If 2008 was the year of shock, 2009 the year of discovery & introspection and 2010 the follow-up experiment; the year 2011 promises to be the year of comfort level for the Indian real estate sector. It seems the turmoil of the last couple of years has made everybody come out intelligent–investors, developers, bankers and end users.
The CBI investigation into the 2G spectrum scam is learnt to have zeroed on how lobbyist Nira Radia and former telecom minister A Raja circumvented all the norms to benefit the real estate company Unitech. The loss caused to the public exchequer and corresponding gain to the realty company is not confined to mere arbitrary granting of second-generation mobile telephony licenses.
The Chennai-based Shriram Group, is expanding its realty business Shriram Properties. As per the plans the Group will invest around Rs 1,500 crore over the next three years in developing various residential projects. The zero-debt company says 60 per cent of this investment, or around Rs 900 crore, would be funded through equity, from existing or new investors.
The 10th National Convention (NATCON) of Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI) is being held in New Delhi, Dec 16-17, and the focus this year is on the affordable housing. The convention will be attended by more than 600 leading real estate developers, heads of financial institutions, fund managers, bankers, state & central government representatives, realty professionals and international experts. The convention will highlight the areas of concern in providing affordable housing to meet the growing need of creating inclusive development in the sector.
While there seems to be a crisis of credibility in the real estate sector on part of the investors, a survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) says otherwise. It says the traditional investment options like gold, government bonds and bank fixed deposits are considered old school.
Keys Hotels, one of the leading players in the mid-market brand of New York-based Berggruen Hotels, has announced plans to develop 15 hotels across India in the next three years with a total investment of Rs 550 crore.
The organized segment of Indian real estate is only about two decades old. It could be seen as understandable that true governance is too much to ask at this early point. However, we have reached a decisive point in 2010, which was indisputably one of scams.
Capital market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has apprehensions over the feasibility of real estate investment trusts (REITs) in India. The regulator had issued draft guidelines for REITs a couple of years ago, but may drop its plan to introduce it now.
The real estate finance advisory has two primary areas of business focus-Capital Structuring Advisory for Local Developers and Strategic Investment Advisory for Capital Investors.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India has expressed displeasure about the proposed Model Real Estate (Regulation of Development) Act in its present form, saying it could lead to an escalation of prices of housing stock in the country by Rs 300 per sq ft.