For all the talk about a slowdown in the economy, real estate prices in most parts of the country have not corrected as much as most prospective buyers would have liked them to. But, shares of most real estate companies are not finding any takers even after falling nearly 50% from their record highs in January this year.

This would suggest that the ongoing sell-off in real estate stocks is a good opportunity for bargain hunting. Yet, most brokerage houses are advising their clients against doing so, as they foresee testing times for the sector in the near term. In fact, many of them are recommending that existing investors cut their losses right away as they could be in for a long wait for share prices to come anywhere near their lofty highs.

The sharp rise in real estate prices, coupled with high borrowing costs has let to softening of demand. The slump in the stock market, too, has contributed to the trend as many investors were earlier routing their gains in share trading into real estate.
Industry experts feel that companies that have managed to buy land in Mumbai at reasonable rates could be good bets even in these turbulent times.

The flagbearers of the industry like DLF and Unitech have fallen around 50% from their peaks, while other names like Ansal Housing and Construction, Ajmera Realty & Infra India, Omaxe, Lok Housing and Construction, Parsvnath Developers have fallen nearly 60%. With outlook on the market as a whole being bearish, brokers expect realty stocks to slip further.
Most property developers in India were riding the wave of an unprecedented demand due to a combination of rising affluence, tax benefits for home owners and low interest rates. But, this fuelled speculative buying in the sector, causing property prices to soar to exorbitant levels.