Real estate, not gold or stocks, are a girl's best friend: Anarock study

65% women prefer investing in real estate over other asset classes, and of these, 77% would rather buy property as an investment and only 23% want it for self-use

Women have emerged as a key homebuyer group at a time when housing sales have reached an all-time high, finds a survey by Anarock. According to the study, about 65 per cent of women prefer to invest in real estate followed by 20 per cent in stock market. Hust 8 per cent want gold and 7 per cent go for fixed deposits.

The study also finds that 77 per cent women favouring real estate prefer purchasing property as an investment, while 23 per cent would buy for self-use. Earlier this ratio was 82:18, in favour of investment.

The survey also finds that 83 per cent women are looking at homes priced above Rs 45 lakh. The Rs 45-90 lakh budget range is the 'sweet spot' for 36 per cent of women home-seekers, while 27 per cent prefer premium homes priced at Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore, and 20 per cent prefer luxury homes priced above 1.5 crore. Affordable homes priced under Rs 45 lakh are the least preferred.

The survey highlighted that there are many benefits that Indian women can avail by buying and registering properties in their names. Various government policies support and promote women home-ownership in India. Lower stamp duty is one such. The exemption varies from 1-2 per cent across states, and may even vary within a particular state, based on the classification of localities as urban and rural.

“To avail homes under the government's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) introduced in 2015, homes have to be mandatorily registered either in a woman's name or with a woman as co-owner,” it said.

Santhosh Kumar, vice chairman, Anarock Group, said, "Over the last decade, women have emerged as a major residential real estate buyer segment, especially in the urban centres."

Their preferences are also distinctly shaping newer trends - from bigger homes, ready-to-move properties to specific budgets, they know exactly what they want and like millennials, their preferences now influence the supply that developers put on the market, Kumar said.

Of the total of 5,500 survey participants, 50 per cent were women and among these, more than 80 per cent consider the current time as ideal for buying homes.