We cannot deny the rapid development in the Pune real estate. It also witnesses the change in the trend, the quality of construction and most importantly the extra facilities or amenities provided by builders. Previously in any project you will see only buildings or a temple with a small sit-out. But now the things have changed and buyers have also changed. Just a decade back Pune was known as the Pensioner’s paradise because all retired people from different parts of country especially from Mumbai wanted to settle down in Pune after their retirement as Pune has offered them the peaceful environment, low cost real estate with safety and scenic greenery. The scene has changed quickly as the education sector, automobile sector, Information Technology sector drove the city in fast pace like metros. Now younger generation is coming to Pune to settle down and are buying home as per their requirements. With the increase in salary of an average person the lifestyle standards have gone up considerably. Now buyers want a home in a place that can give them and their family members a complete comfort, safety and pleasure. These requirements include a swimming pool, club house, gymnasium, garden, kids play area, senior citizen’s area, jogging track, etc. Among these the kids play area is very important if you have small kids.Just putting two to three instruments for kids is not enough as there are some other factors that can affect a buyer’s decision to buy the property. A separate play area for kids, kids’ friendly instruments, vehicle free play area, soft flooring in play area, safety and security are some of the factors which are very important in a project. There is a need to build separate areas for different age group kids. It is actually in favour of both the buyer as well as the developer to come up with such projects. Kids are the most important part of our lives and they fill our homes with joy. That is why we cannot ignore the importance of kids play area while buying our dream home.Why kids play area is important for a buyer?In past people usually had bigger houses with private gardens so they never needed special place for kids but today most of the population lives in apartments which are not enough for kids to move around freely and play. The solution is having a common play area of the society where they can meet other kids of their age and play safely. It boosts their social development and they do enjoy the play area especially created for them. A buyer would love to buy a property with proper place for kids to spend their evenings.Why builders should go for proper kids play area in their projects?It has become an essential for buyers and thus the demand for these features in a housing project cannot be neglected if the builder wants to sell the units fast and maintain the reputation in the market. It is in their interest as well as it can be one of the selling points and thus they can market the project well if they add some extra feature to their kids play area like vehicle free zone, high quality kids instruments, separate place for different ages like for very small kids a kids play area with slides and swings while for big kids skating rink or basket ball ground or a library, etc. It can give the project a boost for sale. Parents would love to invest in such a home that can take care of the needs of their children.From investors point of viewIt is wise to invest in a property that has given special attention to the kids play area because if the property is not having kids zone then you may lose a big buyer population who look for play area in their wish list while going for home buying. The resale value will also be affected by it. Other amenities in the building project may not be as important as a kids play area. An investor can make good selling if the property is having kids’ area because the target buyer’s percentage will increase significantly.Various instruments of kids’ zone can be installed in a housing project:1. Sea- saw, swings, marry- go-round, slides2. Different sized and shaped climbers3. Monkey bars, trekking steps.4. One combination kids instrument having different slides, caves, climber, etc.5. Jumpers of different sizes, up and down characters with springs, etc.6. Indoor play area for small kids with soft floor and other itemsFor big kids the play area requirement is different like they need more space to play for example a basketball ground, skating rink, cycling area/track, open space to play football or cricket. Some developers in Pune even coming up with new ideas of building kids friendly homes for example kids friendly floors in bathrooms (anti skid), rounded corners of walls, fireproof wires, child friendly switches, heighted railings in balcony’s etc. While the innovation in common play area includes small fish ponds to keep their fishes, tree houses, bird baths, kids’ centric garden features, kids’ library, etc. are coming in some upcoming luxurious housing projects. We must say Pune is not less than a metro in lifestyle standards.Ruchi Mahajan