Honey, I Shrunk the Flat! Budget Housing Sizes See Most Decline in 5 Years

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Properties within INR 40 lakh budget see 23% fall in average sizes – from 750 sq. ft. in 2014 to 580 sq. ft. in 2018
Avg. property sizes in the top 7 cities decline by 17% in 5 years; from 1,390 sq. ft. in 2014 to 1,100 sq. ft. in 2018
Bangalore sees the least size reduction at 12%, MMR tops with 27% average decrease

When it comes to housing, size matters for all kinds of reasons. The added floor space of larger homes definitely spells comfort, convenience and family scalability, every additional square foot either comes at a higher price or pushes available options further away from the central regions of a city.

Millennial homebuyers have already made it clear that they prefer affordability coupled with good location over larger-sized homes in the far-flung suburbs. Simultaneously, developers are intent on making their housing projects more pocket-friendly for a higher customer base.

As a result, the top 7 Indian cities collectively saw average apartment sizes shrink by nearly 17% between 2014 and 2018.

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

After zeroing on a property, buyers need to identify a suitable home loan lender to fulfil their financial needs.

Officially, there are two major lenders in the market – banks (including both public and private banks) and the housing finance companies (HFCs).

To get the best deal, a buyer must select a lender depending on their prevailing interest rates, eligibility criteria, processing fee and other factors.

Both banks and HFCs have their own pros and cons. Here are some advice and guidelines for taking a home loan in India.

Banks vs HFCs: Which is the better option?

Declaring an outright ‘winner’ among the two options is indeed difficult. Earlier, the steep interest rates of HFCs gave banks an edge.

However, now there is a parity between the two as most HFCs offer loans at rates within 8.6%-11.2%, while banks offer loans at 8.3%-10.5%. The gap has significantly reduced and buyers may now consider either option.

Eligibility criteria & process:

Rising NPAs over the past years have compelled banks to follow stricter norms for lending.

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Nearly 60% of women home seekers prefer a property within the budget-range of INR 80 lakh; 52% will opt for ready-to-move-in homes
Women homebuyers benefit from lower stamp duty charges, low home loan interest rates, and tax deductions
Women must now mandatory be either co-owners or sole owners of affordable homes.

There’s a famous saying – the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. This is so apt today, as women are excelling across sectors and increasingly making their mark in a male-dominated world.

The 21st-century millennial woman is progressive and increasingly financially independent. This had led to a distinct shift in her investment preferences – where gold and fixed deposits were the primary choices for Indian women, real estate now rides high in her investment portfolio.

In fact, in ANAROCK’s consumer sentiment survey, nearly 20% of participants were women. Among the many highlights of this survey – nearly 42% of women respondents preferred real estate as an investment asset class, followed by 30% for FDs and a mere 17% for gold.

by Arun Chitnis

PRESS RELEASE

ANAROCK Launches Dedicated Operations In Abu Dhabi

To expand next into Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

More than 50% of NRIs living and working in the UAE have interest in Indian realty; top investment cities are Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai & Kochi
In ANAROCK’s Consumer Sentiment Survey, NRIs from the GCC countries comprised maximum share with 36% (followed by 23% from Western Europe, 22% in Asia and 19% in North America)
NRI investors have a higher appetite for under-construction properties than resident Indians; higher focus on investment for ROI rather than on end-use

Abu Dhabi, 5 March 2019: Marking the next step on its international expansion agenda, ANAROCK Property Consultants has announced the launch of its dedicated office in Abu Dhabi, the high-profile capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

ANAROCK Abu Dhabi is the Firm’s second operational base in the UAE after launching operations in Dubai in 2017.

“We are in aggressive expansion mode in this key market.

by Arun Chitnis

PRESS RELEASE

ANAROCK Completes 300 Exclusive Project Mandates Worth INR 22,000 Cr

100 exclusively mandated projects worth INR 9000 Crore currently ongoing
Sale rate of 1000 units/month unprecedented in the current market
The firm relies heavily on technology as the key differentiator

Mumbai, 27^th February 2019: ANAROCK today announced the successful closure of 300 exclusive mandates to market residential projects across India and in the Gulf. The cumulative market value of the inventory sold to date exceeds INR 22,000 Cr.

