Affordable housing was given the much-coveted infrastructure status, and the very definition of affordable housing has been tweaked to accommodate more inventory under this key category. Moreover, the previously highly speculative markets of NCR and MMR have been tamed and are, in fact, leading the thrust of affordable housing today.
In a sales driven and measurable ROI dictated environment of the Indian real estate, the ad campaign comes as a market disruption. It is a result of great thought, deeper understanding of the urban housing realities and a bold statement that the company has not only been witness to a turnaround (after controversies of the past) but also confident enough to gamble now to stay ahead of the competition curve.
Cash-strapped builders have been hoping for all and any Government interventions which can help boost their sales volumes. This GST cut will provide such a boost, at least in the short-term as more fence-sitters who had been postponing their purchase decisions now have an additional incentive to take the plunge.
This growth is witnessed across five major cities – Mumbai, Gurugram, Noida, Bengaluru and Pune, where 4000 homebuyers were surveyed by 360 Realtors to understand buying trends. One of the key driving factors for the increase in investor interest is the impact of policies such as RERA. Assured rentals and EMI payouts after possession, offered by developers have also significantly boosted investor confidence.
In India, when the going was smooth a number of leading developers tried to foray into multi-city operations. Most of them had to exit the expansion strategy sooner than later. It rather proved to be the first nail in the coffin for some of these market leaders by size.
Housing Shortage in the urban areas is particularly high in Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) at 10 million units, followed by 7.4 million units in Lower Income Group (LIG).Until now, Central assistance to the tune of INR 13,583 Crore has been released and Interest subsidy of INR 1,859 Crore has been credited. Under the PMAY(U) scheme ( as per 8thJuly 2018 release by Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Government of India), 51 lakh units have been approved, 28 lakh units have been grounded and only 8 lakh units have been completed.
Such misleading claims prima facie give an impression that the property market in the Indian cities in general, and Delhi-NCR in particular, have peaked up on the eve of long festive season ahead. The claims nevertheless raise more questions than could answer as to how and why there has been sudden spurt in the sales velocity.
The Indians seem to be quite aware of the challenges of mass housing, as is visible with nearly half of the respondent, 48 per cent questioning when land acquisition is going to be tougher how housing for all will be a reality.
The role played by the DGTCP (Director General Town & Country Planning) has also been in question because of its alleged inaction in addressing the concerns of the homebuyers regarding the blatant violations of the provisions of the Haryana Development & Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975 and Rules of 1976 made thereunder while failing to stop the illegal sale of units being made by IREO in its name without having been granted any permission/approval for the same by the DTCP under the extant provisions of applicable laws.
Meraqi’s latest sector specific research report ‘Emerging Residential Niche Products’ reveals the potential of the growing alternate residential real estate market in India, analyses investment trends in niche categories like Student Housing, Micro units and Senior Housing emerging across the Tier I cities and forecasts the future trends in the segment.