Wednesday 28 December 2016

Forecast for the year 2017?

Forecast for the year 2017?

The year 2017 will definitely shed the dark clouds and despite the slowdown, Indian Real Estate sector will pose a bright picture. This positive belief develops from the foundations that have been laid in the year 2016 by the Modi Government in making our economy stronger that will have a direct impact on the Real Estate Sector.

India’s Real Estate Sector has seen a paradigm shift in the way trade is conducted in the country over the last 10 years. With the right kind of people entering the trade at all levels, this industry has a future that is going to change the image of the real estate consultants and also developers. The word Professionalism and organised sector are not the thing of the past any more. We are in the ERA where real estate business is holding its roots strong enough to compete with some of the developed countries in the world. We as RE/MAX firmly believe that the year 2017 is going to be imperative in shaping up this industry to be transparent and customer centric.

Gazing back at the year 2016, we saw some historic steps that have laid foundations strong enough for the sector to revive the buyer sentiments. For any individual owning a house is the key necessity that they aspire to own one day. High prices and high rate of interest compel them to settle for rented property. However, the current reforms taking shape could transform their dream of owning a home into reality. The government’s move to curb the black money from the market and clamp down black money hoarders is a step that eventually will lead to reasonable reductions in the Residential market. With the ban on the higher currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1000/-, government has been successful in the transmission of hoarded cash into the banks and making our banks richer than never before. The positive side effect of the move is the reduction in the interest rates for home loans. This will come as a huge relief for the people who have the aspirations to buy a house and have not been able to take the decision of buying the property due to high EMIs. Demonetization’s after effects will be visible in the year 2017 that will lead to growth in the affordable housing sector as we can expect a sharp reduction in the Interest rates on home loans. This will drastically narrow down the gap in the price difference of the EMI and rent for the same property. With the Rent, almost same as EMI, an individual will prefer buying the property.

Moreover, with the implementation of RERA in all states, the industry will strengthen further by becoming more structured and transparent. The organised developers and realtors who follow the RERA guidelines will gain trust of the buyers. It will also build a sense of security for a buyer and make this industry strongly buyer driven. The home buyers can now bet on reputed developers for their property investments and can feel safe with their investments. With this change, will come another major change at the brokerage front. It’s the perfect time for large organised players to grasp the opportunity and work towards building a professional brokerage business. With the changing profile of the customers, it is important for the broker to work ethically and provide full support and service to the customer. Gone are the days when brokers were mere Sales people. The new age broker is there for the smart customer; he is there to hand-hold, guide, advise and take the customer through the entire process of making a property purchase decision in a transparent, thorough and clean manner.

FDI in real estate is also expected to boost the sector with the greater inflow of foreign capital. Government’s projects like “Housing for all by 2022” and “100 Smart Cities Project” will give an additional boost by substantial participation by the government and the foreign investors. This in turn will strengthen our Real Estate sector and revitalize the growth of realty sector.

The Realty Sector plays a significant role and has been a key contributor in the growth and development of the Indian economy. With Indian Real Estate market size expected to touch US$ 180 billion by 2020, growth in the Indian economy will definitely witness positive expression in the real estate sector.


Thursday 15 December 2016

Current Economic and Policy Changes lead to a positive 2017 for Real Estate Industry



 With the government seeking advice from the industry experts for the RERA act,  it’s a good move towards building the Real Estate community stronger and making the act feasible for the industry to prosper in the right direction. The act has covered many aspects of the industry but still there are a few provisions in the act that are prejudicial to  the legitimate business of the brokers. There are a few changes that the government should consider keeping in mind the interest of the serious and professional brokers. For example the Single Window Clearance for the developers that will help them to avoid delays. Also, a few qualification barriers should be added for agent to be a registered broker. Apart from this, the government should also try and incorporate a few suggestions from the broker community to safeguard their business as well. 
RERA norms, will bring long-term fundamental changes in the Real Estate sector which is also set to gain from the increased transparency.
With the positive move in the right direction, buyers will feel secure for his investments and will help in regaining the market sentiments.


With the Ongoing Demonetization drive by the Government, we as Real Estate Industry are going to be the biggest benefiters in the long run.  The concept of parallel economy is going to be a thing of the past. This will also help our industry by making it stronger and transparent. With the transactions taking place through a transparent channel, the industry will grow towards becoming more organized and hence increase the general public’s trust in this industry.

In the Long run, bigger and structured companies are going to play a larger role in shaping up the industry and making it more professional with their business model and education system.




With the RERA coming in, the time has never been so perfect for the real estate industry to move in the right direction. Coupled with reforms like Demonetization, FDI in Real Estate and Benami Transaction Act; this industry is going to witness a ground-breaking change in the way real estate is dealt in India. The coming year 2017 is going to be  a great year for the industry and I assume that the annual sales of 2017 will be higher than the combined sales of 2015 & 2016. The significant change in the way business is conducted will also lead to the buyers regaining confidence. The Professional Realtors and Brokerage houses are going to prosper in the long run. 



