What is the easiest way to double your money in a short time frame? Do you know where your money should be invested? Is it real estate? Which properties will fetch you the highest appreciation? Which are the high growth areas in India? If you’re considering investing in real estate, read on.Investing in the real estate in India seems like a wise move right now. Property prices in the Tier I cities of Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi are at a peak. Not only are the property prices humongous, the space crunch is inevitable, which makes it very difficult to find new property developments at reasonable prices in the heart of the cities.

Tier II and III cities like Pune, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Chennai, and Kolkata are the new hot-spots of real estate activity with the IT companies turning to these areas in a big way. Also, the outskirts of cities are the development points now for large residential and commercial projects. Close proximity to the cities and the availability of large plots of land for developing luxurious lifestyle homes, shopping malls, or state-of-the art work places are the primary reasons behind this phenomenon. You may get maximum appreciation for your investment in these areas.

The population of the Indian urban lands is projected to increase by more than 40% by 2010, thus putting an additional pressure on housing properties in these cities. The residential real estate sector is also estimated to receive large investments from the NRI sector, thus increasing the growth prospects as well.

Have you thought of commercial or retail real estate? It is estimated that an additional 200 million square feet of office space will be required in the upcoming years. This spells the continuation of real estate boom in commercial properties. The commercial real estate has seen a growth of around 30% annually and is expected to keep up the pace in the next 5 years. More than 500 shopping complexes are estimated to come up by 2008. If you are looking at commercial properties, you may also like to look at the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as investment opportunities. High capital appreciation and a healthy rental income along with tax benefits – SEZs promise it all!