Impact of upcoming elections on the sentiments of Pakistan property investors

Apr 30
08:41

2013

Iftikhar Anjum

Iftikhar Anjum

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The general elections to the 14th parliament of Pakistan have been announced to be held on 11 May 2013. Business activities slow down near the elections a normal trend. Similarly, realty market of Pakistan also suffers in the elections tenure.

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Pakistan real estate can be regarded as an investment haven,Impact of upcoming elections on the sentiments of Pakistan property investors Articles considering the current chaos situation, regarding the political unrest and security conditions. The realty sector of Pakistan is an equal attraction for the investors and residents. Even, the foreign investment can be observed in the property market of Pakistan, with overseas Pakistanis also seeking capital appreciations in this industry.

Be it Bahria Town, DHA, Gulberg or other development projects, the industry on the whole is experiencing shifting trends, as much importance  is being givento the improved standards of town planning and living. Now the international standards of living are considered imperative. For instance, the new localities are homed with schools, colleges, hospitals, shopping malls, sports centres and under ground electrical wiring etc. These factors provide a tag of ‘safe investment spot’ to the real estate market of Pakistan.

The business activities experience pauses during the election tenure. This is mainly because the investors become cautious about their investments and restrain themselves to release their money in the market. Similarly, the real estate sector of Pakistan is also likely to encounter slow downs in activities because of the upcoming general elections. The general elections leading to the 14th parliament of Pakistan have announced to be held on 11 May 2013 and the transactional trend in the property market is presumable to suffer because of the price impairments, but more importantly due to the cautiousness of the investors.

Whether we talk about DHA Lahore plots, Gulberg Islamabad, Bahria Town properties or any other realty developments, property experts expect instability in the market till the final verdict regarding the elected parties and individuals comes on board. Various factors cause people to hesitate while investing in the properties during the time of elections.

Political instability during the elections, brings perplexed law and order situation, which ultimately deteriorates overall economic scenarios and causes currency devaluations. Owning to the high inflations, people do not prefer to invest in the real estate sector and unsatisfactory political conditions may also discourage overseas Pakistanis and foreign investors to delve into the market during the election span.

People wait to invest because the newly elected party may impose regulations that cause the investors to face losses on their investments, instead of securing favourable returns. Investors are always on the lookout for the great finds and they avoid taking risks with their hard-earned money during the political turbulence. Instead, they prefer to keep their money safe in the banks. The prices of the properties also experience deteriorations during the political unrest. The sole purpose of the investors is the attainment of capital gains through their investments in the realty market. However, that objective suffers during the political instability in the country.

Elections are at the verge of occurrence. People are hoping for a good and honest government to get hold of the throne. It can also be expected that the instability in the property market, be it the DHA Lahore plots prices, Gulberg Islamabad developments, Bahria Town properties, will again experience flourishing trends, once the election term is over and political situations get stable.