www.99acres.com HYDERABAD RESIDENTIAL MARKET UPDATE APRIL - JUNE 2020 Market Sentiment INSITE 99acres India’s No.1 Property Portal FROM CBO’S DESK A drastic drop in the number of new providing some relief from the residential launches and poor sales volume COVID-19-induced crisis. After some defined the ‘real’ story of residential setbacks, the traffic and responses on realty across metro cities in Apr-Jun 2020. 99acres returned to pre-COVID levels by Shortage of construction workers, liquidity the end of June 2020. A survey by 99acres constraints faced by developers and the revealed that 75 percent of its registered withdrawal of homebuyers impacted market buyers now prefer shortlisting or buying sentiment adversely. a property through real estate portals. Further, 60 percent of the participants Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad lost averred that they would prefer undertaking the largest share of new launches and a virtual tour before physically visiting the reported a dip of 80-95 percent, each, project site. QoQ. Cumulatively, the period witnessed an addition of a mere 1,400 units in the Nonetheless, to witness a complete revival, top eight metros. The ensuing credit the industry would need more support from crunch with both buyers and developers the Centre beyond measures such as home is expected to shrink housing sales from loan moratorium and declaring COVID-19 as four lakh units in 2019-20 to 2.8 lakh units a Force Majeure event to witness revival. in 2020-21. While all metro cities reported status quo in average weighted capital prices, experts foresee average ‘asks’ in the resale segment dipping by an average of 10-15 percent in the months to come. To sustain businesses, several developers Maneesh Upadhyaya underwent digital transformation with Chief Business Officer virtual project launches and e-site visits 99acres.com COVID-19 AND NATIONAL REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK HOME BUYING SENTIMENT Home buying sentiment remained muted during April due to the nationwide lockdown; with enquiries picking up slight pace in June. Genuine homebuyers flocked the market looking for attractive schemes and discounts. NRI demand, too, resurged, with some conversions in the mid-income housing bracket across cities. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY The COVID-19 crisis disrupted the supply chain of realty raw materials, and led to reverse migration of labourers and fund constraints PROPERTY PRICES at developers’ end. The sector went through a major digital While the negotiation window widened up to 10-15 percent transformation as developers shifted online to market their projects across budget segments, any actual correction in prices was and engage with customers, and Government bodies, such as NCLAT not noticed. Barring Delhi NCR, all metros maintained status and RERA started addressing homebuyers online. quo in average weighted capital ‘asks’, QoQ. With wafer-thin The Apr-Jun 2020 quarter saw the lowest number of new launches margins at the hand of developers, any price correction in since 2013 and sales remained 75 percent lower than the previous future is unlikely. quarter. Invoking of Force Majeure brought some relief as ongoing projects got up to a nine-month extension under Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016. The suspension of Insolvency RENTAL LANDSCAPE and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) for a year, too, is a relief for developers. Amid restrictions to move around, the rental market remained intact in Apr-Jun 2020. There was no movement in average ‘asks’ across cities, except for some discounts and IMPACT ON HOMEBUYERS leeway offered by property owners to support the tenants With ongoing projects delayed by at least six months, homebuyers struggling financially. PG accommodations and guesthouses expecting possessions received a setback. Job losses and pay cuts took the brunt as people moved to their hometowns due to affected the paying capacity of homebuyers, who shelved their buying an extended lockdown. decisions in the wake of market uncertainties and expectations of price cuts. While reduced home loan interest rates from most banks make it an opportune time to invest in real estate, a large share of prospective SUPPLY homebuyers await more clarity in the ensuing months. New project launches remained nil during the quarter and progress on ongoing projects suffered on account of reverse The extension of the Credit-Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) under migration of labourers and disruptions in the supply chain. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) might be a benefit for those Property owners unwilling to sell at a reduced price exited looking for affordable homes. Existing homeowners welcome home from the secondary market. Unsold inventory stood at 6 lakh loan moratorium of six months announced by the Government in April. units at the end of Apr-Jun 2020. 