The RICS, an international, self regulatory professional body relating to real estate, has called for a mechanism for consumer protection and fair practices in real estate transactions. This will also help increase domestic and foreign investments in this sector.
The Confederation of Real Developers Association of India has said the Government could consider a scheme along the lines of the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit allowed in the US with the benefits going directly to the consumer.
I would say I am relatively dissatisfied with the focus of budget on realty sector in the last ten years. Our expectations have never been fulfilled and I now demand investments in infrastructure sector should be set as a priority, as good infrastructure is very necessary for the economic growth of the country.
The 2009 Mr. Salim committee report (parliamentary standing committee on housing) lays great emphasis on accelerating housing supply through increasing housing stock and promoting rental housing. It also refers to 24 million home shortage which will soon be 27 Million and ever increasing.
India is today facing a unique challenge of dealing with high inflation, while continuing on its high growth trajectory. Boosting of supply in all industries, including through incentivizing of infrastructure development, streamlining of regulatory process to reduce time and costs for business and tax incentives for low cost housing are all important areas which will help reduce inflation and also enable growth rates to be maintained.
Value and Affordable housing remains a segment where government should definitely continue to provide developers with tax free status which was available earlier. Rather than restricting it to unit sizes as in the past of 1,000 / 1,500 sft per housing unit, the government could instead have a maximum per unit value of say Rs. 15 lakhs for units near Tier I Cities, Rs. 10 lakhs for Tier II Cities.
There will be significant changes in term of the redevelopment of Mumbai seafront with the revamping of the Coastal Regulation Zone norms that direct construction in these areas. Numerous old structures and unregulated residential developments that have been awaiting this signal in the areas in question will now be redeveloped.
While the Indian realtors have often cribbed on the issue of under representation of the sector in respective budget, they have seldom admitted the fact that the real estate has been a divided house over their wants and needs. Navin M Raheja, MD, Raheja Developers suggests a way out and asserts that tax sops given to real estate will actually increase the government revenue.
Don’t wait for the right time to buy a house expecting a price correction, say seven out of ten home buyers who are on house hunting. Contrary to the price correction reports, the property search of prospective buyers and sellers across the country have convinced them that cheaper house in 2011 are a fancy and wishful thinking. At least those who have done their home work on property search are pretty sure about it.
As world business and political leaders today convene at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2011 in Davos, Switzerland, Jones Lang LaSalle Chief Executive Officer Colin Dyer is speaking on four commercial real estate trends that are emerging as dominant forces supporting the global economic recovery in 2011.