NRI Market is less volatile.

For most top property developers in India, the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) is a crucial part of their business.

They know that the NRI will always want a piece of his/her homeland, no matter the price and no matter the time.

Thus, despite the price rise of 43 per cent to as much as 166 per cent in various cities, the NRI cash is still flowing into the Indian property market.

Developers say sales in that segment are not as variable as the domestic Indian market.

Noida-based property developer Amrapali Group’s chairman and managing Anil Kumar Sharma told tabla!

“NRIs wish to have a second home in the country they belong to. Favourable government policies are also a driving force behind the increased interest of NRIs in investing in Indian real estate. NRI investments are the least volatile of all in our industry. They are assured that they are investing in an asset which they can fall back upon.”

Mr Sharma, who is also the vice-president of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India, added that prices are rising because of the expanding infrastructure, which in the long run will help the buyer and increase the value of the property even further.

He said: “Upcoming projects like the metro, monorail and the international projects in the big cities in India have contributed to the inflated real estate prices in these cities.”

Amrapali claims that almost 35 per cent of its overseas business comes from Singapore.

No wonder it will be participating in Sumansa Exhibitions’ Indian Property Show to be held in Suntec City on April 14 and 15.

Chennai leads Indian Realty Sector.

In a recent report, property broking and real estate consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle said the Indian property market is poised to attract about US$3 billion, almost double last year’s US$1.6 billion, from overseas buyers this year.

The Indian property market will see more investment from overseas this year as it still remains an attractive investment destination globally.

Of this, one-third would be from home buyers and the balance from investors. This is despite the fact that property prices in India are at an all-time high.

According to a recent National Housing Bank (NHB) survey, property prices in big Indian cities have increased by as much as 43 per cent to 166 per cent in the last four years.

NHB, wholly owned by the Reserve Bank of India, lends to home-mortgage companies. It also regulates and refinances social housing programmes. In its report, the bank said Chennai had seen the highest rise in prices at 166 per cent. Bhopal was second with a hike of 117 per cent and Mumbai was ranked third with an increase of 87 per cent.

What then brings overseas investment to Indian property, when prices are skyrocketing? The answer is simple: Despite the global turmoil because of the financial crisis, the Indian economy has remained robust, largely due to domestic-driven demand.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle, India’s strong economic growth, rapid urbanisation, growing middle-class population, demographic advantage and increased thrust on infrastructure has worked in its favour. Buying property is especially popular among Indians living abroad, who all seem to want a piece of the homeland. That is why Indian property shows are burgeoning around the globe.

Dubai-based Sumansa Exhibitions has been holding Indian property shows across five countries. And every year the number of developers taking part in the shows and the attendees has grown rapidly.

Sumansa Exhibitions’ chief executive officer Sunil Jaiswal says: “We have held shows in the UK, South Africa, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore. They have been very well received by both exhibitors and visitors alike.”

This year Sumansa will hold the Indian Property Show in Singapore on April 14 and 15. It will be held at the Suntec Exhibition Centre’s hall 401 and nearly 40 developers from across India will be part of the show.

More than 200 properties will be showcased during the two-day exhibition. Sumansa expects the number of footfalls at the event to be much larger than the 4,000 that turned up at its last year’s event.