Mr. Anup Jhamtani – Managing Director, Jhamtani & Managing Committee Member, CREDAI Pune Metro

For decades, Indian real estate has largely revolved around a straightforward set of parameters: location, size, configuration, price and appreciation. These fundamentals continue to matter, but the way consumers define value is evolving.

The question is no longer simply, “How much space am I getting for my money?” Increasingly, it is becoming, “What kind of life does this space enable?”

This is one of the more significant shifts taking place in residential real estate today.

The market is already showing signs of this evolution.  According to CRE Matrix’s Pan-India Housing Market Insights for CY2025, 54% of homebuyers are opting for 3BHK and larger homes, while nearly 50% of the market is now priced above ₹2 craore. Pune offers an even more interesting perspective. In H1 2026, the city recorded 44,265 home sales worth ₹37,048 crore, with the average home value reaching ₹84 lakh. Homes priced above ₹2 crore recorded a 220% increase in unit sales compared with H1 2022, while the ₹1–2 crore segment grew by 171%.

These numbers point towards growing demand for larger and premium homes. But premiumisation is not simply about consumers wanting bigger or more expensive houses. It reflects a broader change in the definition of value.

Real estate is beginning to move in the same direction.A home remains one of the largest financial decisions a consumer makes. But it is also deeply personal. It is where people work, raise families, maintain relationships, pursue wellness and spend a significant part of their lives.

This makes livability increasingly important.Consumers will continue to evaluate connectivity, construction quality, carpet area, pricing, financing, legal clarity and future appreciation. But alongside these fundamentals, factors such as design, wellness, community, convenience, privacy, social infrastructure and everyday experience are becoming increasingly relevant.

In other words, the definition of utility is expanding.From Amenities to Experiences

This has significant implications for developers.Historically, amenities have often been presented as a catalogue — swimming pool, gymnasium, clubhouse, landscaped gardens and so on. The next phase requires a different approach.

The question should not be:

“How many amenities can we provide?”

It should be:

“Which aspects of everyday life can we improve?”

A fitness space creates value when it supports a healthier routine. A community space matters when it encourages interaction. Landscaped areas become meaningful when they provide breathing room in a dense urban environment. Flexible spaces matter because the boundaries between work, leisure and personal time have changed.

The shift, therefore, is from amenity-led development to experience-led development.

A residential project is no longer simply a collection of apartments and amenities. It is an ecosystem designed around how people live.

The morning routine, children’s playtime, a workout, working from home, meeting friends, hosting family or simply finding a quiet space at the end of a long day — these everyday moments collectively shape the experience of a home.

The better a development understands these moments, the more relevant its proposition becomes.

From Product to Brand Experience

Brand building is undergoing a similar transition.

Consumers interact with brands long before they make a purchase. Advertising, content, social media, creators and cultural associations collectively shape expectations.

This is why our association with Ranveer Singh is strategically relevant to Jhamtani. The objective of a brand ambassador should not be reduced to visibility. The larger opportunity is to use the association to articulate what the brand stands for and build relevance with the audiences it wants to engage.

Ranveer brings cultural relevance, energy and a strong connection with contemporary India. But the association can create long-term value only when the brand itself delivers on the expectations it creates.

Communication creates expectation.
Product creates experience.
Consistency creates trust.

This is particularly important in real estate because the customer journey does not end at the transaction. In many ways, it begins there.

The quality of the product, execution, customer experience and the way a community evolves over time ultimately determine whether the original brand promise was credible.

At Jhamtani, we articulate this through a simple philosophy:

“The Name is a Promise.”

For us, a promise is not merely a communication device. It is an accountability framework.

If we speak about quality, the product must demonstrate it.

If we speak about lifestyle, the planning and experience must support it.

If we speak about trust, the customer journey must reinforce it.

The real estate sector therefore has an opportunity to move from a predominantly transactional relationship with consumers towards a more enduring brand relationship.

This does not mean emotional storytelling should replace financial rationality. The two need to coexist.

A well-designed home must make economic sense. It must also make experiential sense.

The next generation of residential real estate will therefore differentiate itself not merely through larger homes or longer amenity lists, but through a more sophisticated understanding of how people want to live and what they are willing to value.

Ultimately, square feet remain a unit of measurement. They are not a complete measure of value.

The real opportunity for the industry is to understand the difference between building more space and creating more value within that space.

Because the future of homebuying is not just about owning a larger home.

It is about owning a better way of living.