Balvinder Kumar, member of the UP RERA is no stranger to the functioning of the real estate and the government agencies. As a former bureaucrat, he has seen it as an insider with many key positions, including his stint with the high profile Delhi Development Authority (DDA). In an exclusive interview with Ravi Sinha, he shares his roadmap for making RERA an ideal platform for due diligence as well.
Beyond inventory statistics, and the customary positive outlook for the year ahead, 2019 has yet again underlined the need to read the pulse of the market dispassionately to learn why the tide has been going against. The lessons are equally true for both the builders and the buyers. Unfortunately, the sector does not seem to learn the lessons yet again. The testimony of the developers’ defiance is their guarded optimism for the year ahead, while dismissing the 2019 as yet another challenging year that has gone by.
After nearly two-and-half years since RERA deployment across the country, the Centre’s aim to enforce it in each state to regulate the Indian real estate sector has picked up momentum. There has been a 40% growth in project registrations under RERA in a year across the country – from around 32,306 projects in end of September 2018 to nearly 45,307 projects as on 5th October 2019.
The festive season has traditionally been an active period for real estate sales as many buyers consider Navratri and Diwali an auspicious time to buy property. Like in previous years, developers this year have sweetened property deals – some up-front discounts, or more commonly 0% GST (which is in any case not charged on ready-to-move properties), waived stamp duty and registration charges, free reserved car parking, modular kitchens, etc.
In the April-June 2019 quarter, India’s GDP grew only by 5% – the slowest pace in over six years. Consumers are spending less on everything from FMCG to automobiles – and, of course, real estate. Naturally, the sector eyes RBI’s monetary policy for cuts in the key lending rates to support the various measures taken by the government to boost consumption sentiment.
The consecutive rate cuts have been a succor for the real estate sector thereby making it the most opportune time for buying homes. This has been reflected in the continuous improvement in the residential sales that registered a 14% Y-o-Y growth in sales during January- September 2019 as compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
There has been a slump in the market. Huge unsold inventory has forced firms to not increase their rates. As a result, prices have remained range bound. With fewer launches, market is ready for homebuyers willing to take the buying decision. The unsold inventory during first nine months (July-September) of 2019 was 444,673 units, registering a small drop as compared to the corresponding period in 2018. While there has been a revival of sorts in sales since 2018, developers are still not out of the woods.
Among the major factors contributing to the escalating ‘claustrophobia effect’ of shrinking apartment sizes, demand for affordable homes in metros tops the list. Also, buyers are increasingly looking to avail the government’s credit subsidy benefits for affordable housing. These require a home to be priced
Given the dynamic civic and social infrastructure in the area, the project lies in close proximity to posh localities- Versova, Lokhandwala and Juhu. The project is located between the two major connectivity nodes of New link Road and Veera Desai Road. Some of the major connectivity and infrastructure projects announced like the upcoming metro lines add considerable leverage to the acquisition. The project has easy access and direct connectivity to most of the Mumbai via road and metro.
There is no simple yardstick to calculate the exact number of units and the actual funds that are needed to complete them. Each delayed project is different in size, stage of completion, city and micro-location, etc. Also, various methodologies are used to reach an approximate number. After considering the government’s caveats – non-inclusion of projects under NCLT, and inclusion of mid and affordable units only, ANAROCK has shortlisted units launched in 2013 or before.