Tuesday 29 November 2016

Second Home in Delhi NCR

Second Home in Delhi NCR


1.      What should be the areas of focus in terms of amenities in a project or apartment?
As an investment option, the buyer needs to look at the amenities that are going to be a part of the project once delivered. Since the second home purchase is generally for investment purpose and once delivered it will be reaping rental income for the investor, the buyer needs to ensure that the project has good amenities like swimming pool; separate kids play area, club, gym etc. These amenities are a good tipping point for families who are looking for house on rent.  They add value to your property and help you in quick rental deal.
Also, second home is purchased by joint families who are looking to live nuclear due to long work travels. For these kinds of buyers, it is essential that they invest in a property that gives high security and surveillance, beautiful landscaping and good connectivity.

2.      Which areas in the region are most suitable to buy a second home at?
There are a variety of options in the real estate market, you can have second home in the city and lease it with a steady income filling up your assets. Delhi NCR is a growing market and the real estate sector is picking up momentum in the resale market. Areas like New Gurgaon, Golf Course extension in Gurgaon; Central Noida, Greater Noida Expressway, Noida Extension locations are gaining traction from the buyers for second home investments.
Since the sole motto is investment, buyer prefers the projects by trusted builders who have delivered good quality before and have good expected rate of return in future. The areas that have high infrastructure development plans with good connectivity, metro accessibility, proximity to corporate and retail hubs are always the safe bets to invest for long term.

3.      Other legal issues that the buyer should keep in mind while going for a second home.
As a buyer, you must conduct proper research about the property and avoid any impulsive decisions based on the marketing gimmicks by the builders. While buying a second home, one needs to keep in mind the credibility of the builder and the delivery date promised. Also the buyer needs to do his research and check the project viability and whether the land deed and other title deeds are clear. Also one needs to consider if all the necessary approvals have been taken by the builder for the said property that the buyer is willing to invest in.  







Wednesday 23 November 2016

RE/MAX Agent count crosses 110000 gobally!



Big news for everyone in RE/MAX: The worldwide network has topped 110,000 agents!
The global network, in over 100 countries and territories, has grown every quarter for four straight years. That growth means more yard signs, more homes sold, more satisfied clients and more top professionals working together to serve buyers and sellers.

It’s another reminder that RE/MAX is the right choice for agents who strive to be great – and for clients looking to work with the best. This milestone confirms that greatness attracts greatness and the immense talents and achievements of the agents have built a brand others want to join.

Quote by Dave Liniger, Founder, RE/MAX LLC- “The people drawn to RE/MAX are a mix of established producers and newer agents aspiring to get better. And the growing agent count benefits us all – it brings more listings, more yard signs, more advertising, more brand power, more phone calls, more web traffic, more referrals and more satisfied buyers and sellers.
So celebrate the fact we’re 110,000 agents strong. And know you’re in good company – because more and more professionals are choosing to call RE/MAX home
Quote by Sam Chopra, Founder & Chairman, RE/MAX India- “ The network’s global presence is exciting to me, and it’s a significant addition to my business. The fact that there are so many services available and that RE/MAX promotes the individual agents makes me very excited. In 2009 We decided that we had the experience, dedication and drive needed to bring the RE/MAX brand to the country. Our goal is to be the dominant real estate organization in the country and we took the master franchise of RE/MAX in India. We play pivotal roles in organizing the local real estate market into a cohesive professional marketplace.”
RE/MAX thrives to grow across the globe and cover the world by appointing the likeminded people in all the countries and further spread the RE/MAX business. The International development team at RE/MAX LLC works very proactively to appoint the Master Franchises across the globe. With a presence in over 100 countries and territories, the RE/MAX network’s global footprint is unmatched by any other real estate brand.
As RE/MAX India our focus is also to build a strong network of agents pan India and target a 4 digit agent count in the coming year.
The Real Estate market of India has always been an attractive market for investment purpose, the reason being the increased economic growth. India is a growing economy and has witnessed many big infrastructure and Real Estate companies keen on undertaking projects in both the big as well as small cities in India. I feel that if our sector becomes more structured and introduces some industry standards, the way it happens in developed countries; the major challenges can be taken care of.
RE/MAX has been a successful phenomenon in around 100 plus countries. It has played a pioneering role in organizing the unorganized Real Estate market in various countries. As RE/MAX India our aim was to recruit and train Real Estate people at various levels of the Business Model to create an unprecedented network spanning the entire country which will not only organize the Indian Real Estate Market but also create an unmatched referral system.

The RE/MAX concept combines maximum commissions and the best support services to attract top agents. The agents share office overheads, pay management fee, and in return receive a wide variety of Real Estate services like International as well as National Referrals, high commissions, benefits from National as well as Region centric advertising campaigns, superior training, professionalism and growing market share. It was something that no one in the Indian real estate industry had thought of but was much needed to enable the agents to not only provide quality services to their prosperous clients but also change the way real estate is taken

Thursday 17 November 2016

Impact of Demonetization in Real Estate

Impact of Demonetization in Real Estate



The year 2016 has been very imperative in shaping the Real Estate industry with the government of India initiating some key reforms in this sector. The Major initiative being the implementation of Real Estate Regulatory Bill (RERA) on pan India basis. Other key reforms like REITs, Benami Transactions and FDIs in Real Estate. These reforms have a common agenda to bring in transparency in the Real Estate sector and help the industry become more organised and professional.

