Track2Realty Exclusive: There are few developers who build integrated townships 100 km away in the outskirts of the city which is acceptable worldwide. For example, the city of Milton Keynes which is beautifully crafted township built 100 km far wide from the city of London.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Subvention schemes have gained popularity with developers in the North India, particularly after the economic slowdown. The scheme conceived by developers in conjunction with banks, allows the home loan applicant to defer EMIs and interest payments, on a property under construction, for the first two years of the loan period.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Why the US investors are shying away from investing in India? Primarily, it is the fear of change in policy as they had experienced in the past. Lack of significant growth is also another factor that is working against their investment in the Indian realty stocks.
Track2Realty Exclusive: In India the regulation bill has been contemplated for a few years, but it is only now being actively pursued through multiple rounds of industry consultation. As a tool to drive this initiative, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA), has drafted a regulation bill laying down the necessary provisions to set up a regulatory body, defining its powers and functions, responsibilities of the developers and penalties for violations and RICS appreciates the initiative to further improve upon and facilitate a smoother introduction of the regulatory authority within the purview of the revised regulation bill.
Track2Realty Exclusive: There is no clear-cut definition of the term ‘affordable’, as it is a relative concept and could have several indirect meanings in different contexts. In India, private developers primarily target luxury, high-end and upper-mid housing segment, since it fetches a premium over low income housing. This leads to a sustained supply for this segment, increasing market competitiveness for developers.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The current environment necessitates greater discipline in marketing, steered by a well-conceived strategy. Absorption levels in many cities, both in the residential and commercial segments would indicate that developers are carrying surplus inventory on their balance-sheets.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The multiplier effect of real estate sector and its capacity for generating employment is well recognized. It is estimated that the sector contributes close to 6 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of India and is estimated to be growing at 20 per cent per annum.
Track2Realty Exclusive: We are all well aware that the Indian real estate and construction sector is predominantly unorganized and fragmented and lacks professionalism. Given the free reign provided to stakeholders, consumers have often been at the receiving end of misconduct and malpractice indulged in at the hands of both developers and brokers with no mechanism available for redressal or recourse.
Track2Realty Exclusive: As corrective steps we need to form a regularized official body to maintain consistency and transparency. There were only two cities in the world which were over populated and this has gone up to 29 cities with dense population in past one decade.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Some of the companies are using online media for generating sales lead; while others are focused on customer relations. With the medium new and realty more or less reluctant in the initial stages, there are very few who are actually understanding the medium and adapting themselves to what others think as a necessary evil. Tata Housing believes in using the medium for engaging with the customers more than just generating sales leads. Brotin Banerjee, MD & CEO of Tata Housing shares with Track2Realty how they strategise their social media usage. Excerpts of the interview: