New Delhi, Sep 8 : More than 36 per cent of potential homebuyers in India chose the Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore segment as their "most preferred" option in the first half of 2025, suggesting a greater trend towards premium and luxury real estate, a report said on Monday.

Meanwhile, 25 per cent prefer homes priced between Rs 45 lakh and Rs 90 lakh, ANAROCK said in its report.

According to the report, more than 65 per cent of the prospective buyers are entering the market as end-users, with investors appearing to be taking a measured pause.

"Among all cities, Bengaluru has the largest share (43 per cent) of buyers seeking property specifically for investment; the remaining 57 per cent are end-users," the report noted.

The report highlights that Delhi-NCR has the lowest share of investors at 26 per cent, with 74 per cent seeking to buy as end-users.

Around 63 per cent of buyers consider real estate as the 'most preferred' investment asset class -- a 4 per cent increase over the previous year.

The report also stated that 62 per cent of aspiring buyers of affordable housing are dissatisfied with the current available options in the market, with 92 per cent of these being unhappy with the project locations.

As much as 90 per cent of buyers stated that these projects are of low construction quality and are 'poorly designed', whereas 77 per cent of respondents find the unit sizes too small to be of utility and interest, the report highlighted.

"These findings dovetail disturbingly with the documented demand contraction for affordable housing, or homes priced at or under Rs 45 lakh," said Anuj Puri, Chairman, ANAROCK Group.

The report highlighted that rising home prices are a major concern for over 81 per cent of property seekers across India.

The top seven cities have seen average residential prices rise by over 50 per cent in the last two years (from Rs 6,001 per square feet in Q2 2023 to Rs 8,990 square feet by Q2 2025.

/IANS