NCR emerges as affordable housing destination in India

Key highlights:

• NCR is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country
• It houses around 7.5% of overall country’s urban population
• NCR comes on top in number of units added in affordable housing 

Rapid urbanization and tremendous employment opportunities have made NCR one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, said an ANAROCK report. 

The accelerated urbanization and rampant migration of working population from different states have created a tremendous need for affordable housing in NCR – and the requirement keeps growing, said the report.

NCR is the largest urban agglomeration in India, with more than 28 million urban residents (around 7.5% of overall country’s urban population).

According to the report, NCR comes out on top in terms of the number of units added in the affordable housing segment (priced Rs 40 lakh) during the last two years, and accounted for around 26-30% of the overall affordable housing segment’s supply across the top Indian cities. 

"The region’s share of new launches in the affordable segment has grown from a mere 21% in 2012 to 71% in 2017 (up to Q3)," the property consultant firm said.

The report identified some pockets which qualify as the key destinations for affordable housing projects in NCR. These pockets include Sohna (Gurgaon), Rajnagar Extension (Ghaziabad), Yamuna Expressway & Greater Noida West (Greater Noida), and Bhiwadi.

"These five precincts together accounted for 48% of NCR’s affordable housing supply (2012-Q3 2017) and added around 1.3 lakh units. They also constitute a major share by accounting for around 45% of the total supply in the region during the same period. While the average prices in NCR are between Rs 4,200 - 4,600/sf, they are significantly lower in these pockets with a range between Rs 2,800-3,900/sf," the report added.

These areas not only offer a wide spread of options for affordable and mid-segment buyers but also possess significant growth potential over the mid-to-long term.

The report adds that NCR, which is also called the ‘growth engine of North India’, with its emerging precincts is likely to emerge as a one of biggest affordable housing destination in India.