Women Buyers Drive Mid-Priced Housing

A large percentage of women prefer housing as an investment asset class, buying homes both for end-use and for investment purposes. And the current trend shows that mid-priced homes make a big investment bet for women.

At a time when housing sales have reached an all-time high, women are a key homebuyer segment. According to a  recent Consumer Sentiment Survey conducted by Anarock, 83% women are looking at homes priced above Rs 45 lakh. The Rs 45 – 90 lakh budget range is the ‘sweet spot’ for 36% of women home seekers, and 27% prefer premium homes priced from Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1.5 Cr. As many as 20% home seekers prefer luxury homes priced above Rs 1.5 Cr. Affordable homes priced under Rs  45 lakh are the least preferred.

The survey also finds that gold has lost its sheen even as real estate has gained favour for women investors. At least 65% women homebuyers now prefer to invest in real estate, followed by 20% favouring the stock markets. Just 8% of women respondents favour gold, and 7% prefer FDs.More women are now also buying property for investment. As per the survey, the ratio of women buying properties for end-use and investment now stands at 77: 23 whereas previously it was 82:18. As many as 48% women prefer ready-to-move while 45% are looking for homes that will be ready within 12 months.  More than 80% women consider the current time as ideal for buying homes.

Advantage Women Homebuyers

There are many benefits that Indian women can avail by buying and registering properties in their names:

• Various government policies support and promote women homeownership in India. For instance, to avail homes under the government’s flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) introduced in 2015, homes have to be mandatorily registered either in a woman’s name or with a woman as co-owner. This was done to empower women of the lower-income segments.

• Lower stamp duty is another benefit women homebuyers enjoy. Stamp duty charges are lower if the property is registered in a woman’s name, albeit with variations from state to state. The exemption varies from 1-2% across states, and may even vary within a particular state, based on the classification of regions as ‘urban’ and ‘rural’. For instance, Delhi, UP, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana offer a relaxation in stamp duty for women buyers.

• Many banks such as SBI, ICICI, and HDFC offer discounted home loan rates to women as compared to men. This again varies from bank to bank, with a difference of around 0.25%.

• To avail of certain tax benefits, a woman can also become the joint owner of a property with her husband and, if she has a separate source of income, both can claim tax deductions individually.

Source: ANAROCK Research

According to Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman, Anarock, over the last decade, women have emerged as a major residential real estate buyer segment, especially in the urban centres Their preferences are also distinctly shaping newer trends- from bigger homes, and ready-to-move properties to specific budgets. They know precisely what they want.  And like Millennials, their preferences now influence the supply that developers put in the market.

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