While real
estate demand as of now seems to buoyant in the residential space and is
likely to gather momentum, is it significant? Says Sanjay Dutt, CEO, Business
Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, a realty consulting firm, “The slowdown hit the
property market shortly after the Navratri-Diwaly season in 2008 after
registering the usual 30-35 per cent upsurge in real estate project sales
typicalof the period. Real estate
projects Sales increased 25-30 per cent this time around and is significant as
this is the first upsurge in demand after a prolong downturn.” Driving home the
point, Ramnath cites the sales of DLF and Unitech, India’s largest listed
realty companies, during the current financial year. “ Unitech has launched
about 17 million square feet (mnsqft) worth of properties across the country
selling over 40 per cent of that real estate project.
Incrementally, Unitech has launched about 6 mnsqft of affordable housing
properties selling about 1 mnsqft of properties till date. DLF too has sold a
total of about 4 mnsqft of properties till date. These events indicate an
uptick in volumes in the real estate sector.”