A closer look at some of the leading property markets of the country, like Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, clearly suggest that the market is poised for an upswing in the next few years. More importantly, it is not just the analysts but also the home-buyers who are today; ready to bet high on the long term growth story of the property market in these leading cities.
What makes Mumbai a global real estate market to bet on? There are many USPs of the city property market to make it a global property market, like luxury landscape of the city; its positioning as a job market; social life of Mumbai; investment in the city; appreciation potential; and insulation against price crash. Mumbai is one of those markets that have also weathered the slowdown challenges without crash; not even New York, London or Dubai have this distinction.
ASSOCHAM has urged the Government, National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India to treat homebuyers in real estate projects at par, if not above banks in the pecking order, by providing a separate carve-out for those stuck in the incomplete construction, and any legal hurdle should be immediately removed, by a Presidential Ordinance, if need be.
A high rental growth was seen mostly in South cities like Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad where y-o-y change ranged between 8-17% at some locations. In H1 2017, Bengaluru and Hyderabad both witnessed single digit vacancy levels hovering between 8-9% due to a dearth of quality Grade A stock, thus leading to increased rental values in some micro markets.
Be it Mumbai or Pune in the Western part of India or Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai in the South, the homebuyers seem to be convinced with the reality of GST and its implications with various stages of construction. It is hence not surprising that most of the homebuyers across the cities today wish to invest in ready to move apartments to save from the hassles of paying the GST.
There are very few case studies where the developers have flocked out to cities on sheer promise without registering their presence in the four metro cities. However, such migration to magnet territory is today quite visible in Gujarat where the developers from other states are increasingly flocking, most notably in the city of Ahmedabad.
As per Colliers Research, RERA and GST compliance will remain a challenge for several developers for at least the next six months. We expect a decline in the number of launches in H2 2017. However, the sales are likely to pick up during the festive season due to higher optimism among buyers after RERA.
The MMR was notified in 1967, in an effort to address the rising problems faced by inhabitants. More areas were also included in the region and today the MMR covers Greater Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai, apart from several more towns and villages. Over the years, property price rise has been astronomical in the original core parts of Mumbai.
Indirapuram has been the introduction of Delhi-Noida-Ghaziabad to modern living that was till then the privilege of only the luxury buyers of Gurgaon. Most of the residents of Mayur Vihar, IP Extension and adjoining areas of Delhi were exposed to the modern urban housing with club, swimming pool and other high-end amenities in this market. Other residents of Noida and Ghaziabad had till then availed only the plotted developments and apartment with amenities was introduced to them here only.
The question is in the absence of high paying economic activity like IT/ITeS will the city keep the desired pace to sustain the projected growth and the life style. Critics often point out that in the absence of steadfast pace of economic activity the market may end up being another investors’ haven. However, developers active in this market maintain that more employment opportunities have seen people preferring to stay in Bhiwadi than commute to work. Also, a large number of floating population from nearby cities and across the country is still high, which needs to be catered to in terms of their aspiration and lifestyle choices. The rise of nuclear families have further seen emergence of more demand for dwelling units in the region.