Real Estate and Finance Minister seem to be at logger heads over the wants and needs of the sector. Interestingly when one proposes and the other disposes, both of them justify their stand in the name of “Aaam Aadmi”, the common man who is the consumer and the end-user. But in this cacophony of confusion the “Aaam Aadmi” is often found wondering as to who will ask for his wish list with Union Budget.
Which is beneficial, buying a property or staying on rent? In the absence of a robust and reliable tool, these decisions were traditionally taken with gut feel or with the guidance of a close relative / friend, leaving scope for error. The real estate website Makaan.com has now launched India’s first Buy vs. Rent Index.
Don’t wait for the right time to buy a house expecting a price correction, say seven out of ten home buyers who are on house hunting. Contrary to the price correction reports, the property search of prospective buyers and sellers across the country have convinced them that cheaper house in 2011 are a fancy and wishful thinking. At least those who have done their home work on property search are pretty sure about it.
Home is the most integral part of an individual, who since his birth and childhood, dreams to have a living space of his own in India. Once in a lifetime investment requires loan to accomplish it, and that is how the home loans comes into the scheme of things.
With the reasonable expectation of a roof over the head not very long ago, the real estate boom in the last decade has scaled up the liberty of choice for the average home buyers. While the aspirations of even the middle and lower middle income with moderate budgets have gone up, there are very many residential projects launched in recent times that seem to fill the gap with the promise of faster deliveries, hi-tech amenities, luxurious lifestyle, lush green surroundings within the affordable range of 20-40 lakhs.
Explaining the decent but not impressive quarterly performance, compared to the industry peers, the CEO of a listed real estate developer justified it with heavy concentration in the residential portfolio. According to him, the diversified portfolio of industry peers with income producing commercial spaces gives those companies an edge. More than an answer over his company’s performance, Track2Realty feels the statement raised an all important question: Does diversified portfolio give an edge to realty companies.
When you read in the media that the housing market is on fire, you get pessimistic with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) gripping your investment strategy. When the market speculators suggest the house price might drop, you rush to sell and/or put your buying decision on hold for a better deal. Track2Realty analyses whether home buyers can time the market.
The question is what needs to be done. Or in other words, how could real estate consume more out of ‘Make in India’ manufacturing? The question in itself is flawed, if not in sync with the larger eco system issues. Setting up and making a manufacturing unit in India comes with its own challenges. Cheap labour alone would not give India any edge or cost arbitrage over the export items. ‘Make in India’ has to move beyond the rhetoric of nationalism and reforms have to be introduced at each and every level, ranging from lower corporate tax to labour laws and making the country a happy hunting ground for the manufacturers of the world.
Bombarded by the celebrity cricket icon as its brand ambassador, a gullible home buyer, Akshat Jain in Greater Noida, bought an apartment with the builder. However, his dreams of a sweet home had a crash landing when the developer defaulted and reports of conflict emerged between the developer and the cricketer over the non-payment of endorsement fee. Track2Realty probes whether celebrity brand ambassadors could be made liable if the builder fails with the promise.
The quest for property has not subsided among the Indians; nor do they have any doubts over the appreciation potential of real asset. They still consider property the tangible asset class that is less prone to market volatility, compared to stock market and other avenues of investment. However, they need a bit of cushioning this festive season to take a plunge into the property market.