Track2Realty Exclusive-Yearly Analysis: To say that Indian real estate is standing on a shaky foundation would be like stating the obvious. Pressure is increasingly building on Indian developers. High mortgage rates and the slowest economic growth in nearly a decade are taking a toll on demand. Costs are rising, too. The Price of steel and concrete has jumped to double digit. The pipeline of cash has already dried up.
Track2Realty: The year 2012 witnessed subdued interest in real estate due to inflationary pressures and rising interest rates in the country, coupled with the on-going economic crisis in the Eurozone and US.
Track2Realty-Agencies: The Group of Ministers has completed the scrutiny of the Land Acquisition Bill and the government intends to introduce it in the Lok Sabha in the Winter Session, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday, Nov 26.
Track2Realty-Agencies: Canada-based NRI billionaire, Bob Dhillon is considering investing up to $100 million (about Rs 540 crore) in the Indian real estate market and is planning to approach the Haryana Government for developing a township near Chandigarh.
Track2Realty-Agencies: The Centre is ready with an ambitious plan to sell surplus government land to generate cash to ease financial pressures, as suggested by the Vijay Kelkar Committee on fiscal consolidation. A Cabinet note prepared by the Finance Ministry within days of the Kelkar Panel submitting its recommendations says that proceeds from the sale or lease of surplus land, seen as a non-performing asset, would be used only to repay loans or create capital assets that will generate recurring revenue.
Track2Realty-Agencies: The Finance Ministry is considering a proposal to relax funding norms for the realty sector so that good housing projects are not starved of funds.
Track2Realty-CRIENGLISH: In a country where majority of the people do not have decent homes and the volume of sales of housing units in Indian markets is under pressure,a growing number of Indians are keen to buy homes abroad, particularly in the United Kingdom.
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 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.
According to the latest RICS India Commercial Property Survey, sentiment in the Indian real estate market has been adversely affected in the second quarter, as the economic picture in the country continues to remain bleak with the declining value of the rupee and growth forecasts being revised lower, along with a deteriorating global climate.