India housing sales hold at 2.58 lakh in Jan-Sep 2026

India housing sales held steady in the first nine months of 2026, according to Knight Frank India data released on 5 October. Eight major cities recorded 2,58,238 home sales between January and September, roughly flat on last year. India housing sales in the nine months show buyers moving towards higher priced homes, while the entry level segment weakened.

The seven markets outside the National Capital Region grew 2 per cent together in India housing sales. Mumbai stayed the largest market, Bengaluru grew fastest among the big markets, and Pune was roughly flat. Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Kolkata each grew between 2 per cent and 4 per cent. The National Capital Region was the weak spot in the nine months.

India housing sales by city in January to September

Mumbai housing sales totalled 72,804 units, up 1 per cent from a year earlier, keeping Mumbai as the largest of the eight markets. Bengaluru housing sales reached 43,140 units, up 5 per cent, the fastest growth among the big markets. Pune recorded 36,402 units, roughly flat on last year.

Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Kolkata each grew between 2 per cent and 4 per cent in the nine months, though the data released does not give a separate sales count for each of those four cities. NCR housing sales fell 11 per cent to 35,574 units. Sales in the Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore band in the National Capital Region fell 39 per cent to 4,033 units. Gurugram accounts for 57 per cent of the region's unsold inventory.

The India housing sales pattern shows growth spread across most markets, with one clear exception. Mumbai housing sales and Bengaluru housing sales together made up 1,15,944 units, or close to 45 per cent of the nine month total. NCR housing sales were the only fall among the eight markets in total sales.

Higher priced homes take a larger share

Homes priced above Rs 1 crore made up 55 per cent of all India housing sales in the nine months, up from 50 per cent a year earlier. The Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore bracket was the largest segment, at 77,087 units, up 6.8 per cent. The Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore segment grew 19.4 per cent to 51,501 units, with Chennai posting 54 per cent growth in that range.

Sales in the Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore band fell 5.9 per cent to 69,380 units. Homes below Rs 50 lakh fell 14 per cent to 47,660 units, and their share of total sales dropped to 18 per cent. The shift towards higher prices is clear in the nine month figures, with the top two price bands growing while the two lower bands shrank, and buyers pick homes in the bands that suit their budgets.

India housing sales in the nine months therefore look different from a year earlier, even though the total barely moved. The same number of homes changed hands in broad terms, but a larger part of them sat above Rs 1 crore. That change in mix matters for developers, who watch which price bands buyers pick.

Supply keeps running ahead of India housing sales

Developers launched 2,79,899 homes in the nine months, up 4 per cent from a year earlier. Third quarter launches alone were 92,549 units, also up 4 per cent. New supply has now exceeded sales for 16 straight quarters, and inventory overhang has edged up to 6.1 quarters. Prices rose between 3 per cent and 17 per cent across the eight markets during the period.

The run of supply ahead of India housing sales means that unsold stock keeps building, even while total sales hold steady. A 6.1 quarter overhang means that, at the current pace of sales, it would take just over six quarters to clear the unsold stock, if no new homes were launched in that time. Knight Frank India data for January to September 2026 puts launches at 2,79,899 units against sales of 2,58,238 units, a gap of 21,661 units over the nine months.