The latest “Surgical Strike” against black money is the historic Move taken by the Modi Government. The long-term impact will lead to stabilization of economy which ultimately will be in the favour of the Real Estate sector. Since this sector has significant amount of cash involvement, the impact of this government crackdown will be felt in the short term and eventually help in correcting the market sentiments. There is undeniable truth that there is 20-30% of cash component involved in the real estate transactions due to the disparity between the circle rate and market rate.

The ratio of cash involvement is dependent on the type of property transaction. In Primary market majority of the residential purchases are financed through mortgages. Though the sales will decrease for a certain period but eventually with Banks getting richer and having high liquidity, the Interest rates will decrease in the days to come. The service class population who have been sitting on fence to buy the property will finally purchase their long dreamt homes with easy mortgage plans offered by banks. With the lack funds for a developer to park it in a land for new projects, they are also finding it difficult to monetise their land bank to cut down debt obligations. These developers in the short term will fall prey to the cash crunch. To get some money in their accounts, they will have to offer price cuts to sell out the unsold inventory. This will be the Bonanza time for the buyers to purchase their dream home at never before offered prices.

Secondary market transactions essentially involve higher cash payouts. As discussed this is generally due to the variation in the circle rate and market rate of the property. Now that the government has come down heavily on black money, the cash component in property transactions will go down. This will result in a drop-in land prices and land deals will likely see a considerable dip for few months. 
As RERA becomes effective and home buyers are secured under RERA of their investment, sales will additional pick up, especially in the affordable segment, much to the benefit of the government's Housing for All mission. The government has taken some brilliant moves all in sync with the Master stroke of Demonetizing the higher currency from the market. And, since corruption and approvals' bottlenecks are major factors responsible for price inflation, demonetisation, coupled with the government's next big reform to introduce a single-window clearance system, will make property affordable for the masses. 


All in all it is a positive step taken towards increasing transparency in the Indian real estate industry.




Monday 24 October 2016

Current Scenario of Real Estate in India

Current Scenario of Real Estate in India

With the year 2016 approaching towards an end, we look forward to the New Year and revisit the Real Estate developments and the changing trends in the industry. It makes a lot of sense to revisit all the developments that have happened so far in this sector and how it will impact the coming year of 2017 for Real Estate Growth.

India’s Real Estate Sector is the second largest employer after agriculture and is expected to gain its reputation after the implementation of RERA in each state. It has been gathered that the real estate sector will generate revenues worth US$ 180 billion by 2020 as against US$ 66.8 billion in 2010-11. The real estate industry has evolved over the past decade and have moved towards being a more mature and organized industry. It is moving towards a direction where we are having global investors amongst others seeing the long-term potential as our economy is amongst the fastest growing economies in the world. With a lot of action and regulatory changes, the industry has a mixed reaction but I feel that the year 2017 will be positive for the investment purposes.

Speaking specifically of the year 2016, the secondary market had been booming at a good pace. As a matter of fact, the last two years were more of a policy formation and adjustment phases starting from the supply to the demand phase. As per the industry experts, the market is slow but this slowdown in Real Estate is not an indication of problem, rather it’s a return of normal market rates and a more balanced and mature market. With a majority of home buyers between an age group of 28-35, the changing economic conditions of the country will surely add to consumers’ wallets and allow them to either make the purchase of their first home or upgrade to a new one. The trends like smart cities, green cities, high rise cities, affordable housing etc are attracting a lot of investors and developers to cater to the these buyers. With the upcoming RERA guidelines this is playing a very crucial role in making the developers serious with their delivery timelines. The developers are not trying to put their act together and be RERA compliance and avoid any penalties and fines. Also, with the history of all the undelivered projects in the past, there is now a lot of demand for ready to move in properties and projects nearing completion.

Moreover, the residential market is moving towards the realistic pricing and is attracting the end users who were sitting on the fence to take a decision in buying a property. For them this is the best time to buy Real Estate.  We suggest that don’t expect exorbitant returns in the present scenario but a decent upward graph will be seen in the Real estate prices starting 2017. Investor sentiments are still not that great but it is bound to revive in the coming year 2017. With the real estate regulatory amendments; credibility and positivity is building up confidence in the minds of investors who will sooner or later get drawn back into the market.

According to data released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the construction development sector in India has received Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows to the tune of US$ 24.19 billion in the period April 2000-March 2016. The central government is expected to execute a slew of big ticket economic reforms over the next 2 years as it strengthens its presence. Ease of Doing business, freedom to operate 24 / 7 - The central government is taking numerous steps towards cutting red-tape which has delivered positive results.

