Outlook for the real estate sector in 2021

Almost a year after the coronavirus outbreak, the nation has started to come out of the

economic slowdown. Gradually increasing real estate sales numbers and homebuyer’s

enquiries point towards a brighter future.

Post pandemic, the recovery of the Indian real estate sector, being the second largest

employer of the nation, will be significantly impacting the nation’s overall economy. The

Government decisions and policy changes have remained inclined towards promoting

the construction and real estate sector both from the demand side and the supply side.

Let us examine developments in the Indian real estate sector in 2021 against the

backdrop of supportive policy measures.

Affordable housing:

Affordable housing has received a huge response, becoming a major part of the real

estate market. However, there still remain differences to be filled in terms of timely

implementation of the projects.

In the post-pandemic situation, the affordable housing sector has shown a positive

response from the demand side, and more interest from end-users is expected in the

coming months. New buyers who had put a hold on their property investment plans

due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown in March are returning to the market. They have

understood the importance of owning a home, and this sentiment is going to remain

prevalent for quite some time. The immense response to real estate projects across

India and festival offers are an indication that in the coming year the affordable

housing segment is expected to grow.

Government incentives:

Recent policy measures announced by the government for the real estate sector have

helped the builders to get closer to an early revival. However, the Repo rate cuts,

newly announced affordable rental housing policy, and lower home loan interest rates

open new opportunities for the segment, but the need of the hour is to fill the vacuum

created due to stagnation in the market. If implemented with proper planning and

timeline policy measures such as single-window clearance would be a great help to the

entire sector.

Affordable rental housing policy:

The recently announced affordable rental housing policy opens up new possibilities for

private entities to enter into short-term and long-term partnerships with one or more

industrial units or corporations to meet their employees’ housing requirements.

The policy shows the huge potential of the affordable housing sector and creates new

partnership opportunities. Migrant workers engaged at the construction sites will finally

have temporary but better-living conditions than before.

Integration of technology:

In the post-pandemic scenario, the use of workforce minimization technologies such as

‘Aluminum Foam Technology’ will increase. It reduces the need for the labor force, and

its use will steadily increase across the real estate sector. Besides this in the digital era,

virtual tours and CRM teams can manage customer relationships. A constant upgrade

will maintain the real estate sector relevant and flourishing.

Safety to be the new normal:

As per the new Coronavirus prevention guidelines, adherence to all the safety

measures will remain a standard practice in the near future. Strategies such as staff

rotation, reskilling and upskilling programs will be on the rise for the well-being of

workers and employees.  Indeed the pandemic has created an opportunity to learn new

things and alternative technologies, and in the times to come, it will remain a trend.