Bottom Line: Ambegaon in Pune is equally attractive market for both the first home buyers and holiday home seekers.
Rajnish Ranjan, a textile professional in Pune, wanted to settle somewhere away from the maddening city crowd. However, the job pressure could neither allow him to leave the city of Pune nor could he afford to settle somewhere close to the nature. Locations in and around Pune which are ideal for the second homes, or holiday homes, also attracted him, yet he could not find an ideal location to buy a house that could fulfil his desires while working in the city.
Recently, he was suggested by his friend to have a look at Ambegaon, which is a taluka in Shirur subdivision of Pune district. On a visit to this area which is around 115 km from Pune, this home seeker found out a place not to just buy an apartment but nestle of his dreams.
“I am yet not sure whether should I call it the first home or the second home. Though technically it is my first home but I have the feeling that it also serves the purpose of second home, which is a holiday home. The best part is that with around 2 hours of drive from my work place I can commute daily while living in the Ambegaon and I get a deal that is comparatively reasonable than many other prominent property markets in the heart of Pune,” says an elated Ranjan.
Ambegaon taluka falls to the foothill of Sahyadri Mountain range which is towards the west side of Pune city. This taluka gets divided into two parts- north and south because of the Pune Nasik Highway which passes through this area.
In the north the degree of rainfall is very low therefore the area is dry. On the contrary in south the rainfall is heavy and the area is also hilly. Also, due to its proximity to Katraj, Ambegaon has great hill views and retains a lot of Pune’s classic old world natural splendor.
The natural beauty of the region makes Ambegaon a good location for buyers who are looking for a break from the chaos of the hustling bustling crowd of the city.
In terms of connectivity, Ambegaon is well connected to the main Pune by road. It has the advantage of proximity to the Mumbai-Bangalore Bypass and it is well connected by roads through Pune Nasik Highway. The only drawback for the location, if any, is the fact that there is no railway station for Ambegaon and Pune is the nearest station. It is believed that if the area gets a railway station it will see a major boom in property.
Another attraction for the location is that some of the quality educational institutions are in the vicinity. Overall, social infrastructure is shaping up well over here and various hospitals have come up in recent times. It is also close to the new Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in Shirval, which makes it an ideal residential location for employees from this major workplace hub. The region is also blessed with three rivers – Meena, Ghodnadi and Vellnadi.
On the property market landscape, even though Ambegaon is equally attractive as a second home, villas have not flourished yet and most of the ready housing stocks are in the form of apartments. Even the new launches are multi-story flats only. This also makes it a contrasting look of rural and urban landscape co-existing in the region.
The main reason behind the success of apartment culture is the fact that Ambegaon has been witness to the highest capital appreciation in recent times after a couple of big ticket projects were launched over here.
Other than the natural surroundings Ambegaon is today also high on the wish list of those property seekers who are on the lookout for religious destinations. Some of the temples, like Veeraliyam Temple draw devotees not only from Pune and Mumbai but also Tamilians living in the city. Similarly, for the Jain community a 27 acre Swaminarayan Temple is being built.
The existing rates in the area are in the range of Rs. 5000 to Rs. 5500 per sq feet. The analysts, however, maintain that the real property rally in the area is yet to begin and that makes it a potential goldmine for investment.
By: Ravi Sinha