In 2016, office space demand was mainly driven by IT/ ITeS, e-commerce, start-ups and large consulting firms.   As per the research surveys by research companies, Commercial market remained strong in Q2 2016 with 10.4 million sq ft of office absorption totaling to about 19.2 million sq ft YTD. The demand was well supplemented by the new supply and existing vacant stock, but vacancy levels have gone down in most of the cities due to limited addition of new supply.
The central government took fresh steps to boost foreign direct investments (FDI) in real estate. Several clauses governing entry and exit of foreign investors were relaxed or removed. Several steps have been undertaken by the central government over the last 2-3 years which have helped enhance investment inflow in the country. As per industry data- Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow in the country increased by 29.32% compared to previous year and stood at $40 Billion for FY 2016. The FDI stood at $30.9 Billion for the same period, previous fiscal. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow in the country increased by 29.32% compared to previous year and stood at $40 Billion for FY 2016. Private equity inflows in the real estate sector rose 33 per cent to Rs. 5,193 crore in the first half of 2016 on an improved investment climate following reforms like the real estate regulatory law, easing of FDI rules and introduction of real estate investment trusts (REITs), according to property consultant. The Indian real estate sector has witnessed high growth in recent times with the rise in demand for office as well as residential spaces.

With the Union Budget, I am sure that the Government is affirmed and committed towards affordable housing and real estate sector by the announcement by RBI on the repo rate cut immediately after the Budget announcement. This cut in home loan interest rates is very beneficial and one of the most effective way of boosting property sales. With it helping more individuals with lower – middle income group to buy their own homes, this will also help to offset the slump faced by the real estate sector. With a lot of initiatives being taken by the central government to boom the Real Estate market, I am sure that with the cash flows in and out of the country the market will get impacted positively. Currently Real Estate is in a mid phase of policy formation and implementation. The need of the hour is to move towards a corrective side where there are realistic rates with realistic transactions taking place. To conclude, the sentiments of the domestic market in buying and selling of Real Estate has changed over a period of time and looking at the current trends we expect a huge turnover in Real Estate transactions by 2017.




Monday 17 October 2016

Self Promotion for Realtors

Self Promotion for Realtors


We hear over and over that networking is a critical component to any successful business. But there’s something else that goes hand in hand with networking: Self-promotion is a crucial element to your success in spreading your business horizons and attracting new clients. It is a very common saying that in sales, you’re not just selling real estate, you’re selling yourself and that is why in a business like Real Estate self promotion becomes all the more important.
Real estate agents may not have huge marketing budgets. In fact, even agents who work for more recognized brokers need do some personal marketing to stand out from the competition, so it makes sense to have a few dependable low-cost promotion strategies on-hand. Marketing your real estate business does not have to be expensive. Prime time advertisements may be an effective way to get in front of a lot of viewers, but it can also break a typical agent's promotional budget. Luckily there are more than a few low-cost strategies for self-promoting in the real estate business that produce great results.

Take a look at the ideas listed below.

Business cards are one of the effective ways to self-promotion. Sharing your business card not only looks professional but also is one of the easiest and cost effective ways of promoting yourself.  Many Big International Brokerage companies use business cards with our professional pictures on it. It has a very general psychology behind it. Your picture makes your face as a familiar face and people feel that “they know you” when they meet you next!

Keep your elevator speech ready:  It is always good to be ready with your elevator speech about yourself and your business whenever you meet a new person because you never know, he/she might be your next potential client. The best part about real estate is that everyone loves talking about it and is keen to learn what’s happening in the market. Keep your facts and market updates ready so that they find value in what you are speaking. To make clients for lifetime, your first interaction with them should be memorable so you should already have in mind some key points of your conversation with them. 

Presence on Social Media: An active online presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, what’s app etc is also a must to reach out to masses. You should keep posting about your initiatives, marketing activities, best practices, market updates etc and make your profile more interactive rather than jut information sharing. You need to capture every new lead and maintain a contact with all your current and past clients. Strengthen your relationships with them and give them great advice. Once people will start viewing you as an expert, they will themselves come back to you when they need your services.  As a fresher in this industry, make sure you touch base with maximum number of people you can to create your own clientele.

Focus on referrals: Real Estate is one of the biggest financial decisions of a person’s life and a large percentage of your business comes only from referrals. People feel more comfortable in working with a person whom they can trust and with whom they have done business in the past. Referrals only come when you provide an excellent customer service. A simple thing such as wishing your past clients on their birthdays or other special dates is a way to stay in touch and be remembered when they need you.


Also we have to consider the point that as an agent the person has to market himself amongst the clients as an industry expert. He needs to be well versed with the upcoming developments in the real estate in that area of his work. Moreover, the market has been changing in the Indian realty sector and there has been a lot of efforts put together to furnish the real estate demands and the sanity of this industry. The goal of self promotion is to be remembered in a particular way, ideally, right at the time they need your service.  You cant just wait around for others to promote you.  Get out there, promote yourself and do a great job for those you work with.




