Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants
The slash in GST rates to 5% without ITC from the previous 12% with ITC for premium homes, and to 1% minus ITC for affordable homes from the earlier 8%, gives the beleaguered realty sector the much-needed breathing room and will certainly help it maintain some forward momentum in 2019.
Another booster shot given by the government is changing the very definition of the budget-range of affordable housing.
Extending the definition to housing priced within INR 45 lakh is credible. It will make more properties from the premium budget fall into the affordable segment category, and thus benefit buyers in cities like MMR where property prices are exorbitant.
Yet again, the affordable segment has got a major push today and buyers of this segment will benefit immensely. This will certainly cause sales of housing units within this segment to rise to a significant extent. Most players currently have considerable unsold stock within this segment.
ANAROCK data confirms that there are as many as 5.88 lakh under-construction homes lying unsold in the top 7 cities. Of these, 34% are priced below INR 40 lakh alone.