Home buying behavior is a forever changing pattern. It changes from time to time and place to place. What is important now might not had any relevance a couple of decades ago and might not have a couple of decades later.
Present day home buyers appears to be a scared lot. As per a recent report, security has emerged as the top most priority while buying homes.
With families’ size shrinking and one or both the members travelling constantly especially in NCR and Mumbai, safety of the families is indeed a prime concern. Given that most of the burglaries and thefts go unreported, people are considering the projects and housing societies with 24*7 security system.
In Delhi-NCR, over 70 percent of home buyers search for homes with CCTV, ET Realty reported. To tune in with the concern, developers too are offering projects where CCTVs are installed not just at the entrance gate but in the lift lobbies and parks as well, so residents feel safe.
Another factor that too seem to have emerged lately as the top most search criteria is water availability. In Gurugram, about 77 percent of the buyers are looking for homes with rainwater harvesting system in place so as to ensure the water supply all the time.
Possession is still one of the most important criteria when it comes home buying decision. Witnessing the slew of stalled projects across the top cities, over 70% of consumers people are not ready for the uncertain wait for their homes and are scouting for ready-to-move-in homes more than under-construction ones.
Swimming pool has also emerged as one of the most popular search criteria among NCR, Bengaluru, Kolkatta and Pune buyers. People in  Kolkata, Pune and Bengaluru prefer one or two balconies, whereas Mumbai buyers doesn’t prefer any balcony.
In terms of size, Â 3BHK is most preferred in Greater Noida and Gurugram, a 2BHK is more popular in Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai while Mumbai prefers 1BHK flats.Â
 Some more real estate trends here.