Sunday 16 October 2016

Trends in Real Estate Brokerage

It is very interesting to see these new trends taking up the traditional methods of doing Real Estate. It is a fact that gone are those days when the customers used to completely  rely only on Real Estate brokers and agents for all the information required for their home search. The property portals now provide sufficient and the right amount of information in just a few clicks so that customer knows what he/she want and what fits in their budget. The role of an agent has now shifted from the first point of contact to a Consultant whom the buyer finally contacts for an expert opinion, guidance on financial planning and a quicker closure. Even with so much of information and facilities available online, in the end you would still need a Property Consultant to guide you through the process as the information available online is not sufficient to crack a transaction. You would always need proper expertise from the time of the booking till the last piece of documentation is complete. Internet has been successful in shifting their role from the keeper of the listing to a guide and a negotiator for their client.

Internet is now the first point of contact when it comes to research and it has a huge influence on the final decision. With so many opportunities available sitting in your comfort zone and without doing the leg work, online Real Estate helps the buyer to search for properties in a city where he/she doesn’t reside. Online resources provide us with all the requisite information to do their preliminary home research without actually visiting the project site. With maximum amount of information provided about a particular property with reference to the property details, prices, locations, 360 degree view, nearby amenities, contact details of the Consultant, price and feature comparisons with other similar projects etc; the trend of researching online is the technique followed by most of the home buyers now days. Also, seeing the success rates and the increased number of individuals using these platforms, the online portals have started incorporating processes to verify the listings and avoid any kind incorrect listing on their portal.

Moreover the age bracket of people buying or investing in property has drastically gone down and a lot of young people who are technically savvy prefer to go online before anything that they purchase, be it a phone or the most expensive investment of their lifetime i.e. their home. They look for listings through mobile apps and websites for searching the house they want and then consult a Real Estate professional who could show them the properties they have shortlisted. With Internet having so much influence on the final buying decision of today’s consumer, most of the retailers like Snapdeal, Amazon, Flipkart etc are working heavily on their app based shopping platforms as they are getting majority of traffic from the mobiles. Moreover, a lot of “angel investors” have been investing in these start –ups to capitalize on this booming market.      




Tuesday 11 October 2016

Tips for real estate investors

Tips for real estate investors

By-Mr. Sam Chopra, Founder & Chairman, RE/MAX India
Investing in Real Estate is one of the first options that comes to everyone’s mind when we thing of a long –term and a safe investment especially in a country like India. But since the sector is so diversified, investing in it without a long – term vision can be a little tricky. That is why my first suggestion to everyone looking to invest in Real Estate is that it should never be an instant decision that you make. It is something that will directly impact your financial future, so set a right way to being this journey. The good part of this business is that depending on your financial capabilities and your experience, it has a variety of opportunities you can invest in. So first set your budget, explore the available options, evaluate their pros and cons, compare the possibilities and then make a smart cum safe investment that will make you grow financially.

For the first time investors, it is very critical that one understands the fundamentals of Real Estate. It is one of the biggest business opportunities for an individual as it can open up multiple avenues for making more money. With it having a capacity to multiply your wealth, a veteran realtor who carries good experience and understanding of all the things that you need to succeed can be very helpful in making the right decision. He can give you an expert advice and get the right things done for you. In addition to it, you as an investor should also invest in increasing your own Real Estate knowledge so that you can proceed smoothly. As new investors, with the first investment that we make, we start thinking that it is going to make us rich there and then; but we need to understand that Real Estate demands a lot of patience. The market scenario keeps on changing, so you need to proceed very carefully.

Real Estate already is very unorganized and has multiple angles. There is always a right and the wrong way of doing this business. As beginners we tend to makes a lot’s of mistakes as first of all we are sometimes not clear of what we are getting into and secondly we sometimes avoid following the systems. It is very appealing but it demands a lot investment in terms of time to plan and strategize your investment decision.

In Real Estate, one simple fundamental that will always reap benefits is “Take Risk, Take Action”. After analyzing and understanding all the possibilities and risks involved in this business, the important part is that ‘Are you has to be prepared to take that kind of risk’. We always want to add Read Estate to our investments portfolio but it requires a lot of initial funding and a regular cash inflow to protect you from getting stuck at a later stage. It is just about that risk taking appetite and a strategic planning that will help you in accomplishing success.

In a nutshell, I feel that first of all an investor should identify his investment horizon, whether he wants to invest for a short- term or long- term and the kind of Real Estate they would like to invest in. A comparative analysis of the market trend/rates versus the opportunities available can help them figure out what will bring the best ROI. Last but not the least, before anything one should understand the plans of the government for that particular market as that is one of the most crucial factors to decide the success of the investment.

  



Thursday 25 August 2016

2016 is the best year in this decade to invest in Real Estate

Here is why 2016 is the best year of this decade to invest in real estate for both investment
and home buying purposes.

With the downfall in the real estate market, most of the builders are smart enough to sense the losses.
While many builders have put a stay on their project with the hopes for revival of the market, others are reluctant to sell off the build projects. However, like said ‘one man’s tear is another man’s joy’, similarly, the downfall in the market has certainly become the golden opportunity for the home buyers and investors.

