, property prices in the locality rose. Ten-marla plots posted a sharp rise of 6.58%, while the average value of 1-kanal plots saw a controlled rise of 1.64%. However, rates here may drop in the months to come as Bahria Town has recently increased transfer charges and this will likely disturb market activity.

LDA Avenue I, as expected, saw a controlled drop in the 10-marla category. This is mainly because the developer has not supplied electricity yet even though possession has been handed over in the clear areas.

Lahore Cantt remained as bankable as always and experienced its usual growth.

ISLAMABAD

Taking a cue from Lahore, Islamabad’s property market also posted mixed numbers. Prices of 1-kanal plots in DHA Islamabad increased by 3.72% and investors should expect this controlled rise to continue in the months to come.

A controlled drop in the prices of 1-kanal and 10-marla plots in Sector E-11 was a significant highlight this month. It appears that people are focusing on investing in under developed societies these days and this may have led them to let go of properties in Sector E-11. However, this waning of rates does not mean that the sector has lost its popularity.

In Bahria Town, everything was peachy during this time frame. Prices of 1-kanal plots remained stable while 10-marla plots posted a sharp rise of 6.17%.

Sector F-11 depicted its usual growth in both categories.

KARACHI

As mentioned in the Overview, Karachi’s realty market continued its roaring ascent in October 2015, with BTK as the only exception. Allegations levelled by the Rangers’ have seemingly succeeded in putting the society on the rocks and shaking investor trust. Even though development work is underway at a good pace, the locality still witnessed a slight fall in sale-purchase activity.

Conversely, DHA Karachi confidently galloped through the month and showed controlled rises for both the 500-yard² and 250-yard² plot categories.

Gulshan-e-Iqbal posted a sharp rise of 6.65% for 500-yard² plots. This is probably because people from other localities are migrating to this area, significantly increasing the demand of property.

DCK maintained its strong position during this period. The average prices of 500-yard² plots in the locality saw a controlled rise of 3.82%, which is evidence of the continuously growing sale-purchase activity in the locality.

Final Analysis

Karachi’s stupendous performance was, once again, a crucial high spot of October 2015. The improving law and order of the city, primarily because of the Rangers-led operation, has clearly worked to the market’s advantage. However, the plunges witnessed in BTK are quite jarring. Only time will tell what the future holds in store for this project.

Investors in Lahore and Islamabad have no reason to despair as these markets, too, fared rather well. A mixed picture is not necessarily a bad thing as it can be indicative of good times ahead.

Although DHA Lahore’s numbers were not that impressive, we are not too concerned. As we have noticed multiple times before, DHA developments usually show slow growth but, at the end of the day, do not disappoint investors at all. Just like Bahria Town, DHA has also increased transfer charges, which may affect investment activity in both the localities. However, this impediment in unlikely to disturb genuine buying and selling too much and property prices probably won’t budge significantly.  In LDA Avenue I’s case, the future can be rosy if the developer supplies electricity. This will entice plot owners to build their houses here, which will ultimately push prices up.

Similarly, Islamabad’s market has fared well and investors need not fret about a drop here and a drop there.

“A few societies in Lahore and Islamabad are a bit rickety right now, but we don’t foresee any permanent damage. It is just a matter of time before these projects pull their socks up and address their issues,” said Zameen.com CEO Zeeshan Ali Khan.

“Karachi’s market, on the other hand, has us on the edge of our seats! We are so excited by its performance and confident that it will maintain its sheen in the months to come. However, I think it’s high time that Bahria Town looked into the issues plaguing BTK because the fast-paced development is clearly not working for the locality anymore,” he added.

Generally, October 2015 proved to be an interesting month that reaffirmed our faith in the direction Pakistan’s realty markets are taking.