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More Indian women than ever before are financially empowered to buy their own homes. Lower stamp tax for properties registered in a woman's name and special housing loan programmes have also made it easier for women to invest in real estate.

Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman - ANAROCK Group, says "Women today are no longer mere influencers in the homebuying process, but independent decision makers and are buying homes for either self-use or investment. According to the latest ANAROCK Consumer Sentiment Survey, a whopping 78% women homebuyers prefer to buy homes for end-use, and 22% will do so for investment. If we look back in H2 2021, this end-use vs investment ratio stood at 74:26.

The survey also finds that 61% women respondents see housing as the preferred investment asset class. Approx. 16% prefer the stock market, and 14% pick gold. Of the total of 5,510 survey participants, women comprised a 50% share.

Notably, 3BHKs are the most favoured configurations for a significant 57% women respondents, followed by 29% women home seekers voting for 2BHKs. Around 9% are looking for 4BHK homes or larger.

In terms of budget ranges, nearly 36% of respondent women home seekers prefer to buy mid-segment housing (priced INR 45 - 90 lakhs), followed by 28% preferring premium homes priced between INR 90 lakhs and INR 1.5 Cr. A significant 23% prefer to buy luxury homes priced >INR 1.5 Cr, and just 20% will settle for affordable homes priced <INR 45 lakhs.

"While the survey finds that 24% of all polled home seekers now prefer newly launched properties, a deep dive reveals that just 15% women respondents prefer homes in newly launched projects," says Kumar. "A massive 71% will zero in on properties that are either ready or to be completed within the next six months. This clearly indicates that the majority are buying for immediate self-use.

Women empowerment has become a core topic in India in recent years, with various measures being taken by the government for their upliftment. The most recent was the passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023 in the Parliament. While the government has been prioritizing women's homeownership via its flagship PMAY scheme, large numbers of independent urban women have also come to the market to buy homes.

A greater number of Indian women are buying their own homes because they want to feel safe and independent, and there are more single women living alone and in nuclear families.