What India's biggest real estate results really say — and what they mean for homebuyers in Hyderabad in 2026
Analysis based on: Knight Frank India Q1 2026 • ANAROCK Research Q1 2026 • JLL India Q1 2026 • Telangana IGR registration data • Q4 FY26 investor calls: Godrej Properties, Prestige Estates, Lodha (Macrotech Developers)
In April 2026, three investor calls from India's largest listed residential developers produced three completely different recommendations. Abhishek Lodha asked investors to stop watching pre-sales. Pirojsha Godrej highlighted record bookings. Irfan Razack at Prestige pointed to revenue growth of 71% — while flagging that nearly ₹66,000 crore in sales hadn't yet converted to recognised revenue.
None of them were wrong. They were each describing the same industry through the lens of the timeline that most flatters their current position. To understand why, you need to understand how residential real estate actually accounts for money — a structure that remains genuinely unusual even by the standards of capital-intensive industries.
And once you understand the structure, the question that matters for a homebuyer becomes clearer: in a market where developer strategies, macro headwinds, and city-level fundamentals are all pulling in different directions, which cities and micro-markets are built to hold up?
“A developer can report ₹34,000 crore in bookings, collect ₹20,000 crore in cash, and recognise ₹8,000 crore in revenue — all in the same year, all legitimately, from the same projects.”
When you buy a home from a major Indian developer, you typically aren't buying a finished home. You're committing to one that will be built over the next two to four years. You pay 10–20% at booking, then make construction-linked instalments as floors rise, and take possession only at completion. From the day you sign to the day the developer can book your payment as earned income — years can pass.
This creates three separate financial timelines running simultaneously for every developer:
Value of homes agreed to sell. Measures locked-in demand - a commitment from the buyer, not cash in hand, not earned revenue.
Actual cash received as instalments arrive during construction. The most honest indicator of day-to-day financial health.
Recognised only at handover or specific milestones. The final verdict on pricing, cost discipline, and project quality - often years after booking.
In a slow, stable business these three clocks tick together. In India's high-growth residential market, they drift apart - and the gap between them is exactly what each of the three developers is exploiting when they choose their headline metric.
A developer aggressively launching new projects will show strong pre-sales but thin revenue. One focused on completing inventory will show strong revenue but modest bookings. One doing both well will show strong collections. The metric each developer emphasises tells you which stage of this cycle they're in - and what story they want told.
Here is what the Q4 FY26 numbers actually showed - with the context that the headline figures tend to leave out.
Godrej's FY26 story is one of remarkable scale ₹34,171 crore in bookings at a 41% three-year CAGR, pipeline additions double its guidance. The one miss was collections, which came in at 95% of target. That gap between bookings and collections - a pattern seen when developers prioritise new launches over project completions - is the number worth watching in FY27, even if the miss was marginal. The company's 1% monthly payment campaign during the quarter is a data point too: it signals that at current price points; some buyers need a softer entry structure to commit.
Prestige delivered the most spectacular headline numbers of the three. Its Indirapuram NCR project booking ₹9,500 crore alone is extraordinary - more than many developers manage across entire portfolios. Revenue grew 71% and PAT more than doubled. The full-year EBITDA margin of 31.97% looks healthy, but Q4 alone compressed to 26.9%, a signal that margin consistency is still a work-in-progress as the company scales aggressively into new geographies. Net debt at ₹10,908 crore with a cost of 9.33% is the risk embedded in this model - one that will either look prescient if project deliveries land on schedule, or punishing if they don't.
Lodha's pre-sales of ₹20,530 crore slightly missed its own ₹21,000 crore guidance - the company attributed this partly to Iran war-related volatility affecting sentiment in March. But the quality of the underlying numbers is the cleanest of the three: 34% EBITDA margin, 20% PAT margin (first time ever), and a debt-to-equity of 0.23x with seven credit upgrades since 2021 and a current AA Stable rating. Abhishek Lodha's argument that pre-sales is a means to an end, and profit is the end goal, is increasingly easy to defend when you look at the balance sheet relative to peers.
The operating environment that made FY25 a record year for Indian residential real estate is not fully intact. Three separate datasets converge on the same conclusion: the easy phase of the cycle is behind us.
Anuj Puri, Chairman of ANAROCK, noted that "war-induced uncertainty, rising oil prices, and increased construction costs" dampened housing demand particularly toward the end of Q1 2026. Middle Eastern investors - significant contributors to Indian real estate - adopted a notably cautious stance during the period.
