Non-resident Indians are increasingly investing in luxury homes in India, driven by geopolitical uncertainties, particularly the Iran war. This trend is observed across major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and the National Capital Region, with developers noting a significant rise in NRI pre-sales. While some see it as a temporary shift, others believe India is becoming a stable, long-term investment destination for NRIs, especially those from West Asia.
US-based real estate agent franchise firm Century 21 is set to enter the Indian market, estimated at around $600 billion, with a franchise-led business model. The company aims to connect Indian buyers with international properties and NRIs with Indian real estate, projecting 1,500 offices and 30,000 agents within five years.
DLF will officially launch its Mumbai housing project in the next quarter as the company has received the RERA approval a day before, while the real estate major sold out all 1,164 units in its luxury residential project Privana North securing Rs 11,000 crore revenue, DLF Homes joint managing director and chief business officer Aakash Ohri said.
The Rs 4,400 crore (Rs 44 billion) Alliance Group will invest Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) to launch the country's first 24-hour real estate information channel next month.
This year there are high expectations for lowering home loan interest rates, over the next 12 months and increased interest rate subsidy for loans up to Rs 50 lakh.
A sophisticated cross-bank syndicate is systematically defrauding non-resident Indians (NRIs) and elderly citizens by exploiting their fixed deposits through forged documents and fictitious loans, often involving colluding bank employees and real estate deals.
Escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia are prompting investors with exposure to Dubai's real estate market to reassess their portfolios. And, in this rejig, India is emerging as a stable destination for capital investment and long-term growth.
Christmas is a perfect time for most NRIs to travel back to India and include property buying in their schedule. Ahmedabad, Kochi, Ludhiana and Chandigarh are some cities that witness generous investments from NRI investors.
'The fact that housing units worth a whopping Rs 4.5 lakh crore in top seven cities are stuck under various stages of non-completion indicates that there is a dire need to create stress-asset fund which will help bail out lakhs of distressed homebuyers,' says Anuj Puri, Chairman, Anarock Property Consultants, a real estate services company.
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Costs on real estate construction are seeing stability.
About 22,300 NRIs across UAE participated in the survey which was conducted to understand the reason of buying property in India, preferred cities for investments, type of property, time frame, budget and finances planned. Indian cities are also in the top 25 real estate destinations in the Asia Pacific region for real estate investment destinations.
The US's recent 50 per cent tariff on Indian exports will have a trickledown effect on India's affordable housing, potentially derailing demand as well as supply in this segment, according to experts. Pointing to worker incomes and jobs in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that typically make up majority of the customer base of affordable housing, would take a hit in the near terms due to the tariff change, further crippling India's affordable housing sector, already reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday seized three offices in a prime location in Mumbai, valued more than Rs 41 crore, as part of a foreign exchange violation probe against a businessman whose name figured in the Panama Papers.
On Wednesday, rupee depreciated to an all time low of 60.72 against dollar.
About 13 per cent of the funds remitted by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in 2006 were invested in equity and real estate. While 20 per cent of the funds are parked in bank deposits.
A host of dynamic reforms, policies and announcements during the last five years are expected to reach its logical fruition in the second term, says Ankit Kansal.
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With the rise of ultra-luxury housing in India comes ultra-customised marketing. Developers selling high-end homes, priced above Rs 20 crore, are moving away from traditional marketing for these homes to newer methods, such as painstaking profiling of customers before showing them the property, augmented reality for visualisation of interior decor, virtual tours, and closed-door international shows. There is also marketing through online ads, social media influencers, and exclusive memberships.
Unless you are very knowledgeable, seek expert advice before making such a high-ticket investment, cautions Sarbajeet K Sen.
'Despite rising inflows, many NRIs lack awareness about NRO and NRE accounts and mistakenly use family accounts or invest in a relative's name.' 'Many are unaware of tax implications.'
In order to attract inflow of foreign currency, the Reserve Bank on Tuesday simplified rules governing investments by non-resident Indians (NRIs) portfolio investments like equities and debt.
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."
NRI demand would help offset the liquidity problem, which is presently affecting realty sales.
Place your bets only on cities where you can easily monitor and where there's visible growth.
With real estate -- NRIs's favourite investment vehicle in the past -- unlikely to do well in the near future, there is a strong case for NRIs to shift to equity and debt mutual funds, says Prateek Mehta.
ICICI Venture denied the allegations, noting it had extended the lifespan of the Dynamic India Fund III by three years
The steady increase in Indian interest rates is making bank deposits a popular investment option among the Gulf-based Non-Resident Indians.\n\n
NRIs can lock into NRE/NRO fixed deposits, buy real estate and invest in long-term equity investments.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) may allow non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) greater exposure to domestic equities if their investments are sent through foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) registered at the GIFT City International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). The proposal will be taken during Sebi's board meeting on Saturday along with other key agenda items such as easing of voluntary delisting mechanism and introduction of a regulatory framework for real estate fractional ownership platforms, said people in the know. At present, the combined holdings of NRIs and OCIs in a global fund have to be less than 50 per cent, while that of a single NRI or OCI is capped at 25 per cent.
Despite the slowdown, property investments can give them good returns over the long term
Real estate majors, who had lined up projects in Punjab to woo non-resident Indians, have put on hold their plans indefinitely with most NRIs no longer keen to invest in these properties.
NRIs can repatriate the proceeds from the sale of a residential property in India, provided they meet a few conditions.
Anuj Puri, chairman and country head at JLL India explains the dynamics of the city's real estate.
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As returns decline, with extent and time horizon uncertain, some of these investors look to shift to safer zones
Anil Rego, CEO, Right Horizons, answers your personal income tax queries.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday said it has arrested Jaffer Sadiq, a Tamil Nadu-based alleged dealer of narcotics, in connection with an international drugs trafficking investigation case.
As protectionism grows from the United States to Australia, Sanjay Kumar Singh draws up a comprehensive financial checklist for those shifting to India.
