Abstract:
This is an exploratory research project into housing deficit crisis in Pakistan which has
impacted the real estate industry and the population at large. This project was designed to
study the issues of information asymmetry and speculation that have inflated this crisis and
made it difficult for the middle class of Pakistan to afford housing. The project examined
the perceptions and preferences of university students at COMSATS Lahore who are going
to be the future customers of the real estate market. The findings of this project indicate
that there is indeed a housing deficit crisis in Pakistan and there is a lack of awareness
about this crisis. The findings also suggest that majority of the students intend to purchase
housing soon preferably in Lahore and Islamabad cities. The preference is leaning towards gated communities and housing society. This is consistent with the norms and observations about the Pakistan real estate market as most middle and upper middle-class people tend to gravitate towards such housing projects due to security and good standards of living.