The long-term trajectory remains positive : YoY annual sales are still growing. But the quarterly softening, combined with rising unsold inventory and elevated funding costs, means that the question of which markets to buy in has become more consequential than it was a year ago.
National averages obscure significant divergence across India's eight major residential markets. The table below is drawn from Knight Frank India and ANAROCK full-year 2025 data.
| City | 2025 Sales Trend | Price Growth | Market Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai MMR | +5% YoY | +7% | Largest market by volume; consistent end-user demand |
| Pune | +20% YoY | Moderate | Strongest Q1 2025 growth; affordability-driven |
| Chennai | +12% YoY | Moderate | Highest annual growth in 2025; infrastructure-led |
| Hyderabad → | +4% YoY | +13% | One of few cities growing both sales and prices simultaneously |
| Bengaluru | Flat | +12% | Stable volumes; premium supply driving price gains |
| NCR | −9% YoY | +19% | Sharpest sales decline - high prices compressing demand |
| Kolkata | −4% YoY | Low | Consistent underperformer in this upcycle |
| Ahmedabad | Flat | Low | Stable affordability market; limited premium play |
Hyderabad's position in this comparison deserves closer attention. It did not lead on sales volume - Mumbai did that with 97,188 units. It did not lead on price appreciation - NCR's 19% was higher. What it did was rarer: it grew sales and delivered strong price appreciation simultaneously, in a year when most cities managed one or the other. And when Q1 2026 turned difficult nationally, Hyderabad held positive at +1% while the national market fell 7%.
That consistency is what makes it worth examining in depth.
The analysis below draws on Knight Frank India Q1 2026, Knight Frank Full Year 2025, ANAROCK Q1 2026, JLL India Q1 2026, and Telangana IGR registration data. All figures are from these tier-1 sources unless explicitly flagged otherwise.
When most major Indian cities posted declines in residential sales during Q1 2026, Hyderabad quietly held its ground. According to Knight Frank India's Q1 2026 report, Hyderabad home sales touched 9,541 units - a marginal 1% rise year-on-year. That number looks modest on its face. Read alongside the broader context - overall sales across India's top eight cities fell 4% that same quarter - it's a statement of underlying market health.
The price story is even more pointed. The weighted average residential price in Hyderabad reached ₹8,211 per sq ft in Q1 2026, up 9% year-on-year. Full-year 2025 data showed 13% price appreciation - the second highest among India's eight major tracked cities, behind only NCR's 19%. The difference: NCR achieved its price growth alongside a 9% sales decline. Hyderabad achieved it while growing sales.
The honest summary: Hyderabad is not the cheapest market, nor the most glamorous headline. What the data shows consistently, across multiple quarters and multiple data sources, is a market whose fundamentals - employment, supply discipline, infrastructure investment - are doing what fundamentals are supposed to do in a tightening cycle: absorb pressure without breaking.
Within Hyderabad, the westward expansion corridor - stretching through Gachibowli, Kokapet, Tellapur, and Kollur - has been the engine of the city's residential premium story.
Land prices in this zone set records in 2025: Raidurg (Knowledge City) reached ₹177 crore per acre in government auctions; Kokapet's Neopolis zone followed at ₹155 crore per acre. These are not developer estimates - these are government auction outcomes.
Within this corridor, Kollur occupies a specific position worth understanding.
Location: ORR Exit 2 provides direct access to Gachibowli, the Financial District, and HITEC City - Hyderabad's primary employment belt - within a 20–30 minute commute window.
Growth corridor: Kollur sits within the Kollur–Tellapur–Ameenpur belt identified across multiple 2025 market reviews as a key residential growth zone, with rapid apartment launches and strong absorption.
Metro Phase II: Kollur lies on the planned Metro Phase II expansion corridor (projected 2026–28 completion). Historically, metro-adjacent localities in Indian cities have seen 8–12% appreciation once connectivity improves.
Entry price: Current apartment pricing of ₹7,000–7,500 per sq ft sits meaningfully below Kokapet (₹9,000+ per sq ft) - offering buyers exposure to West Hyderabad's growth story at a lower base.
Developer activity: The area has seen rapid new apartment launches from established developers, reflecting institutional confidence in the corridor's long-term demand profile.
