Gated Plots: What 2025 Taught Real Estate & 2026 Looks Big

Case studies emerging from leisure belts like Karjat, including Sugee’s gated plotted project, hint at why this format may influence real estate strategies in 2026.

As 2025 draws to a close, Indian real estate finds itself at an inflection point. The year will be remembered not for headline-grabbing launches or speculative excess, but for a quieter, more telling shift in buyer behaviour. Across urban India, particularly in leisure-linked corridors, the definition of a “good real-estate investment” began to change.

While apartments and ready homes continued to anchor primary residential demand, 2025 saw gated plotted communities emerge from the margins into the mainstream conversation — especially in the second-home and lifestyle-investment segment. What started as a niche preference among a few informed buyers has now evolved into a format many developers, landowners and investors are taking seriously.

Industry data supports this shift. Multiple real-estate consultancies and homebuyer sentiment surveys through 2024–25 have pointed to a steady rise in interest for plotted developments, particularly among buyers under 45. The reasons are consistent: lower entry points compared to villas, clearer long-term appreciation in emerging corridors, flexibility in construction timelines, and a growing discomfort with over-standardised housing.

But perhaps the most important learning of 2025 was this: buyers are no longer choosing between freedom and security — they want both.

 The gated plot proposition: autonomy without anxiety

Raw land has always held emotional appeal in India. Yet for decades, concerns around title clarity, approvals, infrastructure and long gestation periods kept many buyers away. Gated plotted developments, as they evolved in 2025, attempted to bridge this trust gap.

In this model, developers and land partners take responsibility for due diligence, land conversion, internal infrastructure and access control, while buyers retain the freedom to design and build at their own pace. The result is a hybrid format — part asset, part lifestyle choice — that aligns closely with how modern buyers think about risk and reward.

Much of this evolution played out in peri-urban leisure belts — Alibaug, Lonavala, Karjat, Goa, Nandi Hills — where infrastructure upgrades and improved connectivity converged with post-pandemic lifestyle shifts. Among these, Karjat stood out in 2025 as one of Maharashtra’s most active second-home destinations, benefiting from its proximity to both Mumbai and Pune.

A notable example of this trend is a gated plotted development currently taking shape in Karjat through a collaboration between Sugee Group, ACE Dealmakers Ltd., and Purnasya, which is leading the project’s go-to-market strategy and revenue management. The partnership reflects a broader industry move toward collaborative models, where land specialists, trusted developers and consumer-insight partners work in tandem rather than in silos.

“2025 made one thing very clear,” observes Charmie Kanabar, Founder of Purnasya. “Today’s buyer is far more informed and far less impulsive. They are willing to wait, willing to customise, and willing to think long-term — but only if the fundamentals are solid. Gated plotted formats worked this year because they offered autonomy without anxiety.”

According to Kanabar, this shift is not just about second homes or weekend living. “Even from an investment lens, plotted communities offer advantages that many traditional formats struggle with — lower holding costs, clearer exit visibility in growth corridors, and the ability to phase capital deployment over time.”

 What developers and landowners learned in 2025

For developers and land aggregators, 2025 was equally instructive. Rising construction costs, regulatory scrutiny and slower absorption in some apartment micro-markets pushed many to re-evaluate risk exposure. Plotted developments, by contrast, allowed faster monetisation of land parcels while reducing construction-led uncertainties.

“For us, the learning was about alignment,” say Manish Jhunjhunwala and Punit Wadhwa, Directors at ACE Dealmakers Ltd. “We had land with strong potential, but the market today demands more than just location. 2025 showed that when land expertise is combined with brand credibility and a clear go-to-market strategy, the value created for both end users and investors increases significantly.”

They point out that buyers are now asking sharper questions — not just about pricing, but about ecosystem readiness, long-term livability and resale relevance. “The gated plotted format answered many of those questions in a single proposition.”

Looking ahead to 2026: from alternative to outperformer?

If 2025 validated the gated plotted model, 2026 could be the year it outperforms expectations.

Market observers suggest that as affordability pressures persist in core urban markets, and as buyers continue to prioritise flexibility and asset security, plotted communities may see stronger absorption than many mid-segment villa and second-home apartment formats. The appeal cuts across profiles — from families planning future homes to investors seeking land-backed stability in high-growth corridors.

Kanabar believes the next phase will be about refinement, not expansion. “The winners in 2026 won’t be those launching the most plots, but those creating the most credible ecosystems — with clear titles, realistic pricing, thoughtful infrastructure and honest communication. The buyer has changed, and the market will have to change with them.”

 A structural shift, not a passing phase 

As the industry enters 2026, it is becoming clear that gated plotted developments are not a temporary response to a post-pandemic moment. They reflect a deeper recalibration in how Indians think about ownership, investment and control.

In a market long dominated by towers and turnkey solutions, 2025 quietly re-introduced the value of land — structured, secure and thoughtfully planned. And if the lessons of the past year hold, gated plots may well move from being an alternative choice to a defining pillar of India’s next real-estate cycle.