“How long can a sector survive which is borrowing at 48 per cent from private lenders to serve the interest of previous debt raised at much lower rate,” asks a banker. His concern is not without valid reasons. Developers experimented with all funding options but still many of them are now being forced to seek other sources of funding which not only comes at a significantly higher cost but also where the source of fund is unregulated.
In the evaluation of sustainability of a housing market, the absorption of office space is the prime indicator across the world. After all, it is the economic activity and the job magnet that fuels the demand for new houses. The city of Mumbai has always been blessed on that count due to demand and supply dynamics.
When Roshan Abbas, a property broker operating out of Mira Road of Western Suburb, claimed that the region would be the catalyst of housing revival in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), many thought this to be claims of a broker glorifying his catchment area. Some of the critics even dismissed it as another marketing stunt on the eve of the festive season of Navratra.
No other residential micro market of India has arguably weathered as many challenges and controversies as Noida Extension. Its inception as a separate zone, other than Noida & Greater Noida, did lend credence to conspiracy theories against the farmers that culminated into land acquisition litigation. Since then it has been a sordid saga of project delivery uncertainties and homebuyers endless wait; not to speak of the additional charges levied as against the compensation amount hiked to the farmers.
Over 75 per cent of the total 3,540 live projects with total outstanding investments worth over Rs 14 lakh crore attracted by the real estate sector across India remained non-starter as of financial year 2014-15, noted a just-concluded study by apex industry body ASSOCHAM.
Track2Realty Investment Magnet Report 2015 tries to decode the alphabets of India’s housing market. The editorial team has not invented these alphabetic connotations and everyone in the sector is well aware of the alphabetic practices as well, yet we simplify it for the average investors and homebuyers who often forget the basics that make their fortunes vary. Familiarity with the given A to Z is often the difference between a skilled homebuyer and a novice.
Some key findings that indicate the aspiration quotient and standing of the Indian real estate:
88% Indians find real estate is still best asset class to invest
72% believe pre-launch or early stage of construction is best bargain
78% maintain upcoming locations give better returns than prime localities
84% homebuyers are sulking & repent their home buying decision
46% homebuyers have too serious issues with the developer to reconcile
In the last five years of our editorial journey our constant endeavor has been to establish Track2Realty as a constructive critic of Indian real estate. In the process we have also succeeded in setting up a few benchmark along the way where Track2Realty has been accepted as the milestone of high quality journalism.
The meteoric growth of e-commerce in India in recent years was broadly seen as a threat to physical retail. Seemingly bearing this out, ASSOCHAM states that e-commerce has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~30%, while retail sector growth has been at 15% CAGR over the last five years.
In a price-sensitive market like Pune, affordable housing is always in demand. The city’s working and earning middle class is constantly on the lookout for good homes available within their budget. This festive season, the Pune market is showing signs of increased activity as always, but the onus is on homes which fit people’s budgets.