During the boom, many developers dreamed of transforming the urban landscape with millions of square feet of homes, offices and malls and set off on an aggressive expansion financed with debt that at 6 percent interest was cheap by Indian standards.
Realty sector may appear to be bullish and project that downside is over with rosy forecast ahead, yet the decline in fortune is far from being over. As a matter of fact, the learning in the last four years has made most of the leading players to restructure their project portfolio and shed the flab.
Does it reflect a disconnect in the luxury housing where demand of high-end units is 16% but supply is as high as 80%? “Not Really.” says Anmol Haval DGM, Sales & Marketing of City Corporation Limited (CCL) which has launched ‘Sweet Water Villas’, an exclusive project of limited edition villas at ‘Amanora’, the first integrated township being developed under the special township policy of Government of Maharashtra.
It is a latter-day fact that project development on the outskirts of Indian metros begins before the necessary infrastructure has been put down. This happens because demand for developed spaces in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai is high enough to make even hastily established projects financially feasible for developers.
Real estate-focused Private Equity Funds are looking at investing in pre-leased commercial projects, including IT Parks and Special Economic Zones (SEZs), as they look for assured returns from their investments.
Various issues plaguing the real estate sector will be discussed at a conclave to be organised here on Friday by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The Real Estate Conclave 2012 will be inaugurated by Maharashtra Minister for Housing Sachin Ahir, CII said in a statement.
Over the last year, there has been an unequivocal crystallization of Indian cities that continue to attract serious investment into real estate. This is directly correlated to the economic dynamics now working in the country. If India is to achieve even a conservative GDP growth of 6% per year, it emerges that only three cities – Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore – have the potential to deliver. The reason for this is that close to 2/3rd of the overall development of office space in the country is now taking place in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.
The new concept of integrated townships is now more about a single developer taking over a large tract of land. There are benefits too. “The infrastructure is under the developers’ control,” explains Anuj Puri, Chairman and Country Head, JLLI, adding that the developer can plan and use the FSI better, and long-term maintenance is a possibility.
Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Sanjay Dutt as Executive Managing Director, South Asia, Cushman & Wakefield.
In this new position, Sanjay will be responsible for leading Cushman & Wakefield’s India operations along with spearheading the growth strategy for other South Asian markets including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Sanjay’s key focus would be to manage and augment Cushman & Wakefield’s highly successful India operations and to enhance the firm’s service delivery capabilities to clients.
India is reeling under the continued onslaught of inflation, petrol price hikes and generalized insecurity about where the economy is headed. Against all expectations, property prices in our metros have held firm and even show signs of upward movement. While the man on the street continues to wonder when he will be able to buy a modest home of his own, India’s super-rich are raising palatial homes at truly astronomical expense.