Track2Realty: While buying a home in India, stamp duty and registration charges are the most significant additional costs above the base price of the property itself. Close on the heels of this expense come the costs involved in registering with the local electricity board and having a meter fitted.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The real estate has by and large welcomed the move to bring the slum redevelopment and rehabilitation projects under the ambit of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It has been a wish that hat was granted even before the sector could get vocal with the wish list. It is hence no surprise that some of the adjectives that the Finance Minister’s announcement could earn have been ‘a game changer’ or ‘a corporate catalyst’ and ‘investment magnet’.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Residential market may be the demand driver of the property segment across the country, but experience suggests only the markets where commercial property does well succeeds in keeping the momentum up for long. The conventional wisdom of property market is as relevant in the end-user driven markets like Coimbatore as in the speculative markets of metro cities.
Track2Realty: The logistics and warehousing market in India attracted steady transaction activity, with large sized transactions of around 100,000–250,000 sq. ft. reported during the first half of 2014. The Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), Chennai and Mumbai accounted for the bulk of leasing activity during H1 2014. The automotive, FMCG, commerce, and third party logistics sectors were the principle drivers of demand for warehousing space in the country during the first half of the year, according to the CBRE report, India Logistics MarketView – H1 2014.
Track2Realty: Developers are offering a variety of payment schemes to attract buyers during the upcoming festive season. It is imperative that they understand what each payment plan entails. The attraction of delayed payments, no EMIs, etc. has to be viewed in conjunction with the restrictions such as inability to sell the property within a shorter investment period, or before construction is completed.
Track2Realty: Demand for housing across leading cities remained subdued in the first half of 2014. Owing to high pricing and lending rates, buyer preference remained focused on secondary and emerging markets of leading cities; while developers began to offer discounts to boost sales ahead of the festive season. This general slackness in housing sales has been primarily triggered off by the Affordability Index going down in certain cities; although home buyers have been investing in markets that they perceive to be offering value for the product, as well as the preferred location.
Track2Realty: Pune is no longer the small city whose only claim to fame was its proximity to the country’s financial capital, whose real estate market survived on rural demand emerging from the hinterlands of Maharashtra.
Track2Realty: During 2013, the investment potential for residential properties in the financial capital of Mumbai remained largely flat and unexciting. Most serious property investors in Mumbai who chose residential property are now content to exit with moderate profits.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Analysts believe most capital in Indian real estate was invested at the exchange rate of around Rs 40-45 to a dollar with the expectation of 25 per cent returns. The currency depreciation has impacted the sector adversely as foreign investors would wait for the full cycle to play out and exchange rate to settle down before taking any fresh investment calls. Even if rupee comes down to below Rs. 60 an exit would mean a loss of around 30 per cent.
Track2Realty: Pune is no longer the small city whose only claim to fame was its proximity to the country’s financial capital, whose real estate market survived on rural demand emerging from the hinterlands of Maharashtra. Today, the perfect blend of its manufacturing and services sectors make Pune a standalone economic powerhouse in all respects, with a rate of job generation that is hard to match.