Salaam everyone. We plan to move to live in Islamabad in next 6 months. We have lived here in UK for over 10 years. I shall appreciate if you guys share your experience and guide me. We have budget of max Rs. 20 millions to buy a house. The friends/people told us to live in Islamabad (we are originally from Mianwali). Our main target is living closer to a school of good standard (My kids are 9 and 6 years old and we are rather traditional and conservative people). Other preferences of course are the place where it is more peaceful, quiet, less energy breaks and better overall environment and less pollution. I know in 20 million we can't get a house in such a dream place but obviously we would like try to get the best possible thing in this limited amount of money. In short, we look for a decent size house in a peaceful location preferably closer to a good school.
Many thanks!
I m in a similar situation, and considering BE. The factors that you mentioned are important and BE looks like a reasonable place with answers to almost all your questions.
Mind you its not populated yet and you are looking at at least 2-3 years but then it will be out of reach for many.
I suggest buy a plot and construct your own house in BE and your budget may be sufficient for a reasonable house.
I havent myself invested in BE yet but will do in near future insha Allah.
This is just a suggestion, keep your options open .
Khan Sb.. People are trying to shift abroad and you are coming back. Please think again.
I think you should explore the following options:
DHA
G-11
G-13
G-14
G-15
I am not up to date with the current prices for various size houses, I hope other members will shed some light on it.
Zafar Sb… He wants a ready made house but yeah I would strongly advise him to buy a plot and build a house on it. That way a lot of money will be saved and a bigger house would be made according to the owner’s needs and tastes. By the way you, Zafar Sb you are also shifting back to Pakistan? I thought I made a mistake by coming back and was thinking to move abroad again.!
My two cents
I made same transition couple of years back and was pretty much in same situation as you. I am not sure whether you would be commuting to Islamabad every day if not then I ll recommend BT phase 1 - 6, where you can buy decent brand new 10 marla house in your budget. For schools, Beacon house, Roots and many others (depending upon your budget and priorities) are with in 10 - 15 min drive. Moreover, you will be pleased with BT services, standards and the community. Looking back, I think if I hadn't made this choice to live in BT, it would have been difficult to convince my family to stay in Pakistan with all load shedding, security concerns etc.
Nasrullah sahab if living close to civilization and hood schools is the objective then I would suggest one 5 kanal farmhouse plot in Multi Orchards C Block. It will be ready for possession in 1-2 months inshaAllah. It will cost u about 8 million plus. With the rest of the money you can construct a very decent home with US style front patios etc and a big lawn with trees. You can reach Islamabad main in half hour to 40 minutes. Islamabad can be reached smoothly via Motorway or GT Road.
As for schools, well Wah Cantt is only 5-6 km from gate of the farmhouse scheme. It has all the best schools like Froebels, Beaconhouse and Roots plus colleges etc. There are also reasonable business opportunities in Wah, Hassan Abdal and Taxila.
The society itself is state of the art with football ground's, provisions for schools, university. It will have gated community with CCTV cameras, security, management and other top notch facilities as well.
He specifically mentioned he wants to buy a HOUSE (in ISLAMABAD) and still people are advising him to buy a land. Look, everyone knows its cheaper that way but its a grueling task and not everyone has time to do that. If had a luxury to buy a home instead of building, i would do that in a heartbeat.
Since you have a small family, I would recommend you to look for a 25x50 (5 marla) house in G-11 or bigger 30x60(8 marla) in G-13. G11 is a proper developed sector while G-13 is not fully developed yet. These sectors are close to central Islamabad so there is no worry about amenities.
These double story houses normally have 4-6 rooms with D/D, 2 kitchens, attached bath, servant room and a garage for 1 or 2 cars.
Dear Nasrullah,
If you are planning to settle back, there is a likelihood that the shift wont work as smooth as you wish. I wish it stays easy and trouble free but you need to be realistic. I would advise to rent out a portion in I-8, G-11 rather than buying and committing a big amount. Rent a place close to schools, get the whole family settled in well and after 1-2 years, evaluate the whole situation yourself and then decide the next move.
Just my 2 cents.
Regards and happy Eid to all.
Dear Nasrullah,
Welcome back to Pakistan 'mate'.
Moving from the UK and the established set of laws and protocols to a mad house like Pakistan is indeed a brave endeavor.
If you are committed to Islamabad then I would second what one of the brothers have said by renting a place in Islamabad for the short term whilst you get your feet wet. You can buy a 10 Marla plot in Bahria Enclave so that you have something to call home in case the move works and you can build.
If you are not committed to Islamabad then go for Bahria Town without thinking twice. You will have all the amenities including uninterrupted electricity at your finger tips. Remember load shedding in Islamabad is a harsh reality and that running a generator gets to be pricy so Bahria does indeed offer a good perk when they generate their own electricity there.
Cheers and all the best with the move east.
There are a lot of unknowns here before anyone can give you the right advice.
I think you should consider renting a place first some where in G-11/F-11. Stay there for 6 months or so, find out yourself what is the best option for you.
I think Bahria Town is best for overseas. Normally houses sucks in UK (majority ).They have old and dirty houses until and unless u dont live at posh areas.
Living at BT might be expensive but it will give you secure and priviliged feeling. You can find schools close to BT or even inside BT.
I8 is the best option for you. No match of I8. Main campus of city school, convent and beaconhouse nearby. Shifa hospital and shakarparian ate also nearby. Two very good parks are in I8. Central location of Pindi Islamabad
I agree Choice is between 10 Marla house in Bahria, DHA etc which is 30 mins drive to Islamabad OR 5 kanal farmhouse in Multi Orchards which is 40-45 mins to Islamabad. Both will cost roughly same amount.
LOL @ Multi Orchard Farm houses ...
This shows how mean we can get and we do not even hesitate to give wrong advice to others. He is asking for a decent house and people are advising him multi farm houses ... Far away from Islamabad civilization (Its actually in Taxila).
My advice in this budget would be Bahria town (1-6) also. You CANNOT get a decent size (at least 10 Marla) house in decent sector of Islamabad in this range.
I-8 is the good option but i doubt you can get any decent size (10 marla or above) in 20 million. You may get 5-8 Marla only in I-8.
Just a brotherly suggestion why not buy apartment in a safe or central locality. It may even save you some money. Location will be central price depreciation will not be that much.
Bahria ph 1 to 6 or dha 2…Both are excellent options in he budget.I-8 is simply impossible.No 5 or 8 marla.Only 35x80 40x80 50x90 and 60x90 and even old 35x80 house is worth approx 30 million.
Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts/giving valuable time. God bless you all.
I bought a 7/8 marla plot in BT 7 Umer block in 2008 for less than 0.7Million, couldn't visit the place more than once, I don't what is its price/development level etc at present. But my experience of getting a house built is not v pleasant (hectic and time consuming, need supervision due to dishonest builders/contractors etc). Hence I look for a house not a plot. (I am a doctor and it is v difficult for me to spare time to build a house).
I am thinking of buying house in BT 1-6 now as there is no electricity break/loadshedding. I dont know how good their schools are. Kindly guide. Many thanks again
At Phase 2 , there is international level school with foreign qualified teacher ....
Nasrullah Khan Sb… You are welcome… Personally I tend to stay away from Bahria Town even though the living is great no doubt. I would prefer DHA more than BT as it is an established organisation with army backing and good future. Can I know why you are moving back (if you dont mind)…
Nasar ullah khan sb…Sir if you want to buy something at bahria town and at dha,you can contact me at 03455370978 for best deals.