Why Trust Has Become Real Estate's Most Powerful Currency

For decades, the Indian housing conversation revolved around price, locality, and appreciation potential. Today, that framework is rapidly evolving. Speaking about this change in homebuyers, Ankur Parmar, Chief Marketing Officer at Mahindra Lifespaces, says, “Homebuyers in India are now prioritising quality of life over pure asset purchase. Their decisions focus on the overall living experience, wellness and lifestyle amenities, sustainability, comfort, natural light, flexible layouts, and future-ready design, rather than just location and price.”

He adds, “The idea of a ‘good location’ is shifting toward modern connectivity via highways and metro networks. Post-Covid, buyers prefer larger homes and meaningful balcony spaces that balance indoor and outdoor living.”

A growing segment, Parmar says, also views green homes as the real-estate equivalent of EVs, actively seeking sustainability. This is reflected in the brands integrated, sustainable cities, MWCC (1,500 acres) and MWCJ (3,500 acres), which deliver a balanced mix of sustainability, spaciousness, infrastructure, comfort, and nature at scale.

Residential Marketing Shifts: The Rise of Experience-Led Storytelling

Speaking about how residential marketing is evolving across markets and buyer segments, Parmar says, “Residential marketing is shifting from feature-based communication to experience-led storytelling focused on lifestyle fit, emotional value, and everyday relevance.”

“Buyers today,” he reveals, “are well-informed through digital research and reviews, and expect clear value, transparency, and responsible development. With increasing affluence, buyers are showing a clearer desire to support responsible, sustainable developments, even as their understanding of sustainability continues to evolve.”

He adds, “As real-estate brands increasingly represent long-term trust, marketing is moving toward authentic narratives about design intent, community experience, convenience, and sustainable living. While many players are catching up with the changing requirements, Mahindra Lifespaces is building green homes since 2014 and likes to keep its communication real, transparent, and benefit-led, simplifying even complex aspects like sustainability to build genuine customer trust.”

How Younger Buyers Assess Trust and Credibility in Real Estate

Addressing how younger buyers now evaluate credibility, value, and trust before engaging with a developer, Parmar says, “For younger buyers, a home is the most important purchase of their lives, and credibility is assessed through tangible proof rather than promotional language. They conduct deep digital research, scan online sentiment, reviews, and peer feedback, and closely track delivery records, disclosures, timelines, and verified performance data before engaging. Credibility today is about evidence of expertise and consistent execution, not just claims.”

“This cohort,” he says, “is also more conscious of environmental impact, with sustainability resonating strongly, much like the shift towards EVs in the auto sector.”

At the same time, it is encouraging to see that younger buyers are open to learning, keen to understand what a developer is doing differently to improve everyday living, and clear about why a particular brand is worth trusting. We see the success of our Net Zero projects across cities as clear validation of younger homebuyers’ trust and their growing commitment to sustainability and delivery, adds Parmar.

Rethinking the Property Marketing Funnel for Today’s Buyers

On how the traditional property marketing funnel is being reshaped and where developers need to double down today, Parmar explains, “While all stages in the marketing funnel still exist as it is a high-involvement category, buyers today are spoiled for choice at every point and move back and forth between online research, social content, portal comparisons, reviews, and physical visits.”

He adds, “They expect the best experience across both digital and on-ground touchpoints, with complete and transparent information throughout.”

Developers, therefore, need to double down everywhere, delivering consistent messaging and experience across channels while speaking the same language at every stage.

This means investing in immersive and informative tools such as walkthroughs, 360-degree experiences, virtual reality, and other interactive formats like Metaverse that support an information-hungry customer, while ensuring these digital touchpoints integrate seamlessly with on-site validation.

Online Discovery vs Offline Conversion in Homebuying

Explaining how developers balance immersive online discovery with the need to drive high-intent offline conversions, Parmar says, “Online discovery now forms the foundation of the homebuying journey, allowing buyers to understand offerings and reviews before stepping offline, which saves time and reduces uncertainty. At the same time, home buying remains a high-involvement and largely phygital decision, whether for end use or investment, where touch and feel play crucial roles in the final decision-making process.”