A year back at the end of 2016, the doom mongers were out in force. In our office sector there were those who were predicting a slump in demand, uncertainty around the new Government in the US, the scare stories around automation and AI, the performance of the top 5 Indian ITeS companies, exaggerations around layoffs and even the dramas of corporate Boards of great Indian technology companies.
The first quarter of the year 2017 started with demonetization, a bold move undertaken by the government which was directed towards enhancing the liability of all the transactions and to make everyone and everything in the realty market accountable.
A Track2Realty pan-India survey finds that despite of high spending pattern of North Indians in general and Delhi-NCR in particular their investment and aspiration for a second home is far less than the citizens of Mumbai & Pune.
It is the lack of proper disclosure that often results in litigations. Across the world, disclosure laws vary from state to state, even down to the city and local governance level. Though disclosure norms are very poor in India, the developers who conceal relevant information about the housing project can still be taken to courts for failure to disclose.
As home buyers rise up the economic ladder and get more exposed to the lifestyles of the rich in other countries, they demand similar services here in India as well. This phenomenon then becomes a ‘brand driver’ for developers who possess the skills and resources to cater to this segment.
Dissatisfaction among the homebuyers was noticed at every level, and every set of buyers had their own set of grievances. Of course, the level & extent of dissatisfaction is different in different phases of house purchase and ownership.
The slowdown was predicted much ahead to the introduction of GST and RERA and we were prepared for it. Whenever there is a new law or regulation, changes are bound to impact any market and we must cautiously tread the transition phase. At the same time, the impact usually does not last long as people adapt to changes quickly. We continue to see good traction in our business despite these market challenges. Our business is based on certain core values, which we amplify to face tough challenges.
It is true that the GST burden is today a huge deterrent in the housing market and a large share of homebuyers are now waiting for the project to be ready as the ready to move apartment won’t attract GST burden. The problem, however, is with millions of buyers who are in the mid cycle of construction and the GST has suddenly added to their already over stretched budget in the housing market.
The report states that 10,785 acres or around 18% of lake area has been encroached in 1,547 lakes in the two districts and also names over 75 companies in a list of offenders. The report blames almost all the prominent developers in the city. This includes developers like Prestige Group, Sobha Limited, Bagmane Group, NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Limited) and Oasis Apartments, among others.
With the reasonable expectation of a roof over the head not very long ago, the real estate boom in this part of the world has scaled up the liberty of choice for the average homebuyers. While the aspirations of even the middle and lower middle income with moderate budget have gone up, there are very many residential projects launched in recent times that seem to fill the gap with the promise of hi-tech amenities, luxurious lifestyle, lush green surroundings within the range of Rs. 30-70 lakhs.