PE Investment in Real Estate Likely to Bounce Back

Private equity investment in real estate is expected to bounce back to $6 billion, registering a 30% year-on-year growth in 2021, on the back of an improving economic sentiment supported by policy reforms and growth in key emerging sectors, according to the latest rep

BY Realty Plus
Published - Saturday, 26 Dec, 2020

PE Investment in Real Estate Likely to Bounce Back

Private equity investment in real estate is expected to bounce back to $6 billion, registering a 30% year-on-year growth in 2021, on the back of an improving economic sentiment supported by policy reforms and growth in key emerging sectors, according to the latest report by Savills India, a global property consultancy firm. The next wave of investments will be driven by growth in warehousing, affordable housing and data centres apart from the commercial office segment which will continue to see steady improvement. A likely repair of the bruised economy, improving trade relations, policy support and progress on the vaccination front are the key factors that would drive the sentiment henceforth. While PE investment in real estate in 2020 is expected to contract at $4.6 billion due to decline in economic activity, investors are likely to adapt themselves in the altered world order and steadily return to the market with evolved strategies. As per the report, the warehousing and logistics segment has been among the most resilient asset classes in the ongoing pandemic. Warehouse leasing is expected to increase by 60% in 2021 as compared to 2020, keeping investors riveted and on the lookout for investment opportunities. Private equity investors will assess an opportunity of around $330 million in the industrial and warehousing segment in 2021. This is approximately 17% higher compared to the average annual investments during the period of 2016-2020. From 2000 to 2015, almost 60% of PE investment was in the residential segment until the focus of fund managers shifted to ready office assets supported by buoyant demand from 2014 onwards and the segment has attracted approximate 40% of investment. Interestingly, the last 2-3 years have seen notable interest in newer asset classes such as student housing, data centres, warehousing and opportunistic assets.