With overall vacancy increasing and business and investor sentiment low, why are office rents in many micro markets in Mumbai still increasing? In the recent past, many corporate decision makers have been wondering aloud why the rents and capital values in markets such as Lower Parel and BKC have risen in the last 4-5 months.
Interest from international real estate investors in Indian real estate has been limited in 2012. India has witnessed 6% q-o-q growth in direct commercial real estate in Q1 2012, as compared to China which has seen negative growth of -45%, however China performed better in Q2 2012 on the back of one mega deal. In Brazil, investment volumes seem to be reaching a more ‘normalised’, sustainable pace following the supercharged 2010-2011 period.
Not all experts and analysts are bullish in a country which has just two of world’s 276 skyscrapers. Prof PSN Rao, Professor of School of Planning and Architecture has a different take when he says high rise buildings look good in the urban city scape. However, in terms of the power they consume, the high initial costs of construction and high periodic costs of maintenance, perhaps they are not viable for residential structures.
The Noida Extension land acquisition fracas was all about the authorities allowing developers to acquire land at considerably low prices from farmers and also changing the planned use pattern from industrial to residential. Farmers revolted and were able to gain wide support from different quarters.
CREDAI has reacted sharply over the Finance Minister’s asking chiefs of public sector banks to put pressure on real estate developers to lower property prices and not hold invetory. CREDAI has said in a release that instead of asking realtors to download unsold stock at discounted prices, the Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram should take immediate steps to boost to housing stock supply through special incentives to the affordable segment.
The US Government has hired property consultancy Knight Frank to assess the valuation and strategic review of all its real estate properties in India. The properties, which house embassies, consulates, offices, residences, schools and libraries at prime locations across Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata, were acquired over the years and are estimated to be approximately worth thousands of crores.
Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd (TRIL) proposes to invest over Rs 1700 crore in two to three years for various projects in the country, including Rs 550 crore in Kochi for a premium waterfront residential property, ‘Tritvam’, at Marine Drive.
Office architecture in Indian cities has improved significantly during the last decade, in terms of aesthetics, sustainability, scale and amenities that it provides to the occupiers. There is a growing demand from occupiers towards better amenities at the workplace.
DLF on Tuesday, Aug 7, said it expects to close sale of three non-core assets, which will help pare its debt by about 5,000 crore, by the end of the current fiscal.
The purchase and sale of immovable properties in India by a Non Resident Indian (NRI) or by a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) is really a very simple and easy affair with not much hassles and problems.