Housing sales fell 1 per cent last year to over 3.48 lakh units across eight major cities, with demand stagnating amid an average price rise of up to 19 per cent, according to Knight Frank. In a virtual press conference on Wednesday, real estate consultant Knight Frank India noted that the decline in interest rates on home loans, strong economic growth and lower inflation were some of the key factors that helped in sustaining the housing demand during the 2025 calendar year despite fears of an impending correction.
Ghost malls have a vacancy rate of over 50 per cent.
Mumbai recorded its strongest housing market performance in 14 years in 2025, with property registrations rising to 150,254, amid a sustained end-user demand and supportive supply-side ecosystem, according to Knight Frank India.
He was appointed the national capital's LG in December, 2016.
Housing demand should improve nationwide after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the repo rate by a larger-than-expected 50 basis points (bps) on Friday, said real estate industry executives. The rate cut comes after housing sales in top Indian cities in the first quarter of 2025 dipped 28 per cent due to skyrocketing residential property prices and geopolitical headwinds, according to Anarock.
Housing sales rose 7 per cent annually in 2024 across eight major cities to reach 12-year high at 3,50,613 units on better demand for premium homes amid stable mortgage rates and strong economic growth, according to Knight Frank. Last month, real estate consultant Anarock, however, had reported that housing sales declined 4 per cent in 2024 to nearly 4.6 lakh units across seven major cities.
Institutional investments in Indian real estate have seen a strong start to 2025, with inflows reaching $ 1.3 billion in the first quarter - a 31 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase. This growth was primarily driven by domestic investments, which accounted for 60 per cent of the total inflows during the quarter. With $ 0.8 billion inflows, domestic investments saw a 75 per cent annual rise and were largely focused on industrial & warehousing and office segments.
Interacting with locals, he observed that the situation is gradually improving day by day, and urged them not to pay attention to rumours and avoid circulating unconfirmed messages.
The growth was primarily driven by domestic investments, which accounted for 60 per cent of the total inflows during the first quarter of the financial year.
Career bureaucrat Anil Baijal was on Wednesday appointed as the new Lt Governor of Delhi, a post which has fallen vacant after sudden resignation of Najeeb Jung.
Gen Sharma served as the Army chief from 1988-1990 and was a colonel when he took part in the 1971 war.
Reliance Industries vice chairman Anil Ambani on Thursday met Pradeep Baijal, chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
Telecom Regulatory Authority chairman Pradip Baijal on Wednesday said the country's tele-density could grow three per cent next year if the government gives some concessions to the industry in the Budget and another round of access deficit charge cut
"We all know these problems. We will sit together and work to solve them," he said.
Divestment Secretary Pradip Baijal is all set to become chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India after his superannuation this month-end with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is likely to clear his name soon.\n\n
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Tuesday said that it would not intervene in the ongoing telecom tariff war across different services, saying this increases the competition in the sector.
The government's move to tweak the long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax regime proposed in the Finance Bill 2024 and re-introduce the indexation benefit is likely to boost the investments and spur housing sales in the country, industry executives believe. "By enabling taxpayers to choose the lower tax burden between the new and old schemes, the amendment is poised to drive investment and enhance sales across housing segments," said Niranjan Hiranandani, chairman of the Hiranandani Group. In Budget 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed an overhaul in the capital gains tax regime, including lowering the LTCG tax to 12.5 per cent from 20 per cent.
The Union cabinet has given its nod for the revision of salary and allowances of lieutenant governors of Union Territories and it will be on a par with that of the secretary to the government of India, an official statement said.
Indian real estate market remained buoyant in January-June this year, with housing sales hitting an 11-year high at 1.73 lakh units and office demand at a record 34.7 million square feet across eight major cities, according to Knight Frank. On an annual basis, housing sales rose 11 per cent to 173,241 units while leasing of office space grew 33 per cent to 34.7 million square feet during January-June this year across eight major cities. Shishir Baijal, chairman and managing director, Knight Frank India, said, "India's real estate market has been buoyant in the last few quarters owing to the strong economic fundamentals and stable socio-political conditions."
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Friday said it would come out with recommendations on broadband speed for service providers next week.
From the time he first rose to prominence during the movement against the then UPA government, Arvind Kejriwal has regularly grabbed headlines for his surprise moves and decisions. Here are 10 such instances.
'The inflection point that really happened in the sector was during the pandemic when buyers' perception changed towards consumption and that gave a trigger to pent-up demand with the increased affordability.'
