Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

After a protracted period where interest for real estate investment was concentrated primarily in the larger cities, we are now seeing a resurgence of the Tier 2/Tier 3 cities story in India.

Many of these cities are seeing increasing economic activity and infrastructure growth, to some extent reducing the outward migration to the metros.

This is a welcome dynamic which will eventually result in a more uniform spread of real estate demand across the country, and reduce the pressure on the larger cities.

What lies beneath

The ticket sizes for residential properties in tier 2 and tier 3 cities and towns start from a significantly lower base, owing to cheaper land prices and also the fact that developers active there are more aligned with affordability.

Buyers tend to be more cost-sensitive as economic drivers in the city may not be on par with those in the larger cities. Also, under the incumbent Government, many of these cities are now seeing significant infrastructure deployment. Quite a few have come under the Smart Cities program,