India is a nation which has a very high percentage of aspiring home buyers as owing a property is a matter of pride and a dream for everyone. However, owing to the annoying delays in the construction projects, the past few years had witnessed a slowdown in the home sales. The substantial delay was caused due to the bulk in demand vis-a-vis the stagnancy in supply, following the lack of any authority to look forward to. However, certain development and introduction of policies have worked together to turn as the best year of the decade to invest in real estate for investment and home buying
purposes.

The key development luring investments and home buyers are as below:

  • Announcement of Smart Cities Mission: With government announcing its ‘Smart Cities Mission’ in January 2016, it provided a list of 20 cities. The list further made it easy for the prospective investors or home buyers to select and choose from the cities for the investment. The list also hints at the upcoming development in the real estate sector and its subsequent growth. Therefore, with the list in place is becomes essential for the investors and home buyers to grab the opportunity to benefit the most.
  • Introduction of Real Estate Act: The long awaited reform was introduced at the time when there was a major need of regulation of transactions between the buyers and sellers. With the act laying some solid foundation for building and implementation of what the consumers want; it has also encouraged many home buyers to park their money in real estate. It has ultimatly paved the way towards matching the demand and the supply gap in the sector along with bringing back the lost confidence of the customer in real estate
  • Providing additional deduction for first home buyers: The introduction of additional deduction of Rs 50,000 for the first home buyers, in Union Budget 2016-17 by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, further gave an added reason for investment in housing sector. The reform has been chiefly introduced for first home buyers and hence has been announced on interest for loan up to Rs 35 lakh, provided the house value doesn't exceed Rs 50 lakh.
  • Deduction in basis point by RBI: With the Reserve Bank of India reducing its benchmark interest rate by a higher-than-expected 50 basis points to a four-year low, it the step is further encouraging for home buyers who can avail a home loan at a much lower interest rate. Although, the banks have been slow is passing on the benefit to the home buyers, they have still deducted their home rates by 30 to 35 basis point.

All the above reforms and development have definitely blessed 2016 to become a boon for the all the investors and home buyers. The year has given numerous reasons and opportunities to leverage from, making 2016 a good year to invest real estate.

Monday 22 August 2016

7th pay commission effect on real estate market


With the implementation of 7th pay commission, the realty sector in India is going to witness a rise in the home purchases especially by the government employees as it will increase their home loan eligibility.  The 7th Pay Commission recommendation will be effective from next year and the Cabinet will decide if the arrears for the six months have to be paid in one go or in installments. The developers are already planning schemes to attract the government employees to invest in their projects. The government’s decision to implement the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission will benefit over one crore central government employees and pensioners. Also, the housing loan allowance has been hiked from Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Due to this hike, there will be more liquidity in the market as the purchasing power of a large chunk of central government employees will increase.  When the income of a person increases, he tends to spend more on things to fulfill his needs and to upgrade his status. Therefore, this will increase the demand of Houses in the market. In the last 2-3 years, the demand has been declining because of high-interest rates. Currently, the real estate sector is weak because of the low demand and high debt. But demand for residential property may show upwards trend because of the increase in the disposable income.


2016 as the best year in this decade to Invest in real estate for both investment and home buying purposes

2016 as the best year in this decade to Invest in real estate for both investment and home buying purposes

With the downfall in the real estate market, most of the builders are smart enough to sense the losses. Resultantly, while many builders have put a stay on their project with the hopes for revival of the market, others are reluctant to sell off the build projects. However, like said ‘one man’s tear is another man’s joy’, similarly, the downfall in the market has certainly become the golden opportunity for the home buyers and investors.

India is a nation which has a very high percentage of aspiring home buyers as owing a property is a matter of pride and a dream for everyone. However, owing to the annoying delays in the construction projects, the past few years had witnessed a slowdown in the home sales. The substantial delay was caused due to the bulk in demand vis-a-vis the stagnancy in supply, following the lack of any authority to look forward to. However, certain development and introduction of policies have worked together to turn as the best year of the decade to invest in real estate for investment and home buying purposes.

The key development luring investments and home buyers are as below:

Announcement of Smart Cities Mission: With government announcing its ‘Smart Cities Mission’ in January 2016, it provided a list of 20 cities. The list further made it easy for the prospective investors or home buyers to select and choose from the cities for the investment. The list also hints at the upcoming development in the real estate sector and its subsequent growth. Therefore, with the list in place is becomes essential for the investors and home buyers to grab the opportunity to benefit the most.

Introduction of Real Estate Act: The long awaited reform was introduced at the time when there was a major need of regulation of transactions between the buyers and sellers. With the act laying some solid foundation for building and implementation of what the consumers want; it has also encouraged many home buyers to park their money in real estate. It has ultimately paved the way towards matching the demand and the supply gap in the sector along with bringing back the lost confidence of the customer in real estate.

Providing additional deduction for first home buyers: The introduction of additional deduction of Rs 50,000 for the first home buyers, in Union Budget 2016-17 by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, further gave an added reason for investment in housing sector. The reform has been chiefly introduced for first home buyers and hence has been announced on interest for loan up to Rs 35 lakh, provided the house value doesn't exceed Rs 50 lakh.

