The holy river Saryu flows quietly; unmindful of the fact that on its bank, Ayodhya is fast emerging as the epicenter of economic growth and global tourism hub. The property landscape of the sleepy city till recently has made a giant stride in the last three years. Envisaged as a spiritual center and tourism hub, Ayodhya is also attracting big ticket economic corridors. A Track2Realty report.
The quest for property has not subsided among the Indians; nor do they have any doubts over the appreciation potential of real asset. They still consider property the tangible asset class that is less prone to market volatility, compared to stock market and other avenues of investment. However, they need a bit of cushioning this festive season to take a plunge into the property market.
The input cost escalation has indeed brought the catch 22 situation for the real estate developers in this part of the world. As per the industry estimates, the input cost of various construction raw materials has surged from 20-35 per cent in the last 12-18 months. The property prices in the proportional ratio have not increased and in most of the micro markets across India the prices during the said period are at a standstill.
The months before the festive season are generally lull for the property market. Indians are mentally wired to buy the high valuables on the auspicious dates during the festivals. However, this seems to be changing in the property market this time around, as economic rationale indicates preference over religious beliefs. The vast majority of the home buyers anticipate price appreciation during the festive season.
Should businesses continue to operate out of old jaded buildings at the heart of the city? Is it more convenient for the commercial activities to move to the upscale swanky offices on the periphery locations where the cost of doing business per square feet is much lesser? Is ‘Walk to Work’ only a city center reality across the urban pockets? These are the subjects of serious discussions across the built environment of commercial real estate world over, finds Track2Realty.
The Union Budget this time would be the last full budget ahead of the General Elections due next year. The real estate sector is yet again parroting the old demands, with the only difference being that the concerns of the home buyers too finds a place in their wish list. The developers have come to realise that the home buyers can no longer be ignored as they are the most necessary in the real estate business cycle.
The outlook for construction costs remains stable but cautious, as market volatility is likely to persist in 2023 along with monetary tightening, continued high inflation, a possibility of a recession in developed economies and geopolitical turmoil-related challenges going forward. Therefore, CBRE forecasts a marginal rise in the overall construction costs during 2023 across cities, with Mumbai likely to witness a sharper rise.
While other developers aspiring to go global are tying up with international brands, PNC Menon, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Sobha Group believes in organic growth of the brand. In an exclusive interview with Ravi Sinha at his Dubai office, he explains how Sobha has the inherent resilience to succeed anywhere in the global market. Focus on quality & don’t break the law is his mantra of global brand leadership.
Freedom is a luxury and it means different things to different set of people. The stakeholders within the built environment of the Indian real estate too have their own set of definition when it comes to what defines their freedom. While for a home buyer, freedom is to have a rent-free house of one’s own at an affordable price, for the developers the quest has been freedom from multiple bottlenecks – single window clearance, industry status, easy funding and, most importantly, FSI free developments. Track2Realty investigates whether ‘Freedom From FSI’ would be boon or bane.
There are multiple factors why the home sales in monsoons are subdued. One obvious reason is that the Indians traditionally don’t make any high value purchases after Akshay Tirtiya and before Ganesh Chaturthi. Since a home is the most emotional & aspirational product; is life’s biggest purchase; and is in most of the case for the lifetime; the Indians prefer to wait till the beginning of the festive season. Inauspicious period of Shraddh and Pitripaksh also falls during the monsoon season, where the traditional belief is that any new purchase will invite the curse of the ancestors.