Reviewing the overall performance of the Indian residential real estate market in 2021 shows a definite upswing. Between Jan - Sep 2021, 1.63 lakh units of new residential supply were added across the top 7 Indian cities - 27% higher than 2020 full year supply - and 1.45 lakh units were sold - 5% higher than in the whole of 2020.
The long-awaited housing market revival is underway even before the pandemic is fully subdued. Whether it will last well into next year and beyond remains to be seen.
The previous desire to live in city centres - closer to workspaces, children’s school, etc. - has reduced markedly with the advent of WFH and e-schooling options in the post-pandemic world.
2020 kick-started a trend reversal wherein larger homes - spacious enough to accommodate home offices and online study spaces for children - began to be in higher demand
South-Central Mumbai localities witnessed luxury home sales worth INR 500 Cr last month (October). In 2019, the corresponding period saw luxury sales worth approx. INR 150 crore, thus improving by >230% in the year.
the Q3 2020 base period saw nearly 29,520 units sold across the top 7 cities - much lower than the pre-COVID-19 quarter (Q1 2020) which saw nearly 45,200 homes sold. This effectively results in a larger scope for growth.
Hyderabad, Kolkata and NCR saw their new supply increase by 45%, 24% and 10% respectively during the period. The affordable and mid segments (priced up to INR 80 Lakh) comprised over 72% share (approx. 23,290 units) of the total new supply between July-Sept.
Second homes are now a tantalizing vision of shelter in the time of storm – and a rebooted lifestyle which would have been considered neither feasible not possible in pre-COVID-19 times.
Currently, the top 7 cities account for almost 70% of India's residential market, with the remaining 30% accounted for in Tier 2 & 3 cities. This ratio may well change in times to come. Cities like Lucknow, Indore, Chandigarh, Kochi, Coimbatore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad would be the main beneficiaries of the reverse migration of professionals who have lost their jobs in the metros or are likely to.
