Real Estate Tops Investment Choices for 70% Women in H2 2024, Stock Market Preference Plunges

Real estate has become the most preferred investment asset class for 70% of women in the second half of 2024 whereas their preference for stock market investment has declined to 2% during the same period. According to the latest Anarock Consumer Sentiment Survey from H2 2024, in the H2 2022 edition preference for real estate investment stood at 65% and for the stock market, it was at over 20%.

"Our H2 2024 survey finds the end-use-to-investment ratio for women homebuyers at 69:31 against 79:21 in the H2 2022 edition. Even more remarkable is their firm preference for housing over the other popular investment asset classes Indians gravitate to," said Anuj Puri, chairman at the Anarock Group.

"The only other asset class that has seen a notable uptick on their wish list is gold, whose popularity among polled women investors has risen from 8% in the H2 2022 survey to slightly over 12% in the H2 2024 edition," Puri added.

The survey tracked women homebuyers' budget preferences, where at least 52% of women respondents preferred premium or luxury homes priced over Rs 90 lakhs against 47% in H2 2022. It also revealed that 33% of aspiring women homebuyers look for properties priced between Rs 90 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore, while 11% of them prefer homes priced between Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 2.5 crore. Notable, at least 8% prefer to buy homes priced more than Rs 2.5 crore - a strong testament to the growth of India's women high net-worth individuals (HNI) contingent.

The survey also shows that demand for newly launched properties is on the rise—over 18% of the survey's women respondents now prefer under-construction homes, against 10% in the H2 2022 survey. Their preference for the instant gratification of ready-to-move-in homes had declined to 29% in the H2 2024 survey, from 48% in H2 2022.

Women Enter Crypto but Face Wealth Management Gap

An earlier survey also revealed that with the increasing adoption of cryptocurrency, women are also actively participating in crypto exchange. According to a CoinDCX report, women now represent 20% of crypto exchanges.

However, there is a disconnect between the investment goals of HNI Indian women and the wealth management services they currently receive. A new report by HERitage by Waterfield Advisors revealed that 58% of women consider themselves risk-averse, potentially hindering investment action. 42% of homemakers report no involvement in family investment decisions. Over 80% of respondents believe dedicated wealth management for women is needed in India.