Dream house back home

For those of you who wish to own a home in Islamabad, I have provided some basic information below which will be useful to you regarding current pricing, locations that you should consider and construction costs.
This is relevant to Islamabad only...perhaps other friends with expertise in other areas will add more here later. I'll do this in sections otherwise I'll be here all night so stay tuned for more. This one is a general intro and then all about Zone 1.

Islamabad is located at the foot of the Margalla hills and was a planned city, laid out in a grid pattern as many model cities are around the world. It is divided into 5 Zones. The weather here is probably the best in Pakistan and includes all four seasons. 1 month of the year (July/August) is VERY HOT (40 c+) and 1 month of the year (Jan/Feb) is VERY COLD (-5 c).

Zone 1 is where Islamabad started and includes some beautiful buildings (government) along Constitution Avenue. The main sectors of Zone 1 start from here and include G6, G7, G8, G9, G10 and G11 and then similarly F6, F7, F8, F9, F10 and F11. F9 is currently all allocated as the Fatimah Jinnah Park. The I sectors generally contain smaller plots and are considered the less well off areas of Islamabad. The H sectors are all designated for institutional buildings such as schools and universities, hospitals etc. No Housing in H sectors.
Below the I sectors (on the Masterplan) is Rawalpindi.

You should note that Islamabad is growing outwards from the F6, G6, H7, I8 sectors towards the F11, G11 etc sectors so the higher the number, the newer the sector and the newer the infrastructure and houses and better the building standards etc.

Generally speaking, the I sectors are the cheapest followed by the G sectors then the F sectors. The majority of small plots are available in the I sectors, from 20 ft x 40 ft (around 50 lacs) to the full kanal sizes in I8 (around 250 lacs). The roads are very narrow in most cases and the infrastructure is poor in some of the I sectors. I8 is the exception with wider roads and a good layout and infrastructure.

The G sectors have various sizes of plots and are generally considered a fairly good location in which to own a house. Plot prices range from around 80 lacs for the smallest plots ( 25x50 or 30x50 ) in G11 or G9 to just under 300 lacs for the 666 sq yd plots in the better locations. Larger plots are available in the older G6 and these are obviously priced higher. Wider roads in G sectors plus a better infrastructure than I sectors.

The F sectors are considered to be where the cream of Islamabd live with very wide tree lined roads and excellent infrastructure, markets, schools etc. A 500 sq yd (50x90) plot in an F sector will set you back a minumum of 350 lacs to anywhere up to 1500 lacs for a 4 kanal plot in F6. Small plots are few and far between and if you find one it is usually a larger plot bifurcated into two plots (usually odd, elongated sizes priced 20-50 lacs less and harder to resell or fit in your dream home) or the few economy plots originally designated for the worker community (there is a colony in F10/3 which is sized at 25x60 costing around 75 lacs per plot).

Generally the newer the sector, the higher the price, but the better the house that you are getting (usually) plus a better infrastructure and better main markaz (shopping centre) plus newer and better schools, roads, electricity and water etc...

There are a couple of other odd sectors. E7 is a very small piece of sector and it is VERY expensive and elite and has large houses. Prices are upwards of the more expensive F sectors.

E11 is a sector made up of a combination of housing societies and many many houses have already been built here and many people are living here. Although not yet taken over by the CDA, it is expected to take over shortly. Very close to the Margalla Hills with nice views it is a popular place as a residential 500 sq yd (50x90) plot here can still be purchased for around 150 lacs whcih compared it's neighbour F11 is HALF the price...but some people won't buy there because it is not a "proper" CDA sector and the various housing societies have issues with their boundaries and who themaintance of the link raods belongs to and so on. Also, some of them have underground electricity and some have overhead. There are also discrepancies in the sewarage systems and supply lines.

OK, thats the primer for Zone 1. Let me know if you need more specific info on Zone 1. I'll try and get around to Zones 2,4 and 5 later.

Zone 3 is the Margalla Hills and nothing is allowed to be built here legally...environmental considerations n all that.

Construction costs in Islamabad are a MINIMUM of 1000 rupees per square foot for a fully built (Turnkey) house. You can do it cheaper if you do it yourself bu not by much and it'll make you lose your hair!!! Some of the good builders charge 1500 or more for a better quality finish and better fixtures and fitings and some nicer features. A good architect will charge from 2 - 5 lacs start to finish and will take care of the necessary approvals from the CDA etc.

Zeeshan sahib
In my personnel opinion it is not very good idea to invest in OPF housing schemes. OPF does not have capability to complete such projects.
Before making any decisions you must do a lot of home work, decide which place you want to build Apna Ghar, consult friends who have gone through such process, personally visit the area where you want to buy property, talk to the people who are living in those areas and decide your self in the end.
Building or buying a house, normally is a lifetime investment and we have to be extremely careful when
taking decisions.
The purpose of this website is to help and provide required information to overseas Pakistani friends but the problem is that I am also an overseas Pakistani and do not have enough information at hand. I do hope that by the time more and more friends will get involved in these discussions and we all shall be able to get more information about different housing schemes in Pakistan.
Best Regards to all