Track2Realty: USD 2 Billion (INR 11,854 crores) is available with private equity firms ready to be deployed in real estate, despite a drop in the PE investment in the first half of 2013, says Cushman & Wakefield’s latest report on the private equity (PE) in real estate investment.
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: ASK Property Investment Advisors (ASKPIA), the real-estate private equity arm of ASK Group has announced its fifth investment from its second real estate fund. The project which will comprise of residential apartments is expected to have a sales value of around Rs.1000 crores.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The debate of promoter versus professional driven realty companies gained momentum in the year 2012 because high attrition at the top level of realty sector has been in the news throughout the year. The Managing Directors of Indiabulls Real Estate and Peninsula Land quit in the month of October. So did the real estate heads of two property funds, Indiareit and Everstone Capital. Most of them either moved to other realty companies, starting their own ventures or shifting streams to join consultancies.
Track2Realty Exclusive-Yearly Analysis: Indian real estate companies are reeling under the burden of debt, so much so that the excess cash that they had borrowed has become a liability that they want to get rid of but are unable to relieve themselves due to various factors beyond their control. They are nonetheless trying all possible measures, from selling land bank to restructuring their portfolio. Track2Realty tries to assess the seriousness of the situation where many of the realtors are caught between the distress sale and the debt trap.
Track2Realty-Agencies: Jones Lang La-Salle (JLL) India has set up a new entity, JLL Segregated Funds Group to raise funds to invest in the Indian real estate market, and its first fund worth . 300 crore will be launched soon in the domestic market.
Track2Realty-Agencies: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved a real estate deal between global private equity giant Blackstone Group and Pune-based realty firm Embassy Group. The proposed deal involves Blackstone and Embassy Group having joint control over an entity engaged in the business of development and management of commercial and office space and related activities.
Track2Realty-Agencies: As many as 20 entities have sought SEBI’s approval to set up Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), a newly created class of pooled-in investment vehicles for real estate, private equity and hedge funds.
With overall vacancy increasing and business and investor sentiment low, why are office rents in many micro markets in Mumbai still increasing? In the recent past, many corporate decision makers have been wondering aloud why the rents and capital values in markets such as Lower Parel and BKC have risen in the last 4-5 months.
In the coming months, the pressure will be to reduce debt-to-equity ratios. With so many developers in debt already, the industry is trying to come out of the situation and 2012 will not be much different. It won’t be easy and the developers are trying various routes. Selling of developed projects, vacant land is a route taken by many developers. Several developers are now providing attractive terms to PE funds to securing funding.