Track2Realty-Agencies: Real estate industry and property consultants today hailed the RBI’s decision to cut key policy rates, saying that it is a positive step that would boost housing demand and encourage foreign investment in the sector.
Track2Realty Exclusive-Yearly Analysis: The unprecedented restructuring of project portfolio, selling of land bank, exiting non-core business and the job cuts have yet not led the Indian real estate into the desired comfort zone. The realization to shed the flab has on the contrary left some of the developers to outsource the project execution and pay more.
Quality has suddenly become the buzzword in the realty sector to tide over the unprecedented crisis meet with the uncertain times ahead. Builders are now hiring quality surveyors, construction project manager, energy efficiency specialists and others who can get them quick buyers.
The government has also given more time to as many as 37 Special Economic Zone developers, including Navi Mumbai SEZ, DLF Commercial Developers and Tata Consultancy Services, to execute their projects. Five SEZ developers were allowed to surrender their projects as well. But the mounting criticism is now forcing the government to eject non-serious players from SEZ.
Experts in the urban policy and planning are of the view that since none of the traditional solutions have worked, it calls for fresh approach and out-of-the-box thinking to make India slum free. Pranay Vakil, Chairman of Knight Frank India outrightly blames the ambiguous policies coming in the way of slum redevelopment. He says there is no dearth of expression of interest and even some of the international players had recently tied-up with the Indian partners for the same. He urges the Government for consistency in policy guidelines if slum free cities have to be a realty reality.
Call it the fallout of Competition Commission of India (CCI) penalty on the biggest real estate company DLF in a Gurgaon case last August, there has been a rush of complaints at the CCI against several property majors since then. According to CCI officials at least 200 complaint letters came to them against real estate players, of them around 15 were official cases.
After CREDAI now real estate developers body NAREDCO has approached the CCI seeking intervention against the alleged cement cartelisation hitting real estate developers.
Delay in real estate projects is something that invites disapproval and criticism in the collective consciousness.
Newspaper advertisements and other branding collaterals of some of the real estate projects across the country attract the eye balls for what Indians have always aspired for—International living.
The Reserve Bank’s decision to raise key policy rates by 25 basis points today is likely to have a negative impact on the real estate sector.