A note on projections: Figures such as 5-year price appreciation and projected ROI referenced in some market reports originate from developer and broker research rather than Knight Frank or ANAROCK. Treat these as directional. The structural arguments - ORR connectivity, Metro Phase II, employment proximity - are better anchored in verified infrastructure and planning data.
The question any buyer should ask about Kollur is not whether appreciation projections from developer research will materialise - those should always be treated with appropriate scepticism. The more durable question is whether the structural factors are real: Is the ORR connectivity genuine? (Yes.) Is Metro Phase II in the planning pipeline? (Yes, on the approved corridor.) Is employment-driven demand in West Hyderabad structurally supported? (The JLL Q1 2026 data on corporate land seller dominance in Hyderabad suggests institutional developers are betting it is.)
Kollur's current price of ₹7,000–8000 per sq ft against Kokapet's ₹9,000+ is a 17–23% discount for adjacency to the same employment catchment. That kind of relative value, in a supply-disciplined city, is what patient buyers typically look for.
Pre-sales (bookings) measure homes agreed to sell - a future commitment, not current cash. Collections are the actual instalments received as construction progresses over 2–4 years. Revenue is recognised only at handover or specific milestones, which can be years after booking. The three diverge significantly in a fast-growing market - which is why Godrej, Prestige, and Lodha can all describe the same period through entirely different financial lenses, and all be technically accurate.
Based on Knight Frank India data, Hyderabad recorded 4% residential sales growth in 2025 and 13% price appreciation - one of the few major cities to grow both simultaneously. In Q1 2026, it held +1% sales growth despite a 7% national decline (ANAROCK). The QTS ratio of 5.8 quarters signals supply-demand balance. Risks include a sharp Q3 2025 sales dip (−16% QoQ), rising inventory, and potential NRI demand softening. On balance, for buyers with a 5–10 year horizon, Hyderabad's structural fundamentals are among the strongest in the current cycle.
Kollur's case rests on verified structural factors: ORR Exit 2 connectivity to the Financial District and HITEC City; its position within the Kollur–Tellapur–Ameenpur growth belt; and current pricing of ₹7,000–7,500 per sq ft - meaningfully below Kokapet's ₹9,000+. Its inclusion on the planned Metro Phase II corridor adds a medium-term infrastructure catalyst. ROI figures cited in developer research should be treated as directional, not independently verified.
There is no single answer - the right market depends on investment horizon, budget, and risk appetite. Chennai and Hyderabad showed the strongest annual sales growth in 2025. Mumbai remains the largest and most liquid market. NCR delivered the highest price appreciation (19%) but the steepest sales decline (−9%), suggesting price growth may be suppressing demand. For buyers seeking balance - sales growth, price appreciation, and supply discipline simultaneously - Hyderabad's data profile is among the most consistent in the current cycle.
Look at three ratios together: (1) Collections relative to bookings - if collections consistently lag, the developer may be over-indexing on launches vs. completions. (2) Net debt-to-equity - Lodha at 0.23x is conservative; Prestige at 0.65x is manageable but worth monitoring at this growth pace. (3) EBITDA margins - 30% is commonly cited as the industry baseline; sustained compression below this level warrants scrutiny of cost discipline. Pre-sales alone is the least informative metric for assessing developer quality.
All data referenced in this article has been drawn from the following tier-1 research and regulatory sources:
Knight Frank India: Q1 2025 Residential & Office Market Report; H1 2025 India Real Estate; Full Year 2025 Residential Report; Q1 2026 Hyderabad Residential Data
ANAROCK Research: Q1 2026 India Residential Market Report - cited via Anuj Puri, Chairman, ANAROCK Group
JLL India: India Real Estate Investment Q1 2026 Report (published April 22, 2026)
Telangana IGR: Property registration data, FY25–26 (publicly available)
Godrej Properties: Q4 FY26 Investor Presentation & Earnings Call; regulatory filings (BSE/NSE)
Prestige Estates: Q4 FY26 Investor Presentation & Earnings Call (May 2026); regulatory filings
Lodha (Macrotech): Q4 FY26 Investor Presentation & Earnings Call; regulatory filings (BSE/NSE)
Note on Kollur micro-market data: Figures for 5-year price appreciation and projected ROI referenced in some external reports originate from developer and broker research rather than Knight Frank or ANAROCK. These are flagged accordingly in the body of this article and should be treated as directional. Structural data - ORR connectivity, Metro Phase II alignment, employment corridor proximity, government land auction prices - is drawn from public infrastructure records and tier-1 research.