Mumbai, Kolkata top in adding new homes in 2012: Report

At a time when the real-estate sector across the country is witnessing a slowdown, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune recorded significant growth in new residential units, in 2012. According to study released by real estate consultants Cushman & Wakefield, the total new units launched across eight cities went down by approximately 16 per cent (to 162,000 units) in 2012 when compared to 2011. Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata were the exceptions with 72 per cent, 34 per cent and 19 per cent increase. The study was carried out across eight cities — Delhi & NCR, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata. While Bangalore saw the highest decline of nearly 50 per cent (16,543 units) , Mumbai witnessed the maximum growth of 72 per cent (22,423 units) . Of the total number of units launched, majority were in the mid-end segment, which comprised approximately 83 per cent of the total launches. According to the report, a total of 8,900 units were launched in Kolkata in 2012. Nearly, 62 per cent of these units were in the mid-end segment (5,535 units) and priced between Rs 36 lakh and Rs 60 lakh. This was followed by the high-end segment, priced upwards Rs 60 lakh, which accounted for another 38 per cent of the launches. On a year-on-year basis, supply of mid-level homes increased by 26 per cent to 5,535 (from 4,372) . Similarly, high-end home launches too increased to 3,360 units – 17 per cent up from the 2,863 units launched in 2011. Interestingly, supply of luxury homes dipped drastically in 2012. The number of units launched dipped from 280 (2011) to just 23 (2012) — a near 92 per cent fall. “Cash-strapped developers were not willing to take up projects that may fall short in interest from end users, thereby keeping their risk exposure minimum,” Sanjay Dutt, Executive Managing Director, South Asia, Cushman & Wakefield says. According to the report, the short term outlook of the city suggests a cautious approach by end-users in the wake of high home loan rates coupled with inflation. Harsh Patodia, President (Bengal) , Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) , pointed out that over the last 18 to 24 months, launches in Kolkata were much lower than in other cities. Source (Abhishek, The Hindu, Jan 18, 2013, Kolkata) : "Mumbai, Kolkata top in adding new homes in 2012: Report."