Vision of Life; by Sanjay: Pune Real Estate in 2026

“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.”
― Italo Calvino

“There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city; people make it, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans.”
― Jane Jacobs.

” A city which you like most does not necessarily have Metro, Flyovers, Malls or even Smart Apps; all that it can offer you is warmth, care & peace” -- Me.

After a long someone asked me about what New Year i.e. 2026 will be bringing for real estate of Pune, as frankly I have forgotten to share (read as write) about this aspect of city, such is the scene of real estate industry which isn’t an industry (legally or by govt) in the first place. Though wherever I go, I mean out of Pune, everybody is interested in buying a home or some property in Pune for their respective purpose, is also an interesting fact about Pune’s real estate! Indeed, thanks to our 150 plus crore population land will always be in demand whatever purpose it may be utilized (or reserved) for, because this population will need food, education, homes, jobs & services such as bust stand, hospital, airports & for all these things AI is not going to help you but physical land is the only solution & that means real estate! Since long, land is power, may it be a village or town or metro city like Pune & this is not some rocket science & as the great Einstein has said, Energy (which is form of a power) can neither be created nor destroyed, it just changes form”! Unfortunately, looking at the way real estate is being controlled in our State or city or region (does it make a difference!) had Einstein been alive he would have added, “Power can be wasted,” this is what I will say about real estate of Pune, of late! Sorry guys, I know this is not a positive start, especially when you are looking for your home or commercial property here in Pune but it’s always better to swallow the bitter pill first, so be it!

What I meant about wasting power named land, is not that land rates are reduced or your investment in real estate is in threat but if you have got a Ferrari & you are driving it at 30km/ hour, what will you say, that’s what I wanted to put forward about the land potential. And this is the scene in the entire State & reason is, our urban planning policies as well implementations of existing policies related to land & real estate at large! Agreed, this is in favour of souring land rates as many will ask who cares for policies & all the urban planning stuff, land rates, flat rates are increasing constantly, so why bother! Indeed, this is exactly my sharing point as these souring land rates & flat’s rates are beneficial for a few & out of budget for the most is the real problem of real estate & this is what one has to look while booking a home or commercial property or buying land or investing in land, is what I wanted to share! First, let’s take a look at the home buyers as every year nearly more than fifty thousand plus people are migrating to Pune region (this is a guess as there is no exact data or system for these figures) for one soul object & that is better living. This includes education as well as jobs & most of these people settled here only, in Pune region permanently (one such is writing this piece), so once you are done with education & job thingy the first thing people look for is a home! And following this pattern many smart parents (earlier genre) whose son or daughter is yet to come to Pune starts looking for a home as they know it’s like buying gold in a way. True but the difference between gold is if its original (conditions apply type) then you can sell it anywhere at any time, that’s not true, now, with a home. Reason is, one, it’s a costly affair & unlike gold you can’t fragmentize a home i.e. if you have 10 tola (100gm) of gold you can sell it by 1 tola basis but if you have got a 3 bhk home the you can’t sell or rent its one or two bedrooms or just living dining! And second, gold has a standard rate & market worldwide which varies hardly by 2 or 3 percent which isn't the case with a home!

A home can fetch you double in mere one year or it can take a few years to get sold & it means loss in financial language as your investment gets blocked. Though you can utilize a home which isn’t a case with gold, i.e. you can live in a home or rent it out, saving your money which is earning & which isn’t case with gold. Here is where how & where you choose to buy a home & purpose of the same makes the difference for deciding the fate of your investment in a home is my subject of sharing. A home’s fate depends on many factors which includes not just its construction or internal specifications as they can’t vary much but its location, surrounding development, your own career path & the builder you choose to buy from! All these factors are very much important & here is where urban policies come in the picture as take example of Bhugaon (a western suburb of Pune), which was buzzing with all hype just a decade back as it was after Kothrud & Baodhan (annexe), both developed suburbs of Pune & everybody thought it will be next goldmine for real estate. But today, the scene is, here flats are being sold below the land rate many have bought a decade back in that boom & reason is poor infrastructure, uncertainty of DP (development plan), not included in PMC. I am sorry, no ill feelings towards Bhugaon & even today those who will be buying homes there can earn returns on their investments but just do mind those who have invested decades back they couldn’t get the decent returns. And this is the scene in & around Pune’s not just suburbs but even in developed city parts also & the only reason is uncertainty over the infra growth as well weird urban development policies. For e.g., Metro (rail) is the new "in thing" in Pune as every local leader wants Metro in their suburb or jurisdiction like it’s a rickshaw stop & govt is also oblizing their leaders. Outcome is, whenever the Metro will get in function it will, but FSI & TDR calculations are changing the dimensions of local real estate along Metro routes. With tons of FSI allowed, practically every alternate society or plot is in the market making the central part of the city not just overcrowded for traffic & infra but for sale also. Prabhat road which is supposedly the most prime area on this side of the river, has the rate per sft here which was being quoted five years back got doubled today, a general practice in real estate, answer is Big No! But the land rates here have soared not just double but triple, and why, because of the three times FSI allowed here! This is alarm bell for not just flat buyers but for the developers also as the only earner here is the landlords which ancestors were lucky to buy a piece of land at Prabhat Road, rest all will be locking their money for long for sure if opted to invest today here, as a builder or as a flat buyer, even though it’s the Prabhat Road!

