Track2Realty: The month of October saw the government easing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms to boost India’s construction sector. The announcement is expected to widen the sector’s investor-base by allowing FDI in smaller projects of 20,000 sq. m. instead of 50,000 sq. m. from firms with capitalization of US$5 million instead of US$10 million.
Track2Realty: It is going to be quite a hard sell for the real estate developers this festive season as a huge increase of 30% quarter–on–quarter in 2014-15 in new launches in the residential segment met with inventory further going up by 6.7% in the same period, according to an ASSOCHAM recent paper.
Track2Realty Exclusive: To say that the home buyers are coming back to the Mumbai market during the festival season would be stating the obvious. The sentiments driven real estate purchase is already visible with the reported marginal price appreciation of residential real estate across the city. The reports of price appreciation do not just reflect the price trend of the city property market; it does indicate a much larger picture where the recovery of economy and sentiments are all driving the market simultaneously.
Track2Realty Exclusive: While in many other property markets across the country the developers are planning freebies & discounts to attract the buyers, in Gurgaon the demand and supply cycle of the property market is showing a different trend altogether. With very few inventory hangover of ready-to-move stocks available and the macro-economic outlook reviving, the buyers are back in the market and even though a price rise is on the cards the festive spirit is yet driving the home buyers to the market.
Track2Realty Exclusive: A stable property market otherwise, Pune like any other city has also been witness to the slow sales in the last few years. The overall macro-economic slowdown had taken its on the psyche of the home buyers who were sceptical about the fortunes of the city property market. Even the buyers who had no affordability issue were also not unaffected by the bearish sentiments.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Navratra is all about nine days of festivities with 10th day being celebrated as Dussehra, which means end of 10 evils. In terms of its significance for real estate market which has weathered many challenges borne out of bearish macro-economic sentiments leading to slow sales, squeezed funding and inventory hangover, this Navratra seems to be the turnaround time.
Track2Realty: India’s economy grew 5.7% y-o-y in Q1 2014–15 (April–June) belying market forecasts of 5.3%, and showing signs of recovery following annual growth numbers of between 4.4% and 5.2% in each quarter between Q1 2012–13 and Q4 2013–14.
Track2Realty: The global house price boom continues, with a new geographical twist. Housing markets surged during the year to Q2 2014 in Dubai, parts of Europe and the Pacific. In contrast, several Asian governments have implemented cooling measures, successfully restraining their housing markets, and the US housing market boom is weakening.
Track2Realty: Demand for housing across leading cities remained subdued in the first half of 2014. Owing to high pricing and lending rates, buyer preference remained focused on secondary and emerging markets of leading cities; while developers began to offer discounts to boost sales ahead of the festive season. This general slackness in housing sales has been primarily triggered off by the Affordability Index going down in certain cities; although home buyers have been investing in markets that they perceive to be offering value for the product, as well as the preferred location.
Track2Realty Exclusive: 100 days of governance may be too short a time to evaluate or judge the performance of a government or its impact on any given business. But the Gujarat real estate is so euphoric with the new government at the Centre that it seems they have not only regained some of the lost ground but also carry 100 new hopes ahead.