The real estate sector is one of the most globally recognized sectors. Real estate sector comprises four sub sectors - housing, retail, hospitality, and commercial. The growth of this sector is well complemented by the growth of the corporate environment and the demand for office space as well as urban and semi-urban accommodations. The construction industry ranks third among the 14 major sectors in terms of direct, indirect and induced effects in all sectors of the economy. It is also expected that this sector will incur more non-resident Indian (NRI) investments in both the short term and the long term. Bengaluru is expected to be the most favoured property investment destination for NRIs, followed by Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Goa, Delhi and Dehradun. Market Size Real estate sector in India is expected to reach a market size of US$ US$ 1 trillion by 2030 from US$ 120 billion in 2017 and contribute 13 per cent of the country’s GDP by 2025. Retail, hospitality and commercial real estate are also growing significantly, providing the much-needed infrastructure for India's growing needs. Sectors such as IT and ITeS, retail, consulting and e-commerce have registered high demand for office space in recent times. Commercial office stock in India is expected to cross 600 million square feet by 2018 end while office space leasing in the top eight cities is expected to cross 100 million square feet during 2018-20. Gross office absorption in top Indian cities has increased 26 per cent year-on-year to 36.4 million square feet between Jan-Sep 2018. Co-working space across top seven cities has increased sharply in 2018 (up to September), reaching 3.44 million square feet, compared to 1.11 million square feet for the same period in 2017. Investments/Developments The Indian real estate sector has witnessed high growth in recent times with the rise in demand for office as well as residential spaces. Private Equity and Venture Capital investments in the sector have reached US$ 4.1 billion between Jan-Nov 2018. Private Equity and Venture Capital investments in the sector have reached US$ 4.1 billion between Jan-Nov 2018. Institutional investments in India’s real estate are expected to reach US$ 5.5 billion for 2018, the highest in a decade. According to data released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the construction development sector in India has received Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows to the tune of US$ 24.87 billion in the period April 2000-June 2018. Some of the major investments and developments in this sector are as follows: New housing launches across top seven cities in India are expected to increase 32 per cent year-on-year by 2018 end to 193,600 units. In September 2018, Embassy Office Parks announced that it would raise around Rs 52 billion (US$ 775.66 million) through India’s first Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) listing. New housing launches across top seven cities in India increased 50 per cent quarter-on-quarter in April-June 2018. In May 2018, Blackstone Group acquired One Indiabulls in Chennai from Indiabulls Real Estate for around Rs 900 crore (US$ 136.9 million). In February 2018, DLF bought 11.76 acres of land for Rs 15 billion (US$ 231.7 million) for its expansion in Gurugram, Haryana. Government Initiatives The Government of India along with the governments of the respective states has taken several initiatives to encourage the development in the sector. The Smart City Project, where there is a plan to build 100 smart cities, is a prime opportunity for the real estate companies. Below are some of the other major Government Initiatives: Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) Urban, more than 6.85 million houses have been sanctioned up to December 2018. In February 2018, creation of National Urban Housing Fund was approved with an outlay of Rs 60,000 crore (US$ 9.27 billion). Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) Urban 1,427,486 houses have been sanctioned in 2017-18. In March 2018, construction of additional 3,21,567 affordable houses was sanctioned under the scheme. Road Ahead The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has given its approval for the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) platform which will help in allowing all kinds of investors to invest in the Indian real estate market. It would create an opportunity worth Rs 1.25 trillion (US$ 19.65 billion) in the Indian market over the years. Responding to an increasingly well-informed consumer base and, bearing in mind the aspect of globalisation, Indian real estate developers have shifted gears and accepted fresh challenges. The most marked change has been the shift from family owned businesses to that of professionally managed ones. Real estate developers, in meeting the growing need for managing multiple projects across cities, are also investing in centralised processes to source material and organise manpower and hiring qualified professionals in areas like project management, architecture and engineering. The growing flow of FDI into Indian real estate is encouraging increased transparency. Developers, in order to attract funding, have revamped their accounting and management systems to meet due diligence standards. References: Media Reports, Press releases, Knight Frank India, VCCEdge, JLL Research, CREDAI-JL