Sunday, March 9, 2008

Felicita - Baner: 2bhk, 2&1/2bhk and 3bhk flats, opposite Hotel Mahabaleshwar on Baner road in Pune, launched at a special rate of Rs.4,251 per sq.ft.

Prime Location:

Launching of Shree Venkatesh Group's Felicita - Baner, opposite Hotel Mahabaleshwar on Baner road, is a big news in Pune real estate market. After a long time, a township of more than 100 luxurious apartments is launched on the Baner road. May be for the first time near Hotel Mahabaleshwar.

Most of the ongoing luxurious projects who claim to be in Baner, you know, are either in Balewadi or near Pancard club. I am talking not only about premium projects like Kumar Builder's Kumar Aatman, Vascon Engineers' The Willows or Gera's Regent Park which are in the league of Felicita-Baner but even about well known projects like Koolhomes, Kunal Group's Regulus or Sahil Group's Serene.

Baner Road - scoring high on the lifestyle quotient:

Baner was always a second option to Parihar Chowk, Aundh. Rahatani, Wakad, Pimple Saudagar - Aundh annex, mostly, third and the last option for the software professionals working in Hinjewadi. To brush up the memory of my readers in US and UK, let me quote from the article 'Baner Road, speeding ahead' published in Pune Westside Plus:
And every endeavoring soul seems to be striving to improve the quality of life at Baner. This zone appears to be ever progressing in all facets of business. Especially the close proximity to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has helped Baner evolve as the preferred location for the expansion plans of information technology companies, insurance companies and the banking sector.

Baner Road, which starts from Pune University Chowk and stretches right up till the Balewadi Gaon Phata, is a world of a difference today.

Baner is aiming at scoring high on the lifestyle quotient too! With new and classy residential and commercial projects being constructed along Baner Road, there’s no looking anywhere else for more! All lifestyle requirements are soon to be totally fulfilled within the area itself. Baner is heading towards complete self-sufficiency.

Many great builders like Bal Developers, Vascon, etc., with their elegant residential projects have made Baner ’hot property’. IT professionals from Software Companies like Symantec, Calsoft, Brainvisa and more in close proximity at Hinjewadi, have emerged as immediate takers.

3 side open 2bhk, 2&1/2 bhk and 4 side open 3 bhk with servant's room:

Sample flat ready: One would have booked a 2bhk or 3bhk apartment at Felicita - Baner by just visiting the location and having a look at the layout plan and floor-plans.

Still, Shree Venkatesh Group has made a sample flat in the parking of the building. Yes, construction has already started! To me, it means that the builder is not interested only in my booking but he enjoys constructing too.

Sample flat is of 2&1/2bhk which is good because it gives a fairly good idea of a 2bhk as well as a 3bhk flat. As a real estate marketing professional, to impress you, i would have appreciated if the interior would have been more sophisticated and classy. But it would have lost the genuineness because this builder is more of a builder than a marketer of real estate or developer who excels only in making sample flat!

Of course, personally or professionally, i do not know Mr. Nimhan of Shree Venkatesh Group but i liked what i observed at site. First the owner was present at the site and second Shree Venkatesh Group's earlier customers had come to book at Felicita - Baner and were talking to Mr. Nimhan!


Excellent Layout: I liked the layout of the project because it treats equally both 2bhk as well as 3bhk flats. Mostly when there are 3bhk flat with the servant's room and also a simple 2 bhk flat in the project, you know, all the best things, location in the layout - view, goes to 3bhk flats of 1500 sq.ft. and 2bhk of 1100 sq.ft.are somehow adjusted somewhere.

But the architects of Felicita - Baner, Principal Design Consultant - Pendse and Associates of Mumbai, have treated every flat rather well. So,the builder has not divided his flats into two categories, so there are no two rates, 100Rs. more for the good flat than the not so good one! Which means you are sure about light, ventilation and view will be good in any flat. This gives you the freedom to exercise your choice!

3 side open 2bhk flat: 2bhk flat is of around 1100 sq.ft This is a good size. Not too small a flat. Or not too big to fit in the budget.

