Another way to play the real estate boom? 6 home finance stocks with an upside potential of up to 33%

First, it was unsecured loans, then it was housing finance companies and in the last two days, it has been micro finance companies. RBI has been taking stock of each segment of the financial service and tightening the norms so that accidents like 2018 can be avoided. Whenever there is tightening of norms, stocks from that sector tend to correct. The question is whether that correction is something which is an opportunity or not. One part of the answer lies in looking at overall market size and the growth. In the case of the housing finance segment, there is hardly any doubt about growth potential. So, if the growth potential then corrections are opportunities. But that is for companies which are able to adapt to the changing regulatory provisions, they will stand to gain in the long term.

Siddhartha Khemka, VP and Head of Research (Retail) at MOFSL, recommends JSW Steel and SAIL in the ferrous space, and Hindalco in the non-ferrous space. He suggests that Vedanta is best avoided due to its high volatility and debt concerns. In the real estate sector, Khemka favors Oberoi Realty and Macrotech Developers, noting strong demand for luxury properties. He also highlights Home First Finance and Canfin Homes as preferred housing finance companies, benefiting from the affordable housing segment and lower interest rates.

Housing finance as an industry had its fair share of controversies. If one looks at the root cause of the NBFC crisis, it is clear, it was housing finance companies which were at the centre of the crisis. If one looks globally also, either directly or indirectly, they have been at the root of a financial crisis or a scam. One of the reasons why this sector carries such risk is that the underlying asset, which is real estate itself, is both cyclical and non-transparent. Despite all the ills, one of the biggest wealth creators in the history of the Indian stock market has been a housing finance company, erstwhile HDFC which now merged with HDFC bank. So, while they must have a portfolio, what you own is more important.

Housing finance is a business where perception is that because it is largely secured lending, chances of companies going down under are very low. But if one looks at the history, there are enough local companies and global corporations which have gone down under in the housing finance space. Despite all the ills, one of the biggest wealth creators in the history of the Indian stock market has been a housing finance company, erstwhile HDFC which now merged with HDFC bank. So, it is a business which is good to own but what you choose to own matters most.

After their heyday of 2008, real estate companies made a comeback in the second half of 2020. Especially the residential part of the real estate. Multiple factors brought them back to the centre stage. Increase in demand taking care of excess inventory, and some saving’s once again shifting toward real estate as an asset class.

In an exclusive interview, Yashank Wason of Royal Green Realty talks about real estate's focus on sustainability and the challenges faced by the sector in Delhi NCR.

One global crisis to another. This probably sums up the story of the real estate sector in India. It was the global financial crisis of 2008, which hit the real estate sector very badly. It was the global covid crisis, which got it out from the dumps. Excess inventory, over leveraged balance sheets and weak demand were some of the factors which plagued the sector till 2020. Post that period, excess liquidity, the need to have a bigger house, companies having learnt lessons about what not to do when time is good probably defines the listed real estate sector in India.