– By Vishal Raheja
Inflation has always played a major role in real estate investment decisions. In India, the situations of inflationary pressure are usually linked with the processes of economic growth, hence investors keep on changing their strategies with a motive to maximize the return and minimize the risk factors involved. As inflation continues to influence the market dynamics, this paper has emphasized the importance of understanding such dynamics for both new and experienced investors.
Impact of Inflation on Real Estate
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Inflation affects the real estate sector in several ways; it has an effect on property prices, rental yields, and overall returns on real estate investments. With an increase in inflation, the cost of raw materials, labor, and all other inputs goes up, which elevates the price of properties. Such a situation may turn out to be both negatively and positively rewarding for investors. First and foremost, the owner will benefit from capital appreciation, as asset values rise. This, in turn, makes it expensive to acquire new properties, thus excluding first-time buyers and small investors.
More importantly, inflation carries implications for borrowing costs. To ensure that high inflation does not get completely out of control, most central banks have raised interest rates, thereby increasing the cost of mortgages. In these circumstances, cooling demand for real estate typically occurs, especially in the residential sector, as high borrowing costs lower affordability levels. For investors already owning the asset, a higher rate of return actually results in higher rent levels, for rents generally keep up with the rate of inflation.
Special Conditions and Challenges of Today’s Inflation
India is posing a few challenges for real estate investors in this current inflationary scenario. Industry reports state that the Indian real estate market is on a much stronger growth path in 2024, though a major concern is inflation. One of the major challenges is slowly bounding uncertainty in the interest rates. While the Reserve Bank of India has been somewhat cautious in its policy actions against reining in inflation, further rate hikes by it cannot be completely be ruled out. In this veiled uncertainty, long-term financing strategies are hard to plan.
Another problem lies in the withdrawal of indexation benefits on long-term capital gains on investments in immovable property. This policy change makes real estate a less attractive investment for some, namely individuals who would look to reduce their tax liabilities. Now one cannot index the purchase price of the property, so the tax to be paid is higher on the profits.
Strategic Responses to Inflation
In the face of these difficulties, investors are resorting to various approaches to stay clear of the inflationary experience. One of the paths is the direction towards real estate that is not as sensitive to interest rates. For this instance, commercial real estate – particularly the ones located in well-established areas – is not as vulnerable as other forms of real estate investment in inflationary times. This is because most businesses have long term leasing agreements whereby even if the borrowing or issuing costs shoot upwards, there are relatively fixed incomes from real estate.
Another option would be an investment with high rental yield potential. Since the cost of property will generally go up due to inflation, so will the rent, and income will not be subject to erosion through the effects of the rising general level of prices. Residential properties located at the heart of cities, where the demand for housing remains strong, have also been yielding attractive rentals that easily outpace inflation.
A few of them are also looking into emerging markets and tier-2 and -3 cities. That is where the growth is at when it comes to more subtle markets underpinning ongoing urbanization and infrastructure development; such investment strategies can help investors ride a rising market without the high prices associated with the big metro areas.
Long-Term Outlook
There is no doubt that, despite inflation, India’s position in the real estate market gives a rosy long-term horizon. Hence, Piramal Realty states that without any doubt, real estate is one of the more profit generating investment alternatives in India due to growth in the economy, increasing urbanization, and growth of the middle class. Inflation may hence influence short-term investment, but the basic strength in the Indian real estate market continues to remain the same.
In sum, inflation is causing a change in investment strategy in Indian real estate as investors formulate more sophisticated moves to maximize returns. Being more nuanced in the approach to investments within resilient segments, exploring emerging markets and leveraging rental yields allows investors to negotiate the challenges of inflation and position themselves for long-term success in this dynamic and ever-evolving market.
(Vishal Raheja is the Founder & MD at InvestoXpert.)
(Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited.)
From: financialexpress
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