Matching shopping options with local purchasing power
Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants
Whenever I’m asked how real estate is performing in India, I have to ask the questioner to be a bit more specific. Real estate is not a single industry but consists of various categories/asset classes, and each behaves differently at the same time and at different times.
Residential, commercial and retail real estate each serve a very separate and distinct purpose, respond to a different type of demand and attract different types of investors.
However, it is equally true that all three categories are inter-related because they all depend on each other to drive growth. Residential projects tend to crop up around commercial office catchments, because that is where jobs are created, and employment drives the financial ability and appetite for homeownership.
Likewise, retail real estate developments are only feasible in and around residential and commercial catchments, since retail needs customers. What differs in these three asset classes are the ticket sizes, investment rationale, and investment horizon.
To invest in either,