THE KING'S ADDRESS

After a ‘lost’ year, luxury real estate is surging as the ultra-rich trade up to opulent city apartments or go green with villas in Goa, Alibaug and Kasauli

- PRIYA KUMARI RANA

SWEEPING VIEW Grand vistas of the 200-acre golf course greet you from the balcony of every DLF Camellias apartment in Gurugram

If 2020 was the year of the second home—that suburban getaway for the family, a refuge from a city in lockdown—then 2021 is the year of the luxurious primary home. Homebuyers are either consolidating their move to an urban haven with all possible conveniences and amenities or flocking to the great outdoors—by the beach or in the hills—for a spacious, comfortable indulgence to live the WFH dream.

Whichever destination they choose, what unites homebuyers is the growing need for all possible mod cons and a newfound love for spacious, verdant areas. “All those who could manage an upgrade, in their lives, wanted slightly better spaces, amenities, services, safety, security, and infrastructure; anything that promised more holistic well-being for the mind and body, for yourself or the family,” says Karan Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer of New Delhi-based DLF Group. “That’s why we’ve seen an interest and uptick in our super luxury portfolio.”

63% OF THE DEMAND FOR luxury properties is from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region

₹1,500 CRORE OF SALES clocked during the pandemic by luxury real estate firm Transcon