Nearly 9 out of 10 ultra-high-net-worth individuals in India saw an increase in wealth during in 2022, and the super rich expect their wealth to grow further this year, according to a Knight Frank survey. In its latest 'The Wealth Report: Outlook 2023', real estate consultant Knight Frank has revealed the findings of the global survey. Among Indian respondents, the consultant said 88 per cent saw a rise in UHNWI's (ultra-high-net-worth individuals) wealth in 2022.
The Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that 80 per cent of its leaders were arrested by Delhi police since Sunday, and questioned whether anyone can be detained for more than 24 hours.
Saxena, 64, will succeed Anil Baijal who resigned from the post last week citing "personal reasons".
At 5 per cent, Mumbai is likely to witness the highest rise in residential prices in 2024, a report released on Wednesday said. New Zealand's Auckland will also see a price rise of 5 per cent. According to real estate consultancy Knight Frank's "Prime Global Cities Index", improving gross domestic product (GDP) figures, Mumbai's relative value and investment in infrastructure will be the prime influencers in pushing prices higher for the luxury housing market in the city.
The sale of mid-segment homes in India has overtaken affordable ones in the first half of calendar year (CY) 2023, a report released on Tuesday showed. It is despite the increase in residential prices in all the major cities in India. The share of premium homes has also gone up during the period.
Saxena, who held the post of chairperson of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), was appointed the Lt Governor of Delhi on May 23.
The real estate market has seen a decline in affordability due to the recent rise in median loan rates as a result of the 50 basis points (bps) hike in repo rates by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). A cumulative increase of 0.95 per cent in median home loan rate has impacted the purchase affordability and purchase decisions of homebuyers, according to the Affordability Index by Knight Frank. The Affordability Index tracks the EMI (equated-monthly instalment) to income ratio for an average household.
The number of ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) in India is expected to rise 58.4 per cent in the next five years from 12,069 in 2022 to 19,119 in 2027, a report by property consultancy Knight Frank said on Wednesday. In its "The Wealth Report 2023", Knight Frank said that the number of Indian UHNWIs, with a net worth of $30 million or above, fell 7.5 per cent in 2022 due to economic slowdown, rate hikes, appreciation of the US dollar and geopolitical uncertainties. Globally, the number of UHNWIs fell 3.8 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021.
Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Friday approved the Delhi government's proposal to allow private offices to function with 50 per cent staff but suggested maintaining the status quo on lifting weekend curfew and removing the odd-even rule for the opening of shops in the markets, sources said.
A DDMA meeting, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also discussed ways to strictly enforce existing restrictions to check the rising cases of the coronavirus and its Omicron variant.
The RBI's decision to hike the benchmark interest rate will make home loans costlier and affect housing sales, especially in affordable and mid-income segments, according to property consultants. The RBI on Wednesday hiked the key benchmark rate by 50 basis points. Property consultancy firms Anarock, Knight Frank India, JLL India, Colliers India, India Sotheby's International Realty and Investors Clinic said that the RBI's move was on the expected line to control inflation and this would result in an increase in interest rates on home loans.
New Delhi slipped by two positions to rank 39th globally in terms of price appreciation of prime residential properties during the September quarter, according to Knight Frank. Mumbai ranked 40th, same as the June quarter, while Bengaluru moved up one spot to 42nd rank. New Delhi stood at the 37th rank, while Mumbai and Bengaluru were at 40th and 43rd positions, respectively, during the second quarter of 2021 calendar year. In its 'Prime Global Cities Index Q3 2021' report, Knight Frank tracked the movement in prime residential prices in local currency across 45-plus cities worldwide.
India ranks 51st in annual appreciation in housing prices with a 2.1 per cent rise in rates during the October-December quarter of the last year, according to property consultant Knight Frank. In its latest research report titled 'Global House Price Index - Q4 2021,' Knight Frank said that India has climbed up five spots to the 51st rank in Q4 of 2021 against the 56th rank in Q4 of 2020. Turkey witnessed the highest annual price growth rate by 59.6 per cent in the year to Q4 2021, followed by New Zealand (22.6 per cent), Czech Republic (22.1 per cent), Slovakia (22.1 per cent) and Australia (21.8 per cent).
Pradip Baijal, former chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), spoke to Nivedita Mookerji on what made him write the book, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh telling him to cooperate with then telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, being hounded and harassed during the UPA years, questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation, and more.
Readers tell us how they celebrated the Tiranga this 75th Independence Day.