Home Truth: Amenities Rule the Roost in Real Estate Play for Buyers

New Delhi, November 14, 2025: Housing in India has always been one of the most important emotional as well as financial decisions of one’s life which brings a sense of stability, pride and safety. The nuanced feelings associated with it has also undergone a significant change with the rise of nuclear families, migration to metros and growing disposable incomes, which prioritizes a holistic living experience over acquiring a property purely on the expanse of the living area. To cater the evolving behaviour of homebuyers, developers are elevating this nuance by deriving project names from foreign locales, designs inspired by ancient and modern cities across the world and so on. Today, the range of amenities a project offers has become the unique selling point for developers while giving the experience of an elevated lifestyle for homebuyers, making it a win-win for all.

According to Grant Thompson, the concept of “live-work-play” communities — self-sustained townships offering integrated amenities—is gaining momentum among urban homebuyers. This includes basic common amenities such as clubhouses, swimming pools and gyms to advanced security systems, coworking, retail spaces and cafes to private theatres and more. These enhanced amenities are intended to make daily life easier and more enjoyable for residents while building societies which are self-sustaining. Additionally, the act of purchasing a house in India is to a great extent linked to one’s pride and is deeply engrained in cultural and societal values. This sense of pride further grows with the project’s wide range of amenities which makes life easier, thereby fueling demand for such well planned projects.

These wide range of amenities play an imperative role in driving sales of residential units. Grant Thompson1 states that total residential sales in major cities have surged by nearly 77 per cent, underscoring buyer confidence from FY 2019 to FY 2025. Primary transactions, comprising under construction homes sold by developers, accounted for 57 per cent of the total transactions in FY 2025. Secondary transactions, involving the resale of properties, made up the remaining 43 per cent, showing a notable shift from the 38 per cent share recorded in FY 2019.

Speeding Up in India’s Slowest Cities

The growing share of millennials in the purchase of residential units is primarily due to growing disposable incomes, changes in lifestyle which prioritises comfort, class and stature. Amenities play a pivotal role in satiating the taste palettes of these fast emerging cohort of homebuyers who are looking to save on time and resources by engaging in various health and wellness related activities within the property over stepping out to avail these services.

This assumes significance considering citizens across India’s top cities spend an average of over 30 mins to travel a journey of just 10 kilometres. According to 2024 TomTom Traffic Index2, Bengaluru is the world’s third slowest city for traffic with commuters taking an average of 30 minutes and 10 seconds to travel just 10 kilometers, a time surpassed only by Barranquilla in Colombia (36 minutes and 6 seconds) and Kolkata (34 minutes and 33 seconds). This was followed by Pune which clinched the title of the fourth slowest-moving cities, while Kolkata secured the second spot globally and remains India’s slowest city.

These travel concerns are increasingly driving commuters to think of solutions with well-equipped housing societies becoming a prime choice. From state-of-the-art club houses to host gatherings to private theatres, saunas and cafes of prominent brands to gaming arenas, amenities have quickly gone beyond catering to the basic needs of its residents. By saving on travel time and expensive subscriptions of gyms and wellness parlours, residents are able to buy more time in a day to spend with their loved ones.

New USP for Developers

According to reports by global property consultant JLL3,4, residential sales in India’s top seven cities grew from 1.43 lakh in 2019 to 3.3 lakh in 2024, in a testament to growing demand for developer-led housing units in the country. This makes it imperative for developers to differentiate their projects in order to attract homebuyers by providing high-end amenities, an upstate experience and a luxury feel. This differentiation further becomes imperative with most urban markets becoming saturated and more developers entering the fray, thereby making the competition intense.

The role of differentiated and high-end amenities in attracting homebuyers can also be understood by scanning the marketing efforts of developers which are highly centred around the exclusiveness and eliteness of their wide range of amenities. This makes it a win-win situation for developers and homebuyers as it leads to better quality of amenities and services which leads to accelerated sales and greater comfort.

Over the next decade, the role of amenities in residential real estate will propel manifolds with homebuyers using it as a barometer to actively compare projects and make a decision. This means developing homes which offer a comprehensive living experience over pureplay basic utilities will hold the key to attracting homebuyers.