Smart living is now becoming a large concept around the world as homebuyers look for better lifestyle with amenities closer to where they stay. Buying a home, particularly for the first time can be daunting. And why not, after all it is the most expensive decision of your life and one that you will have to live with for some years at least.

Amongst the bevy of factors that you will have to consider, location and convenience, comfort probably would be of prime importance. You may want to own a place at a good price and in a good area. But, this is easier said than done.

Though one can get houses at lower price points in the outskirts of metro cities, such areas lack quality infrastructure such as roads, schools and health-care centres.

Realty prices in cities are expanding vertically; demand for housing is also witnessing an evolution. Home buyers are not only looking to buy a house, but a lifestyle. The search for a good house and supporting infrastructure in close proximity has pushed existing city limits outwards.

Community projects are like smaller cities within a larger one but with many conveniences of its own spanning hundreds of acres with facilities like offices, shopping malls, cinemas, schools, hospitals and all other facilities that are there in developed urban centres.

This is where community spaces offer a risk free option. Not only they can enjoy a better contemporary lifestyle, but is also convenient with higher returns as compared to investors in standalone properties. Community living projects are changing the lifestyle of home buyers and thus playing a role for them to move towards a Smart Living.

With commercial and residential spaces in close proximity, communities are offering a good work-life balance to residents. The ‘walk-to-work’ culture enabled by community mitigates the pressures of long commute to and from work, unending traffic jams and peak hour rush, thus adding valuable time to a person’s daily life, not to mention the money saved in transport. The serene environment gives residents a feeling of living in the countryside, with all the benefits of the city. It provides a sense of comfort, security, convenience and above all, a sophisticated urban living experience and acquiring a balanced work life.

Like Palm drive-one of the projects of Emaar India and the residential project delivered with a design approach to unify the apartment living with a botanical environment making, has brought a Smart Living culture in a buzzing integrated community space located on Golf Course extension, a thriving neighbourhood with schools and hospital nearby, and an easy access to both – national highway (NH8) and Delhi (M.G. Road) providing contemporary living within tranquil green spaces. Palm drive holds several accolades from the industry for its premium design and lifestyle quotient with a concept of transpiring the Smart living in India.

Increasing number of people are also opting to rent a house in townships, translating into better rental yields that are as much as 35% more when compared to the rent garnered by a stand-alone property in the same area.