Anuj PuriAnuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

  • Among the top 7 cities, MMR saw most new  launches – nearly 13,600 units & highest sales at 15,200 units in Q2 2018
  • 17,220 promoters and 15,550 agents under MahaRERA – highest RERA registration Pan India
  • Stamp duty increase may be a slight dampener in the short-term

On the back of critical policy reforms like DeMo, RERA and GST, 2018 is seeing both sales and new supply picking up across cities. Interestingly, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) leads this trend.

ANAROCK data indicates that out of the total new housing supply of around 50,100 units in Q2 2018 across the top 7 cities, MMR saw the highest number of new launches with nearly 13,600 new units – a 59% increase against the preceding quarter.

In terms of sales too, MMR clocked the maximum housing sales with approximately 15,200 units being sold in Q2 2018 – an increase of 26% against Q1 2018.

MMR’s top 3 micro markets across budget ranges 2017 – Q2 2018: 

Affordable Segment (<

Anuj PuriAnuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property   Consultants

  • Maharashtra has the most RERA-registered projects with 17,353, UP with 3,950 projects
  • Serious developer-favouring dilutions impacting demand in many states

More than a year after RERA was formally implemented, we are beginning to see some real impact on the ground. However, the results are still far from scintillating.

Progress so far

Out of all the states and Union Territories in India, Maharashtra takes the first place when it comes to proactive RERA adoption, implementation and integration, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

As per the latest registration updates, more than 32,306 projects and 23,111 real estate agents have been registered under RERA across states.

  • Maharashtra has the highest share of registered projects under RERA, accounting for 17,353
  • Uttar Pradesh has 3,950 projects registered
  • Gujarat with 3,300 projects registered
  • Karnataka has 1,982 projects registered
  • Madhya Pradesh has 1,901 projects registered.

Anuj PuriAnuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

  • Seasonal swelling, eroded mangroves a major cause of flooding
  • Cleanup was supposed to start in June ’18

Despite the repeated claims of the Mithi River Development and Protection Authority (MRDPA) to make the river risk and stench-free within the next two years, the progress has been far from satisfactory.

The river continues to be the sewage disposal stream for Mumbaikars, and the clean-up act – promised to start from June 2018 onward – has yet to see the light of the day.

In what could be called a saving grace, the authorities have been successful in preventing 2005-like floods in the city, or else this laxity in the river clean-up would have been embarrassingly highlighted.

The authorities continue to pat themselves on the back for the deepening and widening of the river over the last decade at the cost of a whopping ₹1200 crore, which they claim has helped make the river ‘almost completely safe.’

The fact that it continues to be a toxic cesspool puts a big question mark on the ‘safety’

Independence Day

Anuj PuriAnuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

When we reflect on India’s 71 year-long independence in context with real estate, one thought overshadows all others – affordable housing. No nation can call itself truly self-sufficient until there is a roof over every head.

We can talk about increased transparency and efficiency, but this has true relevance only if it is not just the industry that benefits but also the common man.

Embodying this very basic but profound premise, the Modi Government’s election manifesto of providing Housing for all by 2022 definitely rang all the right bells.

Obviously, it boils down to unleashing a massive number of affordable homes, and the Government has certainly gone the extra mile to make that happen. Unfortunately, what we have seen so far is more marketing hype than genuinely affordable housing.

Many developers have climbed on the ‘affordable housing’ bandwagon, but actually the term ‘affordable’ is in most cases just being misused to ostensibly show alignment to the ‘Housing for All’ mission.

Of course, builders have been generously applying terms like ‘affordable’ and ‘luxurious’

Independence day

Anuj PuriAnuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

In the 71 years since India gained independence, the country’s real estate market has changed tremendously.

While it has not always been consumer-favouring throughout this period, it is certainly so today. The country’s cities have expanded, new economic drivers have come in and jobs are being created at all levels.

Likewise, appropriate housing is now being created for all income levels. The current Government has taken the needs of the people to heart and deployed various policy initiatives to ensure that homeownership becomes affordable and desirable.

Like the real estate market itself, the market for housing loans has become very competitive, giving consumers the edge of choice. Moreover, property prices have also rationalized across the country after the Government’s demonetization move late last year.

While it was initially expected that only the resale homes and land markets would be affected, it quickly became evident that the lowered sentiment had percolated in primary sales as well.

