Track2Realty Exclusive: Smart homes in India are coming up with a plethora of new technologies and have begun to find their ways into homes not owned by the richest exclusively. Technology vendors and real-estate players from different domains have started developing solutions capable of being easily integrated into home-environments. IP based technologies are making substantial strides in the area of ‘smart-home’.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Experience suggests there is an increasing inclination and though selectively but older unintelligent homes are giving way to their smarter versions. The advantages of smart home technology are changing the realty scene.
Track2Realty: The government is all set to introduce a buyer-friendly real estate legislation which aims to protect consumers and bring transparency in the sector in the monsoon session of Parliament.
Track2Realty: Office markets in India registered a downward trend in absorption in the first half of the year (Jan–June 2013), according to the latest report by Cushman & Wakefield. The total net absorption across top eight cities in H1 2013 was noted at 10.9 million square feet (msf) which denoted a decline of 15% compared to the same period last year.
Track2Realty Exclusive: With realty being a micro market driven business and land a state subject, dealing with the government machinery has a different challenge in many of these cities.
Track2Realty: The prime office space segment across key cities in India witnessed a supply infusion of more than 20 million sqft in the first six months of 2013.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Social activist Medha Patkar has rather questioned the need of SEZs and acquisition of such huge tracts of land. Referring SEZs as “pervert corporate projects” Patkar points out that the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) had about 80,000 acres of unutilised land – information unearthed through the Right to Information Act.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Property market in India is no more metro centric as major national players have already made an entry into tier II and III cities across India. An extended period of high interest rate have dissuaded buyers in metros to move towards more affordable housing in tier II and III cities, as these cities have the potential to fetch higher rentals as well.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The fact that SEZ story in India was left on the private hands, the key policy plank of SEZ policy, to promote manufacturing and hence create jobs (both skilled and semi-skilled) for the rural masses took the back seat. IT/ITeS with limited scope of job creation, compared to manufacturing, started dominating the SEZs.
Track2Realty Exclusive: In China, SEZs were developed along its southern coast in the areas of Shenzhen, Shantou, Zhuhai, Hainan and Xiamen which were backward small villages lacking in basic infrastructure and industrial resources. These zones were developed as manufacturing hubs and the open access to international trade sea lanes led to their success.