In the coming months, the pressure will be to reduce debt-to-equity ratios. With so many developers in debt already, the industry is trying to come out of the situation and 2012 will not be much different. It won’t be easy and the developers are trying various routes. Selling of developed projects, vacant land is a route taken by many developers. Several developers are now providing attractive terms to PE funds to securing funding.
The real sector has emerged as one India’s largest drivers of economic growth. As a sector, it provides large scale employment and contributes significantly to the GDP. For decades, environmentalists have been warning that frenetic human economic activity associated with the breakneck speed of economic growth is placing a huge strain on the earth and its natural resources.
No wonder, the healthcare sector is being adopted by the developers across the country. Property analysts are of the opinion that proximity to a hospital in an area also impacts the price of real estate and many developers use it as USP to market their projects.
Is the Indian real estate sector the right place to make a serious career in now? Compared to more developed countries, the Indian real estate sector still lacks sophistication and transparency. However, it continues to be in the limelight of domestic and international investments. This has naturally brought on the need for better, more capable human resources.
The Finance Ministry is building safeguards to ensure realty companies do not misuse the external commercial borrowing (ECB) window announced in the Budget by diverting the money.
ICS Realty India, the Mumbai-based retail asset management firm has announced to develop projects on its own. The company has hitherto raised and managed funds for other developers. It is also floating a joint venture firm for its hospitality foray in two week’s time.
Real estate intelligence platform PropEquity has said it will shortly be launching a B2C vertical to cater exclusively to consumers who want to invest in the real estate sector.
The demand fundamentals of the India story are now focused around all cities that have sufficient economic activity, be it industrial, service sector-driven or incentive-driven programs by the State Government. In Gujarat, which has seen considerable industrial progress, the key cities of Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara come readily to mind.
Real estate companies reeling under the bad debt and falling sales graph are expected to record yet another bearish quarterly results with most of the listed companies’ shares already in the red. Listed real estate companies represented by the Realty Index on BSE have witnessed a fall of 1.7 per cent over the past one month.
Land is scarce and the only way in urbanisation is to go up where more FSI/FAR would mean increasing the supply and bringing the price down, goes an old philosophy of the Indian developers. In reality, nearly all the high rises across the Indian cities are high-end luxury projects and seem to fulfil the aspirational needs of the Richie Rich.