Many of the most important changes to positively impact home buyers in India so far have been at the policy level,

Panoramic_view_of_Greater_Noida

Santhosh KumarSanthosh Kumar, Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Real estate is a dynamic industry where things can change from year to year and even from quarter to quarter. The Indian real estate market has certainly been in flux after the recent policy upheavals. As such, investment decisions must necessarily move with the times.

Here are 2018’s top-ranking real estate investment hotspots in West and North India.

West India

Beyond a doubt, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune have remained West India’s most favourable cities for real estate investment in 2018. The MMR realty market has regained a lot of momentum over the last few quarters, with both sales and new supply increasing q-o-q.

MMR: As per ANAROCK data, out of the total new supply of approximately 50,100 units across the top 7 cities (NCR, MMR, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata and Hyderabad) in Q2 2018, MMR saw maximum new launches with nearly 13,600 new units entering the market. There was a 59% increase in this new supply as against Q1 2018. On the sales front too,

Home loans

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

The 25 bps increase in the repo rate announced in today’s third bi-monthly monetary policy was in line with our expectations. Amidst rising inflation, depreciating rupee and other global macroeconomic risks, this increase is fairly justified.

While this may lead to a hike in home loan rates as well, the overall real estate sector now rests on a strong footing and buying decisions may not be altered by these marginal changes.

As per ANAROCK research, nearly 60,800 units were sold in Q2 2018 across the top 7 cities of India, which is a 24% rise over the previous quarter. Amidst a 50% quarterly rise in new launches in Q2 2018 too, unsold inventory reduced by 2% from 7.11 lakh units in Q1 2018 to 7.0 lakh units in Q2 2018.

These numbers clearly indicate that the markets are now recovering from the shocks of structural changes and policy reforms. In fact, genuine home buyers have welcomed these actions which have imbibed the much needed financial discipline, accountability and transparency in the sector.

With lucrative deals on the table,

Resale home

Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

  • 10-12% increase in the number of buyers in the secondary real estate since DeMo
  • Property values in secondary market reduced by as much as 5-10% over primary market

The issue of transparency in secondary or resale real estate transactions has indeed been on everyone’s minds ever since RERA stepped in to rescue the primary or first sale-by-developer market.

The question that looms large is – have the Government’s moves to clean up the sector benefited the resale (or secondary sales) market as well?

Overall, the Central Government has put in tremendous efforts towards creating a healthier and regulated real estate market environment.

Implementation of policies like DeMo, RERA, GST, REITs, the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 and the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY), among others, have brought fresh hope.

At the same time, the Indian real estate market has also witnessed other interesting new trends – a prominent one being the increased demand for ready-to-move-in properties. Various factors were responsible for this rise.

Dwarka_Expressway

Prashant Thakur, Head – Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants

Conceptualized under the Gurugram Master Plan 2021, Dwarka Expressway or the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) was initially planned to connect Dwarka in Delhi to Palam Vihar in Gurugram.

However, it was further extended to Kherki Dhaula toll plaza intercepting NH 48 as per the Master Plan 2025.

Stretching along 18 km, this 8-lane and 150-meter-wide expressway aims to provide seamless connectivity between Delhi, Gurugram and Manesar.

The expressway passes through sectors 109, 113, 37D, 88B, 105, 99 and many other sectors which saw an upsurge in residential real estate activity since its announcement.

With land acquisition issues over the years, the residential real estate market along the region suffered a major setback.

However, the recent clearance of all major hurdles here has given a new ray of hope to prospective buyers and investors focused on Dwarka Expressway’s many transit-oriented benefits.

The major attraction of Dwarka Expressway is its seamless connectivity between Gurugram and Delhi.

  • Road: Sectors along Dwarka Expressway will enjoy excellent connectivity to Delhi and the international airport.
Bell at hotel reception

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

  • New-age technology and data-driven concepts have significantly influenced asset management in the hotel sector today
  • Luxury hotel guests expect an international experience wherever they go and country-specific limitations are not accepted

Rising disposable incomes at the hands of the middle class, an increasing number of multi-millionaires and the growing quest to travel have given a major boost to the tourism and hospitality sector in India.

Over the last decade, this sector has accounted for nearly 7.5% of the country’s GDP. It is estimated that the Indian hospitality sector is likely to witness high double-digit annual growth by 2022.

The sector is a major direct and indirect employment generator, attracts massive FDI inflows and is the most important net foreign exchange earner for the country.

Considering its potential, the Government must necessarily incentivize investment into the hospitality sector by lowering the taxes on its development and giving it industry status.

Since it relies on a host of other sectors such as transportation,