Home affordability up in major cities
The current year is expected to witness Hyderabad surpass the 200-mark on the affordability index followed closely by Pune
image for illustrative purpose
New Delhi: Affordability to buy homes has improved in major cities this year driven by a rise in household incomes from a low base of 2020, lower mortgage rates and stable housing prices, according to property consultant JLL India. The consultant on Monday launched its annual Home Purchase Affordability Index (JLL HPAI 2021), which signifies whether a household earning an average annual income (at an overall city level) is eligible for a housing loan on a property in the city, at the prevailing market price. The index shows that between 2013 and 2021, affordability has increased consistently across key Indian cities Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. "During the current year, household incomes witnessed a sharp increase of seven-nine per cent (from the low base of 2020) in the markets under consideration," JLL said.
At the same time, the consultant said that home prices remained stagnant in all of India's prime residential markets except for Hyderabad. "Moreover, mortgage rates continue to trend at their lowest in 15 years, thereby leading to reduced EMIs for homebuyers, thereby having a significant bearing on affordability," JLL said. According to JLL HPAI 2021, Mumbai, India's most expensive property market, has witnessed a significant rise in home affordability index, breaching the affordability threshold of 100 this year. Kolkata is the best market in terms of home purchase affordability.
The current year is expected to witness Hyderabad surpass the 200-mark on the affordability index followed closely by Pune. The index indicates that an average income earning household in the markets of Hyderabad and Kolkata has enough income to qualify for a home loan on two 1,000 square feet apartments (or one 2,000 square feet apartment) at the prevailing market price. JLL report defined HPAI as the ratio of the average household income to the eligible household income. Eligible household income is defined as the minimum income that a household should earn in order to qualify for a home loan on a 1,000 sq ft apartment at the prevailing market price.
