Leasing and buying activity in the commercial real estate market in India remained sluggish for the first quarter ended March 31 of calendar year (CY) 2012. The total absorption of office space declined 12% in Q1 compared to the Q4 of CY 2011.
It is no more portfolio diversification that is driving the real estate developers into medical realty, it is rather a serious business as Track2Realty observes. After all, no other vertical of realty is as resilient to macro economic conditions as healthcare realty and it also needs more space than retail in the year ahead.
When the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was to announce its annual monetary policy for 2012-13 on 17th April, there were widespread concerns of slowing economy, rising inflation, trade deficit of 4 per cent of GDP and drying FDI too emerging as a grace concerns
The demand fundamentals of the India story are now focused around all cities that have sufficient economic activity, be it industrial, service sector-driven or incentive-driven programs by the State Government. In Gujarat, which has seen considerable industrial progress, the key cities of Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara come readily to mind.
Land is scarce and the only way in urbanisation is to go up where more FSI/FAR would mean increasing the supply and bringing the price down, goes an old philosophy of the Indian developers. In reality, nearly all the high rises across the Indian cities are high-end luxury projects and seem to fulfil the aspirational needs of the Richie Rich.
American property mogul Donald Trump targets India above other emerging economies, his son and business partner said, as the flamboyant tycoon looks to crack a notoriously tough real estate industry with his brand of luxury homes and hotels.
In 1959, Charles E Lindblom, the American political scientist, published a paper in the Public Administration Review entitled The Science of ‘Muddling Through’. In this, he contrasted what he called the ‘root method’ of decision-making with the ‘branch approach’.
Atul Modak: Why did bankers’ lobby not block the mutual funds then?
Pranay Vakil: Because the mutual funds lobby is larger than the bankers’ lobby. They could not do anything about it. The companies into mutual funds are so large, they might just foray into banking.
It is a highly disappointing budget. The Finance Minister has miserably failed in highlighting the importance the role of Housing in economy, employment generation, apart from the very need of housing. The announcements on ECB for affordable housing is a minor respite but still meaningless.
The Union Budget 2012-13 has left the Indian real estate sector grope with the indecision yet again and everyone is wondering whether the Finance Minister’s offer is glass half full or half empty for them.