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.
It has been a difficult market to be in as a developer. Rising interest rates have impacted the customer interest in new properties moderating the flow of new funds and in addition to that high inflation and rising commodity prices have increased substantially the delivery cost for existing projects.
Despite a gloomy global outlook, foreign direct investment (FDI) clocked a 31 per cent growth to $27.5 billion during January-December 2011 period. FDI inflows for January-December 2010 stood at $21 billion.
The office market is likely to observe steady demand, especially in prime locations in leading cities like NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Replicating global trends, the Indian economy is looking towards an impending slowdown in growth due to decline in consumption expenditure, repeated hikes in interest rates and consistently high inflation.
In an effort to enhance professionalism in the industry, RICS has launched its Red Book of Valuation Standards and Global real estate agency and brokerage standards at the recently concluded real estate conference in Mumbai.
Come budget and the real estate sector, like any other industry, comes out with its own wish list. Unfortunately, while other organised industry get a patient hearing through their industry bodies, the Finance minister seem to be hardly entertaining the sector representatives till recently.
When the Reserve bank of India was announcing the CRR rate cut by 50 base points, the house wife Sugnadha Dubey, glued to TV news channels, couldn’t resist the temptation to call up her husband to know whether the EMI burden on this middle class home owner is going to ease out from next month. With no background of the world of financial jargon, her husband could only assure her with a wishful thinking.
The implementation of the revised DTC will have strong implications on SEZs. The industry requires clarity on the issues that may emerge, and how businesses would be promoted in Special Economic Zones.