Track2Realty: Less than ten years ago, the concept of luxury homes was firmly tied to a city’s most expensive inner locations. ‘Pin code value’ was the watchword, and developers focused on the luxury segment operated within those boundaries.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The real estate has by and large welcomed the move to bring the slum redevelopment and rehabilitation projects under the ambit of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It has been a wish that hat was granted even before the sector could get vocal with the wish list. It is hence no surprise that some of the adjectives that the Finance Minister’s announcement could earn have been ‘a game changer’ or ‘a corporate catalyst’ and ‘investment magnet’.
Track2Realty: It is usually believed that any sort of affordable housing reduces the property values of the neighboring properties as well. In the Indian market context, however, various studies as well as on-ground experiences in India reveal that this age-old preconception does not hold true.
Track2Realty: Describing Union Finance Minister’s Arun Jaitley’s maiden budget as “half glass full” and half filled with hopes, realtors’ apex body CREDAI Chairman Lalit Kumar Jain said it met with some expectations and left some out.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The financial capital of India, Mumbai has always been reflective of the business confidence of the country. It is a market that shows the way forward for the investors in general and India Inc in particular, be it on the Sensex or the real estate market. It is hence assumed that if the confidence index in the city is low, it will have a percolating effect on the rest of the markets across the country.
Track2Realty: Maharashtra Government will soon come out with cluster development policy. This was announced on Friday, June 27, by Sachin Ahir, Minister of State for Housing, Slum Improvement, Housing Repairs and Reconstruction, Urban Land Ceiling, Industries, Mines, Transport, Environment and Parliamentary Affairs. He was speaking at the real estate conclave organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Mumbai.
Track2Realty: The global house price boom continued during the year to Q1 (first quarter) 2014, gathering pace. Despite strongly rising housing markets in Taiwan and the Philippines, the momentum seems to be passing momentarily from Asia, where interventionist authorities have slowed housing markets in Hong Kong, Singapore and China. Instead, action is shifting to the Pacific, the Gulf, and (less forcefully) to Europe, which are all seeing strong price rises.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Mumbai real estate has historically been the red hot property, something worth aspiration of millions. The island city with less supply and more demand with ever increasing migration only meant that even if the market deviated from the conventional wisdom of economics in demand & supply dynamics, it still would be a sellers’ market.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Has populism been behind the Maharashtra Government notification on affordable housing is the question that everyone within the built environment of real estate is today asking. There is a general feeling among the developers that the Maharashtra Government notification for the builders developing a housing project on a 4,000 sq m (acre) plot to reserve 20 per cent of the area for affordable housing is not in sync with the market reality.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Some of the developers believe that being a responsible corporate entity CSR forms a very important aspect of their day to day functioning. For example, Kamal Khetan, CMD, Sunteck Realty says they have formed Sunteck Foundation that is a dedicated entity which under its umbrella supports various initiatives that lead to social betterment.