Beyond what is happening in the strategic board room meetings of realty companies, market is cautiously optimistic that with the inventories piling up, developers will sooner or later be forced to blink. A look at the recent developments in the sector does indicate that prices can come down, but it all depends on the builders holding power.
Growth in the property business in Asia Pacific this year will be driven by many countries and not just China as in the recent past, according to DTZ survey. The region’s solid performance will be supported by strong growth in the use of equity for investment as opposed to debt, intra-regional investment, and increasing willingness of banks to lend, the company says in its research report Money into Property 2012.
Lanco Infratech Ltd, the power producer, is reportedly seeking buyers for a real estate business it values at 27 billion rupees ($483 million). According to the sources close to the development the company has asked investment banks to submit proposals to manage the sale.
CBRE Group, Inc. has announced that the company has been recognized as the #4 outsourcing services provider across all industries, and the highest-ranked real estate services company, according to the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals’ (IAOP) Global Outsourcing 100. CBRE is the first real estate services firm to break into the elite top 5 on IAOP’s list. The firm improved its ranking from #6 in 2011.
Industry experts assert it is difficult to put a time frame on certain requirements like getting over a 100 Government permits from the time of starting construction to completion. Historically, hotel construction in India has been somewhat cumbersome owing to the multiple clearances/approvals required from Central and State Government agencies.
More than 30% of retail mall space against the projected supply for the first half of the year were deferred, says Cushman & Wakefield report on the retail real estate market. A fresh mall supply for H1 2012 stood at 2.27 million sq. ft. (msf). Approximately one million sq.ft. of expected mall supply was deferred to second half of the year or next year. The overall vacancy rate for the major cities as of H1 2012 stood at 19.6% marginally higher than the previous quarter.
CBRE has announced that its Western Region would now be headed by Nikhil Bhatia, based out of Mumbai. Nikhil Bhatia currently co-heads the Capital Markets business for CBRE in India, and shall assume the additional responsibility of managing the firm’s operations for the region.
The unprecedented restructuring of project portfolio, selling of land bank, exiting non-core business and the job cuts have yet not led the Indian real estate into the desired comfort zone. The realization to shed the flab has on the contrary left some of the developers to outsource the project execution and pay more.
The Indian strategy in the hospitality segment seems to be borne out of the demand-supply market dynamics. An industry survey estimates that the three major Indian metropolitan areas—Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi—command some of the highest hotel rentals in the world.
The operational inexperience of the developers’ is also being sewn up through strategic tie-ups with the majors in the hotel industry. An improving economic scenario and demand for more hotel rooms across categories is persuading international hotel chains to sign new management contracts with Indian developers and property owners, according to analysts. The industry will witness the announcement of a number of new hotels in the year ahead.