Pune, Bengaluru and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) emerged as the top three markets for buying homes for end-use and investment, according to a report. Reports shared by Anarock for top cities in India indicate that these three cities have remained the most active markets in 2020, together accounting for a 67% share of the total housing sales (of approximately 1.38 lakh units) recorded in the top seven cities in India and 60% of all new launches (approximately 1.28 lakh units). As we have reported earlier, Bengaluru and Pune have also been declared the top two most liveable cities of India in the recent Ease of Living Index published by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Pune saw average property prices surge by 38% in the last seven years, which is the highest among all top cities. Prevailing developer discounts, lowest-best home loan rates and limited period stamp duty cuts make these markets lucrative for long-term investments. As per the Anarock research, Pune's average property prices stood at Rs 3,980 per sq ft in 2013. This increased to Rs 5,510 per sq ft in 2020, a 38% surge. Bengaluru witnessed its unsold stock decline by a massive 51% in 2020 as against 2016, from 1.21 lakh units in 2016 to nearly 59,330 units as of the end of 2020. According to Anarock research, the city's average property prices are currently around Rs 4,955 per sq ft, which is way more affordable than most other top cities, as per the report. MMR's real estate market remained active in 2020, despite the pandemic. Its unsold housing inventory declined by 6% - the highest in 2020 as against the previous years. In the previous seven years, MMR's stock either increased y-o-y or declined by no more than 3%. Additionally, the ongoing infrastructure projects such as multiple metro links, Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, among others, make it a favourable investment destination. The report said that in the current pandemic scenario, MMR's property prices have bottomed out. The limited-time stamp duty cut and lowest-best home-loan rates are other added benefits. The cost of property acquisition in MMR has gone down by 5-15%. The recent limited-period 50% reduction in construction premiums may further help property prices reduce by 5-7%, according to the Anarock report. Image Source Also read: 57% people now prefer homes over other investments: Survey