Track2Realty Exclusive: There is also the question of whether sex actually is effective as ads with a little less skin and a little more elegance. While sex sells the same things that other images of wealth and control do, it triggers a lot more reaction, both positive and negative.
Track2Realty Exclusive: It seems misleading realty advertisements and promotions are not just Indian market specific but a global trend. While the Indian developers are being asked to stop misleading ads, misleading news with realty/marketing companies’ employees as potential buyers has been reported in other parts of the world.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Call it controversial, blame it to be provocative or just dismiss it against the ethos of prudish Indian culture, but sex has been the tried and tested mantra of selling in advertising. Real estate the world over has courted this formula not just with sexually inducive advertising but as a holistic mantra of marketing, even when the campaign has attracted widespread criticism.
Track2Realty Exclusive: That small builders and fly-by-night operators in the business are the reason why the government is so concerned with the misleading advertisements. Often they advertise the project launch without even getting the mandatory license and in some cases home seekers hard earned money is lost.
Track2Realty Exclusive: In India the regulation bill has been contemplated for a few years, but it is only now being actively pursued through multiple rounds of industry consultation. As a tool to drive this initiative, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA), has drafted a regulation bill laying down the necessary provisions to set up a regulatory body, defining its powers and functions, responsibilities of the developers and penalties for violations and RICS appreciates the initiative to further improve upon and facilitate a smoother introduction of the regulatory authority within the purview of the revised regulation bill.
Track2Realty: In a major setback to attempts of Maharashtra government to improve infrastructure in the Mumbai, none of the five shortlisted firms put in tender for the ambitious Mumbai TransHarbour Link (MTHL) project, the bids for which opened on Tuesday, Aug 6. It is also seen as a major blow for the Mumbai real estate market which was expecting a turnaround post this Rs. 10,000 crore ambitious project.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The realty sector may call it freeze of creative liberty but the proposed penalty clause in regulator bill on misleading ads can also bring much-needed facelift to the sector. Track2Realty takes up the issue with the industry representatives to understand why they are scared with the misleading ads clause in the proposed bill. Is it really about curbing the creativity or an attempt to rationalise over promises by the developers?
Track2Realty: India has witnessed the sharpest appreciation in real estate prices in the last couple of years, according to data from the Global Property Guide, an organization which collates real estate data from across the world.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Not all stories are such fairy tales in the covert clash of mindset between the second generation and their predecessors. When Ratnesh Shah (name changed on request) joined the real estate business that his father had raised from the scratch after a long stint as broker, he had pretty discomfort, not just with the unorganised and unregulated nature of the business, but even more with the opaque way his own organisation used to operate.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The current environment necessitates greater discipline in marketing, steered by a well-conceived strategy. Absorption levels in many cities, both in the residential and commercial segments would indicate that developers are carrying surplus inventory on their balance-sheets.