Track2Realty Exclusive-Yearly Analysis: Leading developers are resorting to desperate measures like selling their land banks, half finished projects and other noncore assets to reduce the burgeoning debt burden. The situation is set to become worse as land banks have already started shrinking.
Track2Realty: Real estate sentiment remained fragile through a major part of 2012, as the global economy continued to face strong and persistent headwinds. Economic activity in Europe is seen to be contracting, while growth in the US has been modest.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Some analysts maintain that the government needs to understand that in order to meet the infra needs we are left with no option but to transform the city.
Track2Realty: Across micro-markets, investor sentiment has been impacted due to inflationary pressures and rising interest rates through the course of 2012, which have only come down marginally with a few policy revisions by the apex bank in the second half of the year.
Track2Realty: Amidst a global economic slowdown as a consequence of the US fiscal cliff and Eurozone debt crisis, India’s growth forecasts too have been revised downward over the last three quarters of the year.
Track2Realty Exclusive: A large section of realty players categorically say that the redevelopment process may be a step in the right direction, it is yet not going to change the demand-supply dynamics, nor will it bring down the prices.
Track2Realty Exclusive: What are the challenges for redevelopment of a project in the urban centres? Ram Makhecha, Director, Vakratunda Group believes 80 per cent of the buildings in a city like Mumbai are dilapidated. Most of the other 20 per cent new buildings are better because that got constructed under the redevelopment scheme in recent years.
Track2Realty: MCHI CREDAI has appealed to the Maharashtra Government to slash the ready reckoner rates that form basis for stamp duty.
Track2Realty: A cautious RBI decided to keep key policy rates untouched, and the sector reacted insipidly to the RBI’s decisions, which were taken after its mid-term quarterly policy review. While many financial analysts termed its move as “over cautious” one and said that they were expecting a cut in key rates, realty reeling under a whole lot of issues and living on a wish of market revival in the year ahead said the decision to leave policy on hold has no immediate implications for the real estate sector.
Track2Realty Exclusive: With most of the urban centres across the country having depleted buildings in prime localities, redevelopment is the only way forward. However, policy hurdles added with resistance by some vested interests causing developers’ reluctance comes in the way of an urban makeover. Track2Realty noted that the collective consciousness of the policy makers, developers and majority of residents is increasingly shaping up for redevelopment and that spells a new business opportunity for realtors across the country.