Source: Economic Times ( https://bit.ly/4okiLMH )

The third quarter of 2025 painted a complex but telling picture of India’s real-estate landscape — with sales slipping, but value and luxury demand rising. According to an industry-wide overview of the top seven cities, housing units sold dropped about 9% year-on-year to ~97,000. Yet, the total sales value jumped 14% to ₹1.52 lakh crore. This divergence indicates a clear preference shift: fewer buyers overall, but those who are buying are opting for premium or luxury homes.

New housing launches grew modestly (about 3% YoY), but demand — as seen in the elevated value of sales — continued to outpace fresh supply. This reflects a degree of market confidence and suggests that even if volumes shrink, underlying demand for higher-end living remains fairly strong.

City-wise, the numbers tell a nuanced story: major real-estate hubs like the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune continue to dominate overall activity, accounting for nearly half of total sales and also leading in new launches. On the other hand, some cities bucked the trend: for example, while MMR and Pune saw year-on-year declines in unit sales, certain markets like Chennai and Kolkata recorded modest gains, showing that housing demand is uneven across the nation.

A deeper look reveals that luxury homes (priced above ₹1.5 crore) comprised the largest share of new supply — 38%. Premium units in the ₹80 lakh–₹1.5 crore range accounted for another 24%. Mid- and affordable-priced homes made up smaller shares, signaling a continuing squeeze on lower-cost inventory.

Prices broadly rose across cities: the average price per square foot increased about 9% year-on-year. Some regions — notably NCR — led this increase with a steep 24% hike, while others posted moderate, single-digit gains. The upward price momentum, especially in premium properties, suggests that despite softer demand, real-estate remains a strong store of value for many buyers.

In short, Q3 2025 signals a transition in India’s housing market — not a crash, but a reconfiguration. Demand is consolidating around premium- and luxury-segment homes; affordable housing is facing compression; and urban housing landscapes are increasingly differentiated by city. For buyers and developers alike, it’s a time for strategic positioning rather than speculative leaps.