Track2Realty Exclusive: “Revival is too strong a statement in today’s market,” says Anshuman Magazine, CMD of CBRE South Asia, adding that any upward movement is a healthy sign when it was expected to be stagnant not very long ago. The assessment of Magazine may be a generic overview of the realty market across the country, but when it comes to the Delhi-NCR real estate, it sounds like at prophetic statement.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The image of the tall crane or earth moving equipment standing amid construction rubble is a ubiquitous one across our cities. In projects involving malls, housing complexes and tech parks, the visual signals are strong and clear: real estate is booming in India.
Track2Realty: Strongly opposing the new property tax structure proposed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), realty estate developers body MCHI-CREDAI has extended support to the consumer agitation against the new slabs.
Track2Realty Roundtable
Panelists—Dr Anil Sharma, CMD, Amrapali Group
Sunil Dahiya—Sr Vice President, NAREDCO & MD Vigneshwara Developers
Harmit Chawla—MD, HCorp Realty
PK Tripathi—President, Unitech
Moderator—Ravi Sinha, CEO & Managing Editor, Track2Realty
Ravi Sinha: Many of the developers have realised that focus on execution and not the land bank is the key. Companies which overleveraged their balance sheets or branched out into non-core areas have failed. Developers have also learnt it the hard way that real estate is a micro market business and fancy expectations of going pan-India can boomerang. Are not these tough lessons?
Track2Realty Exclusive: India Outlook remains positive
Though the Indian economy recorded one of the lowest growth rates in recent years in 2012, indications are that the economic growth rate may have bottomed out and is likely to improve from the current levels over the next six months or so.
Track2Realty Exclusive: With the economy booming in India, the developers are to play an important part as the builders of the nation and are definite to become the most important stakeholders in urban development of the country.
Ravi Sinha: I have a question here, and I will be very frank with Mr Tripathi. Any journalist who writes on real estate finds it very amusing that the sector has always tried to put the ball in the government’s court. Since you have been part of the government, how far will you agree to this?
Track2Realty Exclusive: The Indian real sector has evoked mixed response to the Union Budget 2013-14, though by and large there is optimism within the sector. Here are some of the responses—
Track2Realty Exclusive: Wading in troubled water, when the Indian real sector was looking for direction through the Union Budget 2013-14, the Finance Minister seems to have given symbolic relief to the sector by encouraging the home buyers but at the same time has denied the sector some of the long pending substantive demands. To allow an additional tax deduction of Rs 1, 00,000 on interest rate for home loans up to Rs 25 lakh, the Union Budget has aimed to give more boost in low cost housing segment.
Track2Realty Exclusive: These are the logical road to reforms and cutting time on approvals. Such a move will go well with the government and thus reinforce the confidence of the buyers also.