Word on the street was that India’s November 2016 demonetization of high value currency notes would have a significant impact on the real estate price; here is what the experts say:
Forbes reports that 2017 will be a bumper year for India’s real estate market as well as for its economy. The country tops the list of preferred destinations for investment in property by institutional investors.
The middle class in India, the driver of the surge in domestic consumption, has very little household debt and is looking for suitable housing. The finance industry is supportive and India’s central bank has repeatedly cut interest rates. All these factors are promising trends for investors in the realty market, and for 2017 Bangalore and Mumbai are the top-ranked cities for both investment and development, according to the 2017 version of Emerging Trends in Real Estate Asia Pacific, put out by Washington D.C.-based Urban Land Institute.
India is seeing a boom in business-park development, and suburban development is creating new business and residential neighborhoods. Blackstone of New York City, the Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management, privately-held Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda are seriously interested in property assets in India.
Anuj Puri, chairman and country head of Jones Lang LaSalle India says: 2016 saw the biggest changes in decades, especially on the policy front – the Goods and Services Tax and the Real Estate Regulatory Authority bill cleared hurdles, and are on their way to implementation. REITs will help smaller investors to invest in Grade-A commercial real estate across India. India’s first REIT listing will happen in 2017.
India’s Tier-I cities moved up to the 36th rank in JLL’s biannual Global Real Estate Transparency Index in 2016 due to improvements in structural reforms and liberalization of the foreign direct investment policy. India came 4th in developing Asia in terms of Foreign Direct Investment inflows per the World Investment Report 2016 by the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development. Thanks to a proactive government keen on improving India’s ranking on different indices and strengthening public institutions, the country is poised to become a modern economy.
As the real estate market achieves higher transparency, the mismatch of demand/supply can offer opportunities for developers and investors alike. Indian real estate is on its way to becoming a consolidated and moderately efficient sector over the next few years.
