Track2Realty: Real estate has expressed disappointment over the decision to hike key policy rate by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The developers and analysts say this would lead to increase in finance cost and also affect housing demand during the festive season.
Track2Realty Exclusive: A Crisil Research report maintains that absorption of new residential units across six key cities is likely to increase at a compounded annual growth rate of 7 per cent in the next two years, with Mumbai registering the highest CAGR of 14 per cent in the next two years due to huge pent-up demand. Meanwhile, the Bangalore realty market is likely to see a stable rise in sales with firms such as Sobha Developers Ltd and Prestige Estates Ltd benefiting.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The Government of India envisages one trillion dollar investment in all areas of infrastructure in the 12th five year plan (year 2012 to 2017). The Government wants fifty percent of this investment to come from the private sector participation and most of these projects are expected to utilize the Private – Public partnership (PPP) model.
Track2Realty: Mumbai’s residential segment witnessed mixed sentiments during the first six months of the year. While the city’s leasing market displayed signs of weakness during the review period, the sales market managed to hold its ground with limited capital appreciation in a few locations. These are the findings of CBRE’s latest research report on the residential sector, ‘India Residential Market View H1 2013’.
Track2Realty: Mumbai witnessed the launch of approximately 18,000 real estate units during the first half of 2013; representing an increase of 30% compared to the first half of 2012. Of the total launches, 30% were witnessed in the western suburbs of Mumbai which had the highest share in new launches at locations like Andheri, Bandra, Malad and Goregaon. Navi Mumbai contributed 24% of the overall launches with the second phase of a large township project launched in Panvel.
Track2Realty Survey: The question is what shapes public perception as far as brand premium of a real estate company is concerned? User experience and word of mouth publicity is what matters to them and advertising is nothing more than a medium to know about the new launches.
Track2Realty Exclusive: In one of the classic example, one of the advertising agency recently came out with a creative idea of suggesting the name of the project as 1947. The spacious luxury flat’s advertising was suggested to be played around the concept of freedom—from space crunch, parking mess, traffic snarls etc. with the tag line “when every lips had one word freedom this apartment was conceptualised”. Result: the agency was asked to get out of the hangover of being ‘creative’ or leave.
Track2Realty Survey: 70 per cent of the Indians who have either bought a house or are planning to buy believe brand reputation only amounts to the developers’ past projects. More than that, 78 per cent maintain the track record of timely delivery of the project is the best way to judge the developers’ brand.
Track2Realty: Citing the inordinate delay in obtaining approvals for projects that is stalling growth of the real estate sector and also the economy of the country, Lalit Kumar Jain, Chairman CREDAI and CMD, Kumar Urban development Ltd, urged the Union Government to form a high power realty committee to accelerate big ticket realty projects worth between Rs.200 Cr and Rs.1000 Cr.
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.