Investment in India’s real estate sector to rise 5 pc to USD 6.5 bn: Report

PTI, Jan 1, 2020, 4:04 PM IST

New Delhi: Investment in India’s real estate sector is likely to rise by 5 percent to USD 6.5 billion (around Rs 46,000 crore) this year, driven mainly by the huge demand for commercial office assets from IT firms, according to global property consultant Colliers.

Last year, the real estate sector attracted an investment of USD 6.2 billion, up 8.7 percent from 2018 as foreign investors bought many office properties. Foreign funds accounted for about 78 percent of the total investments in 2019.

According to Colliers, India’s real estate sector has recorded inflows of USD 56.6 billion (Rs 410,000 crore) since 2008.

“During 2019, investments into the real estate sector touched USD 6.2 billion (Rs 43,780 crore). During 2020, Colliers projects investment inflows of USD 6.5 billion in the real estate sector,” it said in a report.

The consultant expects investors to remain committed to commercial office assets over the next three years, with strong demand and outlook for further rental appreciation.

“We project that the commercial office sector will account for about 40 percent of the inflows in 2020,” Colliers said.

Commercial office assets accounted for 46 percent of the total inflows during 2019 at USD 2.8 billion (Rs 19,900 crore).

Investors’ interest have risen because of the plethora of reforms such as the enforcement of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the roll-out of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and relaxation of foreign direct investment norms, the consultant said.

Colliers recommended investors to look at opportunistic assets including under-construction office assets, supported by strong demand dynamics in information technology (IT)-led markets such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune.

“Due to the prolonged slowdown in the sector, investors should continue to adopt a more conservative approach towards residential assets in general, as compared to commercial assets,” the report said.

Coliving would draw considerable attention from investors as demand for rental homes rises among professionals relocating to cities having employment opportunities, the consultant said.

Warehousing, retail and coworking segments are also on investors’ radar.