I am not a financial analyst & I gave these two examples just to make you understand the dimensions of real estate & that’s why if you want to buy for your residence that too for immediate or near-by future then only buy a home in & around developed area! Or else, buy ready possession home (flat) in developing suburbs only, after inquiring with the right person for the infrastructure development, social as well physical infra as that will decide the rate with which your investment will be increasing. And for that, take a round of the suburbs, understand what it was a decade before, see the infrastructure & situation of the flats by your own eyes & then decide. Don’t go by Insta reels or even agents, take their help but unless you have detailed on site as well location study never ever books a home. Speak with the respective builders as well their existing clients, thanks to WhatsApp & FB & Insta you can ask direct questions. Again, don’t go by just google reviews, they can be paid & from both sides, good or bad, so the best way is to get real-life feedback for any investment in real estate for any purpose! If you are buying for your own home then take in account travel distance & means for yours as well your family members respective purposes. As in Pune three things will be getting worse (with due respect to Metro), one is travel within the city & another is water & third one is clean air! Trust me, I am not saying this as a frantic environmentalist but this is present not just future & at present govt doesn’t have any concrete solution for above three, so you only have to choose wisely is the way! Because a home, anywhere it may be, you can get the best of specifications but you can’t find a solution to reach there in time, you can’t create water nor you can swipe CO (carbon monoxide) in the air around it & replace it with O (oxygen) on your own! Rest everything (read as most of the things) you can get done, with some help.

Now about commercial premise, this is silver lining as here purpose of buying is different, so people doesn’t mind much when they buy an office or a shop as they are not going to spend their nights here nor staring their mornings from here, so you have flexibility to overlook the issues such as traffic & air quality types while you choose a commercial premise for use or for investment! Rather the huge human inflow in this city means not just their jobs or education but services of every type which this population will need & services need space! Frankly if you are looking for your own profession, business, startup or want to buy for investment for rental, commercial premise is the best option for real estate in Pune & again I am not saying this as a builder but use your own logic. Lands are shirking by day but our needs are not, for residential property there will be always budget factor for increase in rent rates but for commercial premise the person thinks about his revenues & doesn’t mind paying rent than investing too much capital on space, this is why whether own business of rental, commercial properties are the best at present considering the growth aspect of Pune region. All you have to do is don’t rush, study the development pattern as well residential growth of a locality as commercial properties can be of two types, one is, need based for the surrounding locality, such as essentials services from grocery to laundry to medical & another is corporate type’s works spices! All you will have to do is choose the right location for the right purpose of use & sure you won’t regret the decision of buying a commercial property.

And yes, many people aspire for a piece of land too(plot) as that’s a dream of every Indian person to own a land & no harm in it as its best feeling as well asset but! But the ability to hold that piece of land from legal & illegal entities is something one has to look for, is what I will share as my views when its investing in land. Because Pune is cursed with ever changing development plans, policies & rules, especially major open lands are available in PMRDA (plz google) region & its DP is something even the gods can’t comment on it! In such a case your land’s price (read as future actually) can move like a pendulum i.e. either gold or ash, literally! This is a legal threat & about illegal, well, ownership civil suits can surface even after decades & are entertained is the bitter fact of our judicial system, so be careful & only after experts’ advice invest in any piece of land is the way!

Coming to the last & most important aspect which is legality as well construction quality & honouring commitments about the property you are buying; well, go for pedigree (setup) of the developer & visit in person his /her office, speak with the staff, ask questions about not just product but their philosophy about their work & feel the company you are dealing with & then only close the deal. Unfortunately, the times are tough for both sides & people (especially when agents or mediators are involved) are desperate to close the deal & do mind, just savings or rate per sft or specifications doesn’t make a right home or a right office, it’s a package deal which includes right people making it & their approach towards the project & people also matters most, even their social commitment( and towards nature) apart from just making money too, matters a lot, which not many home buyers takes in consideration! Afterall, you are buying a home in this city because you feel it will be offering you a good life & that’s your responsibility also to keep this city good, which is possible only when you join hands with right people, so go ahead, choose your home/ office & join the growth path of Pune, adios with this wish!

Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2024/12/right-home-buying-in-2025.html

https://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2024/12/2025.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

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www.sanjeevanideve.com / https://junglebelles.in/