The 21st century millennial woman is progressive and increasingly financially independent. This had led to a distinct shift in her investment preferences – where gold and fixed deposits were the primary choices for Indian women, real estate now rides high in her investment portfolio.
Representative image
Chennai:
The survey also reveals that:
Nearly 60% women home seekers prefer a property within the budget-range of Rs 80 lakh
52% will opt for ready-to-move-in homes
Nearly 80% prefer large-size units within both 2 and 3 BHK options (between 1,000-1,250 sq. ft for 2 BHKs and 1,250-2,000 sq. ft. for 3 BHKS).
Contrary to the increasing conservative preference for compact homes, the Indian millennial woman does not want to compromise on property size.
Anuj Puri, Chairman – Anarock Property Consultants tells us, “These trends vouchsafe that women are emerging as a critical homebuyer segment in India – not just a ‘niche’ segment - and that marketers and developers must re-strategise their business approach to include them as a major target audience. Forget about the clichéd stereotype of women beaming their joy in fancy kitchens or playing with their children in the garden.” Today’s women share the same priorities that men do – they are in complete control of their homes, and that includes owning them. Property marketers must factor in this vitally important change in their customer demographics.
The rapid increase in women homebuyers across the country has also prompted the Government to give them added benefits. To empower women of low-income segment as per the Housing for All by 2022 mission, the Government has now made it mandatory for them to be either co-owners or sole owners of affordable homes.
Property purchase: advantage women
There are also many benefits that women can avail in India by buying and registering a property in her name. Lower stamp duty charges, low home loan interest rates and tax deductions are some of the benefits they are entitled to while buying a property.
Puri says, “While stamp duty charges are lower if property registration is executed in the name of a woman, these charges vary from state to state. The exemption for women varies between 1-2% across different states. In some cases, it might even vary within a state, based on the classification of regions as ‘urban’ and ‘rural’. In Tamil Nadu, the stamp duty is at 7 per cent for both women and men.”
Additionally, many banks offer discounted home loan rates to women as compared to men. This variation varies from bank to bank and goes up to nearly 1%. Further, to avail certain tax benefits, a woman can also become joint owner of a property with her husband and, if she has a separate source of income, both can claim tax deductions individually.
Puri says, “The favourable lower stamp duty rate for women can and does, to some extent, influence decisions on whose name a property is registered under. This can be a geographically-determined dynamic, as different parts of India have different cultural viewpoints on this.”
In Anarock’s consumer sentiment survey, nearly 20% participants were women. Among the many highlights of this survey – nearly 42% women respondents preferred real estate as an investment asset class, followed by 30% for FDs and a mere 17% for gold. This is hardly surprising – a woman’s relationship with her home is unique; and while any other ‘relationship status’ may change in today’s rapidly-evolving socio-economic scenario, owning a home in her name gives her security in a changing world.
The survey also reveals that:
Nearly 60% women home seekers prefer a property within the budget-range of Rs 80 lakh
52% will opt for ready-to-move-in homes
Nearly 80% prefer large-size units within both 2 and 3 BHK options (between 1,000-1,250 sq. ft for 2 BHKs and 1,250-2,000 sq. ft. for 3 BHKS).
Contrary to the increasing conservative preference for compact homes, the Indian millennial woman does not want to compromise on property size.
Anuj Puri, Chairman – Anarock Property Consultants tells us, “These trends vouchsafe that women are emerging as a critical homebuyer segment in India – not just a ‘niche’ segment - and that marketers and developers must re-strategise their business approach to include them as a major target audience. Forget about the clichéd stereotype of women beaming their joy in fancy kitchens or playing with their children in the garden.” Today’s women share the same priorities that men do – they are in complete control of their homes, and that includes owning them. Property marketers must factor in this vitally important change in their customer demographics.
The rapid increase in women homebuyers across the country has also prompted the Government to give them added benefits. To empower women of low-income segment as per the Housing for All by 2022 mission, the Government has now made it mandatory for them to be either co-owners or sole owners of affordable homes.
Property purchase: advantage women
There are also many benefits that women can avail in India by buying and registering a property in her name. Lower stamp duty charges, low home loan interest rates and tax deductions are some of the benefits they are entitled to while buying a property.
Puri says, “While stamp duty charges are lower if property registration is executed in the name of a woman, these charges vary from state to state. The exemption for women varies between 1-2% across different states. In some cases, it might even vary within a state, based on the classification of regions as ‘urban’ and ‘rural’. In Tamil Nadu, the stamp duty is at 7 per cent for both women and men.”
Additionally, many banks offer discounted home loan rates to women as compared to men. This variation varies from bank to bank and goes up to nearly 1%. Further, to avail certain tax benefits, a woman can also become joint owner of a property with her husband and, if she has a separate source of income, both can claim tax deductions individually.
Puri says, “The favourable lower stamp duty rate for women can and does, to some extent, influence decisions on whose name a property is registered under. This can be a geographically-determined dynamic, as different parts of India have different cultural viewpoints on this.”