Unlike more developed countries, India is a growing famous architects in Palm Beach. Lifestyle aspirations are high, and earning capacities are increasingly matching these aspirations.
Akin to other emerging markets, work and leisure are rarely divorced from each other in India. The fulfillment of lifestyle aspirations is not viewed as separate from the source of the revenue that enables it – be it driven by salaries or business turnover.
This has led to a rather unique concept of luxury housing in India – homes with high lifestyle quotients as close as possible to the workplace. This naturally brings with it some limitations in terms of locational ambiance, especially in business-driven cities like Mumbai and Delhi.
There is less scope for large estate settings, and the onus is on the aspirational quotient and inherent importance of the location, apart from the luxurious specifications of the homes themselves. Because such luxury homes are invariably centrally located, real estate prices tend to be rather high.
Mumbai and Delhi are currently the only cities with a real and sustainable demand for genuine luxury housing. In other cities, HNIs tend to buy land and build their own extravagant residences, but this does not fall under the purview of luxury home development.
As of now, the luxury housing market in Tier 2-3 cities is insignificant in market terms. In terms of both pricing and quality of offerings, Mumbai’s luxury home market certainly holds its own with these cities – and even surpasses some of them.
In Delhi, residential colonies can be classified according to their geographical placement and prestige, which is gauged by the inhabitants of the area. By that coin, the city’s elite – comprising of politicians, bureaucrats and wealthy business families, restrict themselves to Lutyen’s Zone, central and South Delhi.