Deduction in basis point by RBI: With the Reserve Bank of India reducing its benchmark interest rate by a higher-than-expected 50 basis points to a four-year low, it the step is further encouraging for home buyers who can avail a home loan at a much lower interest rate. Although, the banks have been slow is passing on the benefit to the home buyers, they have still deducted their home rates by 30 to 35 basis point.

All the above reforms and development have definitely blessed 2016 to become a boon for the all the investors and home buyers. The year has given numerous reasons and opportunities to leverage from, making 2016 a good year to invest real estate.


Do you think monsoons are the optimal time for home purchase?



The monsoon season may not appear to be the best time to go house hunting. No one likes to drive around in pouring rain, not to mention infuriating traffic jams. Besides the heavy rain, most people avoid buying anything for two – three weeks during monsoon, as they believe it inauspicious because of the ceremonies of shraadh or pitrapaksh. Due to this, most developers are ready to give their unsold inventory on discount during this time. They sometimes also refer it as Monsoon Discount. Searching for house during monsoon season also helps you judge the situation of the locality you willing to live in as during this season, roads get water logged and other basic infrastructure is tested to its extreme conditions. Heavy traffic during this season also help you take a decision of short listing a locality and purchase the property. Looking for a house during monsoon saves you a lot of trouble as you know what you’ll be dealing with during the next monsoon.

In case of fully constructed properties, examining the house during monsoon will give the customer fair idea about its construction quality and other issues that may happen during this season. You can easily spot signs of dampness or leakage, and evade buying an ill-constructed house. Structural soundness of a building is an vital factor, as you may end up spending a huge amount on repairs if the house turns out to have water seeping troubles. Looking for such problems during the monsoon is important because these impact the life of the property as well as its resale value. 

RERA Bill Becoming Reality


A Real Estate investor ( may be a seller/buyer) has always been facing problems with the delays in the project launches, insufficient information, lack of transparency, fast track dispute resolution, fraud practices etc; but the features in the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill has given utmost importance to resolving the problems faced by the Real Estate end – users and thus it will be helpful in making Real Estate transaction a smooth process in all aspects.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2016, became an act on May 1, initiating the entire process of establishing the guidelines to protect the interest of home buyers in India. With all due respect to the act being a positive step towards the development of this industry, government authorities should be made accountable for timely approvals. Its implementation rules have to be made by the state governments within 6 months- by 31 October, 2016 as per the section 84 of the act. Developers are obligatory for alot of policies and rules post the enactment of Real Estate Bill. Hurdles for Developers have increased to provide ease to buyers. From no pre-launches before approval to Builders to be liable for structural defects for five years as against two years, there are many such amendments that will become challenge for developers to work ahead whereas all these amendments in the act will bring smoothness in blocked process of buying a home for a buyer. 



Though the move is in the right direction, we still feel that a lot of critical elements are missing like single window clearance.

Friday 22 July 2016

EMERGENCE OF NEW SMART CITIES

Urbanization goes hand in hand with the economic development of any region. The growth of a smart city can give way to massive opportunities, particularly from the real estate perspective. In the approach to the Smart Cities Mission, the objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of 'Smart' Solutions.

The real estate market in the eastern regions of India has shown a sluggish growth that too limited in one or two cities in each state. With the inclusion in 100 Smart Cities, there will be renewed focus on Industrial investments. We can also expect an increased investment in the areas of - BPO, Automobile, Education and Healthcare. Cities like Bhubanehswar (Odisha) and Guwahati (Assam) are the cities from Eastern part of the country to be shortlisted in first 20 smart city project. Other cities in the list of 100 from eastern belt include Pasighat(Arunachal Pradesh), Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur,  Biharsharif from Bihar, Raipur and Bilaspur from Chattisgarh, Ranchi(Jharkhand), Imphal (Manipur), Shiling (Meghalaya), Aizwal (Mizoram), Kohima( Nagaland), Bhubaneshwar and Raurkela from Orissa, Namchi (Sikkim), Agartala (Tripura), New town Kolkata, Bidhannagar , Durgapur and Haldi from West Bengal.

This is a good move by the government to strengthen the underdeveloped cities and build the regional economies. With the development of these cities various avenues of growth will open up for the locals within their state. Currently the focus of real estate is in metros and a few adjoining cities. Tier 2 and tier 3 cities haven’t seen any growth spurt. This ultimately will lead to a revival of demand in the real estate market. Moreover, with multiple work options that will originate in these smart cities, and increasing income levels, the demand for housing will increase and also the demand for commercial space as various work options would need the set up.

So it definitely is a good move towards developing these cities and making them self sufficient.