99acres India’s No.1 Property Portal INSITE : Hyderabad 5 MARKET MOVERS The 2 BHK housing scheme gathers pace Nearly 15,000 units of the 2 BHK housing scheme have reached their completion stage. While the nationwide lockdown hampered the construction activity for a month, the project picked up the pace in May post the partial reopening of crucial projects. Delivery of about 50,000 units is slated by October 2020. TS-bPass to reduce approval timelines The implementation of the Telangana State Building Permission Approval and Self-Certification System (TS-bPass) is likely to simplify rules for obtaining building permissions. The online system augurs well for builders, as it will reduce the approval timelines to 21 days and fast-track construction. Cement rate cuts offer relief to developers COMMERCIAL A reduction in cement prices may offer respite to financially distressed developers. The prices have been slashed by Rs 100-150 per bag in some parts of the State, including Hyderabad. Moreover, the price of cement for REAL ESTATE projects under the 2 BHK scheme has been fixed at Rs 230 per bag for the next three years. OUTLOOK Infrastructure projects regain momentum • Grade A offices in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Panjagutta remained on Increased focus of the State government on the Strategic Road Development the investors’ radar. Nonetheless, exorbitant lease rates varying from Program (SRDP) in Nagole, Gachibowli, Shaikpet, Kondapur, Kothaguda, Rs 15,000 per sq ft to Rs 20,000 per sq ft, kept the tenants at bay. New Manikonda and HITEC City section is likely to improve connectivity and • Barring a few transactions in 1,000-5,000 sq ft carpet area in Nanakramguda accelerate the realty demand in neighbouring areas. and Gachibowli, office space absorption across Hyderabad remained muted. • Individual investors, who earlier booked bigger floor plates, revised their investment strategies and shifted to smaller options given the bleak market sentiment. • Many IT/ITeS firms, including VSoft Technologies and InsideView Technologies, ramped down their operations and shifted to compact workspaces due to the reduced capital costs. 99acres India’s No.1 Property Portal INSITE : Hyderabad 7 * Capital values represent quarterly change * Rental values represent yearly change * Supply is basis properties listed on 99acres.com HYDERABAD’S REALTY AT A GLANCE Property Rental Prices ‘Asks’ Price movement in key micro-markets Localities Apr-Jun 2020 QoQ YoY Rental % Change % Change Yield Manikonda Rs 4,200 - 5,040 3% 5% 4% Demand Supply Nizampet Rs 3,350 - 4,030 4% 3% 4% Chandanagar Rs 3,890 - 4,470 0% -6% 3% Miyapur Rs 3,580 - 4,600 -4% -6% 3% Kukatpally Rs 4,430 - 5,840 1% -2% 0% Kondapur Rs 5,480 - 6,630 3% 5% 0% * Property prices represent quarterly change * Rental ‘asks’ represent yearly change * Supply is basis properties listed on 99acres.com * Demand is basis queries received on 99acres.com Gachibowli Rs 6,480 - 7,540 1% 5% 3% Attapur Rs 3,700 - 4,590 2% 3% 3% HITEC City Rs 6,750 - 8,410 1% 5% 3% Banjara Hills Rs 6,240 - 8,920 3% 10% 3% * Average ‘ask’ rates have been calculated as per listings posted on 99acres.com ** Rental Yield has been calculated for a 1,000 sq ft apartment INSITE : Hyderabad 9 99acres DEMAND & SUPPLY India’s No.1 Property Portal DYNAMICS 99ACRES’ 20% OUTLOOK 17% The residential market of Hyderabad struggled due to declining sales in Apr-Jun 2020. Limited availability of labour, economic meltdown and subdued enquiries suppressed the homebuying trend in the city. With a 70 percent decline in the quarterly traction, mere 750 40% units were sold during the review period. Enquiries, too, 36% stood at a 60 percent low from the pre-COVID period. Resultantly, the average ‘asks’ in Hyderabad maintained status quo, QoQ. 47% Slow-paced revival in the residential market significantly affected the inventory addition in the city. Merely six new projects were added in North and West Hyderabad as 40% the majority of the reputed developers, including Ramky, Aparna, Vasavi, and Cybercity, among others, deferred their expansion plans by 3-6 months. While the construction activity might take another two quarters to get back on track, developers anticipate a sharp V or U-curve recovery with respect to sales. A host of flexible payment options, such 100 percent refund up to one year from the booking date, no penalty on construction-linked payments delayed by Demand Supply 6-12 months and no pre-EMI offers until possession, might renew homebuyer’s interest. Besides, many Grade Affordable Housing A builders undertaking construction activities in dual (Within Rs 40 lakh) shifts to boost the supply of ready homes may also drive Mid-income Housing (Rs 40 lakh - Rs 1 crore) the market demand. Luxury Housing (Rs 1 crore and above) * Graph depicts demand and supply of residential inventory across budget segments in the studied quarter INSITE : Hyderabad 11 KEY HIGHLIGHTS After a slowdown in April, the residential market of Hyderabad saw modest improvement in the ensuing months of Q1 2020-21.