Plus 2bhk flat comes in two types. Every flat comes with a terrace attached to the living or dinning. But, if you wish, you can go for a flat whose both bedrooms come with attached terrace. For example 2 bhk flats in wing c.

Besides being open on three sides, plan of the flat is very efficient. First, there are no passages - no waste of space. Second, common spaces -living+dinning+kitchen- and private spaces - bedrooms - are clearly divided, still bedrooms have privacy.

Kitchen has privacy too. But dinning is exactly in front of the main entrance though it has it's own niche. Of course, if you wish, you can put a partition (like in the sample flat) and get some privacy for the dinning too.

Both bedrooms of the same size 11 x13, is simply good and unusual. I am sure, you will appreciate it.



3 side open 2&1/2bhk flat: I have already told you that sample is of a 2&1/2bhk. Both 2bhk and 2&1/2 have the same basic layout and features of planning - efficiency, privacy and openness.

The only major difference is an addition of one 10x10 room, placed at the main entrance. Which you can use as a guest room, study, home-office or invite your clients without disturbing your home.

Dimensions of all the rooms are a little bigger and only one bedroom has a terrace so this 2&1/2bhk fits into 1300 sq.ft. If you can treat 10x10 room as a bedroom, this can be your 3bhk flat!

4 side open 3bhk flat with servant's room (without toilet!): This 3 bhk flat of 1500 sq.ft. is going to look very spacious because of it's shape. Plus your master bedroom is 11x15 and with attached terrace.

Giving an equal importance and the same treatment to all flats in the project and to every room in the flat is the best format of the planning, which i feel, will generate goodness in the family as well as in the project. I came to this conclusion because i am very much impressed with Arc. Vishwas Kulkarni. After talking to him recently, i have realized that in a way every flat is a sort of 'Yantra' which is supposed to perform some function! In short, 2bhk, 2&1/2bhk and 3bhk flats of Felicita - Baner are good Yantras! Amen!!

Specifications and Amenities:

You can see, obviously, all expected specifications and amenities are given. More than the list of specifications how these specifications are delivered to you - the quality and the finish of the construction - is more important to me. I hope, Shree Venkatesh Group will deliver here and at Wakad too!

Property price and budget of 2bhk, 2&1/2bhk and 3bhk flats:


As per the estimate i got when i visited the site on the day of the launch, Saturday March 9, 2008, for 1 to 3 floor, real estate rate at Felicita - Baner was Rs.4,251 per sq.ft.

From 4 to 9 floor there was floor rise of Rs.50 per floor. So property rate of 4th floor was Rs.4,301 and 9th floor was at Rs. 4,451 per sq.ft. After that, floor rise is generally Rs.100.

Salesman at the site office of Felicita - Baner told me that this is a special introductory rate. The normal booking rate of the flat is Rs.4,500. Which sound reasonable to me.

After all, last week, in the developed area of Pune - Samrajya Balwantpuram on Paud Road in Kothrud, Amit Treasure Park on Satara Road and Amit 9Green Park at Sahakar Nagar, both projects by Amit Enterprises' Pune - basic real estate price was Rs. 5,600. Which at any point of time could go above Rs.6,000.

Even in the Pimpri Chinchwad, in the heart of Chinchwad, at Queenstown and The Metropolitan property rate was Rs.3,200.

Compared to these rates and considering the development and infrastructure of the Baner Road this rate was not unexpected to me.

What about you? Please let me know in the comments. You are always welcome to call me on my mobile. I do not charge for the first 15 minutes! If you liked my blog and want to read all my Pune real estate reviews, please, subscribe to email or RSS of this blog. You can also visit my group and subscribe to it if you are interested in all Pune real estate related subjects.

But for the official info - rate, availability and all - about Felicita - Baner please, contact here:

Felicita - Baner:
Survey No 5/2/2, Baner Pashan link Road,
Opposite Hotel Mahabaleshwar, Behind RMZ Symatec,
Baner, Pune 411045.
Ph. No. (020) (20255114)
Mobile : +91 99227 44545
Email : shreevenkatesh@yahoo.co.in
Website: www.felicitabaner.com