Challenges in Building affordable housing


Urbanization is generating a massive housing shortage and this growing concentration of people in urban areas has led to problems of land shortage, housing shortfall and congested transit and has also severely stressed the existing basic amenities such as water, power and open spaces of the towns and cities. This is primarily due to the skyrocketing prices of land and real estate in urban areas. Development of large-scale affordable housing is the greatest necessity of urban India today. The objective of creating affordable housing is to provide adequate Affordable Housing shelter to all. Creation of affordable housing should encompass both – enabling people to buy and to rent, for which there is a need to put an institutional structure in place. While the concept of affordable housing seems to be a simple solution to current housing woes, its execution remains complicated due to the unclear policy framework. To make affordable housing work in India, it would require “will” from all the stakeholders by slightly adjusting their interests towards a wider social cause.

Ever since the first National Housing Policy in 1988, the government has tried to reform the housing and real estate sector yet many affordable housing schemes have underachieved. With infrastructure and investment being two of the pillars to transform India, the RERA Bill has built a road for real estate development. 

Affordable housing is a sector that has stood of late the test of time when large scale housing projects have failed to attract buyers and investors. Today, realty majors who previously focused only on mid-income and high-end housing projects are seriously looking at building up their presence in affordable housing as well. According to estimates, around 600 million people are expected to make urban India their home by 2031, a whopping 59% growth over 2011.

As announced by Ministry of Finance in his recent budget speech, India faces an urban housing shortage of approximately 20 million units, of which housing for so-called Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Groups (LIG) – families with a monthly income of up to Rs 16,000 – accounts for over 90% of the gap. A number of schemes were introduced by previous governments to address the issue of affordable housing, including the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHIP) scheme

With the growing demand for affordable housing come the various challenges in building them. The biggest challenge is the lack of a clear definition and separate class for affordable housing as it is a relative concept and could have several implied meanings in different contexts. For some developers in tier 1 Cities, a unit worth Rs. 50 Lac is also considered to be affordable. And on other hand, few developers who actually build the so called affordable houses are selling the units in the price band of Rs. 10 Lac – Rs. 20 Lac. Developing affordable housing in Indian cities faces significant challenges due to several economic, regulatory and urban issues. Whilst the lack of availability of urban land, rising threshold costs of construction and regulatory issues are supply side constraints, lack of access to home finance is a serious demand side constraint, which impacts the ability of low income groups to buy housing. ‘Affordable Housing’ is an idea whose time has come, and sooner rather than later, planned sustainable urbanization will have to be by default and not by choice.

The Current Modi government has big plans to provide housing for all Indians by 2022. It recently announced that 2,508 cities in 26 states have been selected under ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’ for providing affordable houses to low income families.

Meanwhile the need will continue to expand with increased migration to urban areas and development of smart cities. The central government and state housing boards will continue to be major providers of affordable housing. But they cannot do so on their own given the enormous scale of the problem. They thus need to recognize the imminent need to bring in the private sector in the form of Public Private Partnership (PPP), which can only happen when regulations are streamlined and made more effective.  It is heartening to see that the issue of housing finally finding national resonance and being a major priority of the Prime Minister. The time has come for the affordable housing policy framework to become rationalized and for the government and private sector to work together to unlock the potential of this enormous market and achieve the promise of a decent house for every Indian.

Another challenge that works as a hindrance for the affordable housing by private players is the high cost of land. As a developer they prefer to build high priced apartments to cover their cost as the low cost properties does not provide easy returns for their land investments. Also due to this high priced land options and lack of financing for developers, the burden is shared onto the customer by increasing the prices. Also due to the lack of Single Window clearance for various approvals required by the builder, the delay in approvals lead to higher interests paid by developers that ultimately leads to price increase and the properties no more remains within the affordable housing price band.
As India’s population continues to grow and more people move to its cities, affordable housing is going to become ever more important. Only by getting the foundations right now can the country cope with future pressures of rapid urbanization


Studio apartments

Studio apartment...why they are becoming popular among homebuyers, especially among the young generation

A studio Apartment is a relatively new concept and is gaining popularity in the urban cities of the country. As the urban population continues to grow, with the increasing number of nuclear families and single working professionals, the demand for these studio apartments has risen tremendously. There are its own pros & cons of living studio style.

 Especially at a time when the prices of the regular apartments are sky rocketing, these studio apartments are small, self contained and affordable. These units are way cheaper than the regular apartments. They also have a very negligible maintenance cost. Mostly these apartments are fully furnished; hence they reduce the cost and the burden of setting up your house needs is almost eradicated.  Today, the corporate office job takes the maximum day time of the person and he/she spends majority time in the office, they hardly have time for the household chores and maintenance.  Keeping this in mind, these apartments have come as a boon to the society and their demand is growing exponentially. With the growing demand, still the units available in the market are far less. This has also led to people buying studio apartment as second home and further renting it to bachelors or nuclear families. There was a time when one would aspire to own a well spacious house overlooking a lush green park or a pool. But today a person looks for a compact space all because of the nuclear family trend.  Over a period of time, studio style living has gained popularity amongst bachelors and working professionals. Developers have tapped onto this opportunity and have options in cities like Pune, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad etc.  Studio apartments are already prevalent in international cities like Toronto, Singapore New York etc.


In short, Studio apartments simply out together are a much smarter way of living especially for single working professionals or newlywed couples.