Affordable housing, EPF rules: Multiple tailwinds could perk up real estate

Improvement in affordability bodes well for the health of the residential real estate segment

The BSE Realty index was the highest gainer last week on plans by top realty players to get into affordable housing, announcement of subsidy guidelines by the government, easing of EPF (employee provident fund) rules to fund realty purchases and go ahead by Maharashtra government to the real estate regulatory Act. Key realty stocks gained between 4 per cent and 20 per cent. Sobha, too, gained 13.4 per cent as the company is shifting its focus from mid to high-end residential projects to higher share of affordable projects. Analysts at Nirmal Bang Institutional Equities say that the grant of infrastructure