Track2Realty-Agencies: Seeking to attract real estate investors to the capital market, SEBI has revived an over five-year old proposal to allow listing and trading of REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) as an investment product.
Track2Realty Agencies: Expressing hope that Parliament will pass the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill in its Monsoon Session, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Minister Girija Vyas said that the legislation aims to protect consumer interest but was not against the industry.
Track2Realty: Sentiments towards commercial real estate investment remains favourable, as India’s economy shows itself to be less vulnerable to the overall slowdown as compared to other Asia economies.
Track2Realty: The real estate sector has been hoping against hope that the rates will be marginally cut in order to keep the sentiments bullish. Reports of foreign funds warming up and the substantial contribution of the sector, 6 plus to the Indian GDP was also being seen as an indication of why the policies would be eased.
Track2Realty Exclusive: With inventory piling up, interest on debt burden squeezing, all tried & tested marketing mantra failing flat and festive season hardly escalating sales drive; the realtors have suddenly woken up to the reality that their marketing format needs a makeover, if not completely to be thrown out of the window.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The debate over promoter driven versus professional driven also brings to the table the fundamental question as to whether the entry of corporates into the business has changed the outlook of real estate in India. Have they brought about transparency and corporate governance?
Track2Realty: Though the opening of the Indian retail sector to foreign direct investments may have brought cheers to the commercial real estate sector in the country, it is expected that the supply of distressed properties within the commercial segment will increase during the second quarter of 2013, according to the RICS India Commercial Property Survey Q1 2013.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The realty market has been pretty exposed to the greedy investors and vulture funding, not venture funding. In desperation the developers often lost track of what kind of funding was required and met with the disaster. Amidst the cyclic very high and very low there has been off balance debt-equity ratio as well. Of late, some developers tried within the box and some outside it. The needs and solutions are different for listed and unlisted companies. Still the sector is in search of right funding mechanism and as Track2Realty finds, are guinea pigs in the funding market.
Track2Realty: India faces shortage of fresh supply of houses, the Technical Group on the Estimation of Housing Shortage projects the total shortage of dwelling units in urban areas in 2012 to be 18.78 million, said a report by Knight Frank Research.
Track2Realty: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released final guidelines for issuing new bank licences on Friday. This will pave a way for corporate houses to enter the banking sector.