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK says, “ANAROCK has strategically partnered with over 150 top developers across 13 Indian cities and in the Gulf. The market value of the overall mandated inventory we have sold since our launch in 2017 exceeds INR 22,000 Cr across the 300 residential projects. Interestingly, 11,000 units of these, with a value of INR 10,000 Cr, were sold in the current financial year (FY18-19) itself. The combination of focused experienced brokerage and our bespoke technology has been a winning combination.”

by Anuj Puri

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.

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

The keenly-awaited meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, which was supposed to deliver a final decision on the differential tax rates on real estate yesterday, hopes to reach a consensus on the 24th.

This is a critical matter and the outcome will have a notable impact on real estate market sentiment.

The levying of 5% GST (without the benefit of input tax credit or ITC) can help boost homebuyers’ favourable disposition towards making a purchase decision.

While it may not trigger the kind of massive housing sales which the industry sorely needs, it can make a difference.

The crux of the matter is the relative merits and demerits of two propositions – a flat 5% GST without ITC or a higher GST with ITC.

If the Government decides on 5% GST without ITC, here are the impacts on different industry stakeholders:

GST Impact On Home Buyers

Lowering the GST rate can definitely provide a short-term boost for fence-sitting homebuyers to make purchase decisions.

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

A new Government with a clear majority raised optimism in 2014
Nearly 5.45 lakh units launched in the year and nearly 3.43 lakh units sold – the previous year saw the launch of approx. 4.6 lakh units and lower sales
Long-term benefits of recent reforms will accrue only with the continuity of their enforcement by this or the next Government

During an impending general election, real estate stakeholders conjecture about their likely impact on the real estate market.

Conventionally, the period between the announcement of the election date until the final result day is a period marked by caution and hesitancy in the overall real estate market.

While investors generally refrain from making market plays in this waiting period, buyers may also adopt a wait-and-watch stance.

The reasons can vary from anticipation that a newly-elected Government may offer more sops to homebuyers to the hope that a re-elected Government may reward voters with such sops.

In this period, developers understandably prefer to focus on selling their unsold stock rather than launching new projects.

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

GST rate cut or not, GST-exempt ready-to-move draws maximum sales
Of the total unsold stock of 6.73 lakh units in the top 7 cities, only 13% are ready-to-move-in
Of 5.88 lakh unsold under-construction units, 20% to be completed in 2019 – the addition of 1.16 lakh RTM units
Can a marginal tax saving on overpriced properties trigger sentiment revival in delay-tainted under construction segment?

The recent interim budget announced fresh sops for the Indian real estate sector – which, on closer scrutiny, did not really send clear revival signals to the market at all. Now, the strident demand for lowering GST rates on under-construction properties is on the table.

In fact, the prime minister and finance minister have proactively assured that they are considering this collective demand from the industry positively. Will a GST cut infuse enough positive sentiment to help the languishing real estate sector revive?

Perhaps, rather than debating whether a GST cut will do the trick, we should ask ourselves whether it would actually solve the ‘real’ problems the sector is facing.

by Santhosh Kumar

Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Bangalore, Hyderabad & Chennai saw a 77% increase in new residential supply in 2018; NCR 16%, MMR & Pune 17%
Chennai led new launch supply with a 98% increase, Bangalore 91%, Hyderabad 43%
Bangalore, Hyderabad & Chennai saw a 20% increase in housing sales; 18% in North, 15% in West

The year 2018 was a mixed bag of highs and lows for the Indian real estate sector. The initial pangs of policy alterations seemed to fade away with each region seeing visible signs of recovery across segments.

Even as the liquidity crunch and stalled/delayed projects continue to plague the sector, the main southern cities of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad actually saw faster growth momentum than their northern counterpart NCR.

Retail, commercial and residential real estate saw a lot more activity in Southern cities than in the North.

Residential

As per ANAROCK data, the southern cities raced far ahead of those in the North, including entire NCR.

Honey, I Shrunk the Flat! Budget Housing Sizes See Most Decline in 5 Years

Banks Vs HFCs: Which Is The Better Home Loan Option In India?

Millennial Women: Riding High On Home Ownership

ANAROCK Launches Dedicated Operations In Abu Dhabi

ANAROCK Completes 300 Exclusive Project Mandates Worth INR 22,000 Cr

GST Rates Cut, Affordable Housing Redefined

5% GST Without ITC: Impact On Buyers, Builders And The Exchequer

General Elections: The Real Estate Connection

GST Rate Cut – Panacea or Brief Pain Relief for Real Estate?

Southern Cities Took the Lead for Real Estate Activity in 2018