Year-end clearance sales often help retailers junk unsold inventory when they can’t find any takers. Sadly, real estate developers in the National Capital Region (NCR) may just have to take the freebie route if unsold inventory stock continues to pile high. According to real estate research firm Propequity, at nearly 60%, Noida has shown the biggest drop in new housing launches in the last year, with Gurgaon a close second at 38%. Thanks to a slew of launches in the past, coupled with a local market governed by investors instead of end users, builders in the NCR are holding unsold projects worth close to ₹60,000 crore, which might need about two years to clear out. What doesn’t help is that the flats are handed over to buyers after agonising delays, forcing them to take the court route home. Given the economy is yet to show signs of a revival, builders will have to pay a high price for supporting such a swollen inventory.