Track2Realty: Less than ten years ago, the concept of luxury homes was firmly tied to a city’s most expensive inner locations. ‘Pin code value’ was the watchword, and developers focused on the luxury segment operated within those boundaries.
Track2Realty: CBRE’s India Office Market View for Q3 2014 reports on the status of Grade A office space in the country’s leading cities. The third quarter observed strong demand for prime office space with around 8 million sq. ft. of office space getting absorbed.
Track2Realty: Amit Enterprises Housing (AEHL) has launched its mid-range homes project Astonia Classic at Undri. The project consists of exclusively 2 BHK flats, which are being offered at a concessional price of Rs. 50-52 lakh during the inaugural phase.
Track2Realty Exclusive: At a time when the buzz word across the country has been the inevitable reality of urbanisation and the need to create smart cities the urban planners are wondering which are the Indian cities that can claim to be close to the desired smart index. More importantly, which are the cities that have managed urban development along with the pace of business and economy to emerge as the truly developed cities with self sustaining physical and social infrastructure that could be a magnet for big ticket investment?
Track2Realty: Despite the significant residential unit inventory and fresh housing supply, most of the urban housing projects across major Indian cities are unaffordable for our economically weaker sections (EWS). This is primarily because developers are by-and-large focused on launching luxury, high-end and mid-end housing projects that are considered ‘safe’ from the perspective of risks and returns in the capital market.
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: It is increasingly being observed that standalone luxury hotels are becoming unviable in the country, especially in the case of owned, built projects where the land is acquired, and typically comes at a high cost exceeding 40% of the total development cost.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The real estate has by and large welcomed the move to bring the slum redevelopment and rehabilitation projects under the ambit of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It has been a wish that hat was granted even before the sector could get vocal with the wish list. It is hence no surprise that some of the adjectives that the Finance Minister’s announcement could earn have been ‘a game changer’ or ‘a corporate catalyst’ and ‘investment magnet’.
Track2Realty: The logistics and warehousing market in India attracted steady transaction activity, with large sized transactions of around 100,000–250,000 sq. ft. reported during the first half of 2014. The Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), Chennai and Mumbai accounted for the bulk of leasing activity during H1 2014. The automotive, FMCG, commerce, and third party logistics sectors were the principle drivers of demand for warehousing space in the country during the first half of the year, according to the CBRE report, India Logistics MarketView – H1 2014.
Track2Realty: It is usually believed that any sort of affordable housing reduces the property values of the neighboring properties as well. In the Indian market context, however, various studies as well as on-ground experiences in India reveal that this age-old preconception does not hold true.