Track2Realty Exclusive-Yearly Analysis:During the boom, many developers dreamt of transforming the urban landscape with millions of square feet of homes, offices and malls and set off on an aggressive expansion financed with debt that at 6 per cent interest was cheap by Indian standards. When the going was good, they went overboard with over ambitious big-ticket projects in various cities, many of which still remain stalled.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Most of the real estate analysts believe the year 2012 has been pretty disappointing and actually a waste. Anshuman Magazine, CMD of CB Richard Ellis (South Asia), however, feels it was better than expected. He asserts when the global economy is down and the Indian GDP continuously nose diving, any movement is a positive indicator. In an Exclusive Interview with Track2Realty Magazine talks about the learning of the year and sounds cautious with the prospects of the year ahead.
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: We all dream of living in a house of our own and often enough put in our lifelong savings investing in a home that has the best of both comfort and location. However, it can be a nightmare if your house is in a locality that requires a lot of effort in getting access to even the things of daily use or makes commuting to your workplace an ordeal. Even the posh areas of a metropolitan city are not free from this problem where you might have to walk quite a distance to get to the supermarket, travel from one corner of the city to other to reach malls and multiplexes, start early for workplace or drive for long to access a hospital in emergency.
Track2Realty Exclusive-Yearly Analysis: The first visible sign of creditors losing patience came in October 2012 when two private equity funds, Citi Property Investors and JPMorgan Chase, initiated separate arbitration proceedings against BPTP on the grounds that it has failed to provide a time-bound exit for their respective investments in the company.
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 Exclusive-Yearly Analysis: Indian real estate companies are reeling under the burden of debt, so much so that the excess cash that they had borrowed has become a liability that they want to get rid of but are unable to relieve themselves due to various factors beyond their control. They are nonetheless trying all possible measures, from selling land bank to restructuring their portfolio. Track2Realty tries to assess the seriousness of the situation where many of the realtors are caught between the distress sale and the debt trap.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The future of integrated townships is fraught with hurdles, yet it is the only win-win housing solution in the horizon. It is one of the primal human desires to own a home at a nice, peaceful locality with most immediate necessities in the vicinity. Till only recently the fulfillment of this desire came at a heavy price, leading people to often settle for less. These days, this has become affordable, thanks to the concept of integrated townships.