While the pandemic Covid-19 had hovered like a black swan for the economy in general and the real estate market in particular, the developers across the country also woke up to the unexpected but pleasant reality that the client conversion rate had improved post the pandemic. A Track2Realty analysis.
Private Equity funds, domestic and multi-national, have become major players in the Indian real estate market, investing tens of thousands of crores. While Blackstone and Brookfield have hitherto been largest foreign investors in Indian real estate, a gamut of Japanese Private Equity giants are also making waves. Heavyweight Japanese Corporations such as Mitsui Fudson, Mitsubishi Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation and Genkai Capital too have made big-ticket investments in Indian metro cities.
The success of the Embassy Parks REIT has given global investors strong reason to increase their stake in multiple commercial assets across the country so that these could be listed under REITs in the future. Some of these global institutional investors who are eyeing the country’s real estate market via REITs include Japan’s NikkoAm StraitsTrading Asia, US’ North Carolina Fund, Taiwan’s Eastspring Investments, Malaysia’s Hwang Asia Pacific REITs and Infrastructure Fund, and Canada-based Sentry Global.
Let’s get straight into this question, which has been a concern among all stakeholders – financial planners, property owners, investors and prospective buyers – over the last few years. And only because real estate, particularly residential, did not yield the same returns as it did during its Golden Era of the early 2000s.
Unfortunately, in the name of common cause the cause is seldom common even though prima facie it appears to be. As a matter of fact, every buyer has his own definition and set of interests to get into a fight with the builder. The legitimate fight that should ideally start with the ‘conviction of being upright’ often starts with suspicion, one-upmanship, or even worse, ulterior motive.
About 40% of all the new launches in 2018 were under the affordable segment. Cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and NCR witnessed maximum launches in the affordable segment that is below INR5 million. Mumbai on the other hand witnessed more launches in the mid segment housing, in the range of INR 5-10 million.
The Indian real estate sector has always been perceived by investors across the world as attractive proposition in terms of quality assets across segments. The recent policy changes and reforms have further shaped the perception of global investors on India as these reforms are seen as India’s endeavour to given an image makeover to the real estate business.
Going by the developer’s remark, one wonders whether a real estate purchase can be termed as another expensive purchase. In a BMW purchase, for example, the buyer can look & feel the end product before one takes a final call. But in real estate it is only a promise and the product is yet to be produced.
It is not that I don’t know about it; I don’t care about it. I have rather consciously developed this image over the years. I am never ashamed or apologetic about my identity or public perception. I very much enjoy the fact that not so professionals within the built environment, fellow corrupt journalists, shady builders and most stupid breed of PR and Corporate Communication specialists (sic) maintain a safe distance with a rude journalist like me.
No one would like to admit or put on record but privately most of the developers maintain that their major investors have pulled out of market, both for land finance as well as for investment in the under-construction inventory.