Hyderabad: Amid sluggish sales, several developers in Hyderabad are doling out expensive gifts — from premium motorcycles to 24-carat gold coins — to lure prospective homebuyers. Also on offer are electric vehicles, complimentary interior work and modern fixtures.One leading developer, for instance, has promised every buyer a Rs 3 lakh-worth Harley Davidson with their booking in select projects in prime pockets—Kokapet, Kukatpally, Uppal, Patancheru and Rajendranagar. On the other side of town, a developer has assured every confirmed client an EV, worth Rs 8 lakh, in the upcoming residential project located between Uppal and Ramanthapur. Gold too has become a popular ‘return gift’, despite its soaring price. A builder from Miyapur has promised buyers gold worth Rs 3 lakh with the purchase of every ready-to-move-in apartment — 2BHK or 3BHK units priced between Rs 75 lakh and Rs 85 lakh. This comes alongside free interiors for a children’s bedroom and a swanky modular kitchen.The trend is not limited to residential projects within the city. Developers marketing open plots in Mahabubnagar have adopted similar tactics, with one of them offering 10-gram gold coin to every buyer.Currently, a gram of gold costs around Rs 17,000 (approx.).Industry insiders view these schemes as attempts to accelerate sales amid a slowdown in the property market. “Whenever the market slows down, developers introduce special deals to offload unsold inventory. In most cases, the cost of these freebies is factored into the project pricing, though buyers may not be aware of the calculations,” said Ch Ramchandra Reddy, joint secretary of Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (Credai-National). Realtors argue that attracting buyers with expensive gifts is neither healthy nor sustainable for the real estate sector. “You cannot keep attracting buyers with freebies forever. If a customer genuinely wants to purchase a flat, the decision would be based on location, construction quality and pricing, not on a gift. Such schemes are primarily meant to boost short-term sales and clear unsold inventory. At best, they generate temporary interest,” said N Praveen, president of the Telangana State Realtors Association. Some realtors also point out that these promotional offers do not fall under the regulatory purview of the Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TG-RERA), which reduces the level of consumer protection.“Such schemes and incentives are essentially commercial strategies to attract buyers, and we cannot monitor them,” a TG-RERA official confirmed. “However, if a developer fails to fulfil assurances mentioned in the sale deed — including such gifts — buyers can file a complaint and necessary action will be taken against those developers.”
