Friday 30 August 2013

Property demand: Chennai, Gurgaon hot, Mumbai cold

Mumbai: The real estate market is sluggish in Mumbai, but, looking at the absorption rate, residential property is selling like hotcakes in other cities like Bangalore, Chennai and Gurgaon.

Sports Car designer Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, with a Porsche 911 CarreraThe absorption rate is the number of apartments sold in a month from the available inventory in a market. It is an indicator of the demand situation in a particular real estate market. For example during the calendar year 2011, Mumbai (including Navi Mumbai and Thane) saw 6,650 apartments sold each month against 9,092 in 2010, according to global bank JP Morgan. This means, the absorption rate fell 27 per cent.

Every property market has an inventory of apartments. If the absorption rate is high, the inventory gets exhausted quickly. With the absorption rate in Mumbai falling, it will take two years to sell the unsold inventory.

Property trends in five major cities are explained below:

Mumbai: JP Morgan expects prices to correct in Mumbai only when some new residential projects are launched. Currently, high prices are keeping buyers away. Over the past one year, residential prices in Mumbai have remained flat. In pockets like central Mumbai and North Mumbai, they have increased by 10 per cent. New project launches fell 50 per cent during the calendar year 2011.

Gurgaon: The residential absorption rate in Gurgaon rose 11 per cent in 2011. This is largely due to a high launch activity in the market. Property prices in the market rose 17 per cent during the year. Unsold inventory in the market remains at healthy nine months of average absorption. This means the demand for homes in Gurgaon is much higher than Mumbai.

Bangalore: The residential absorption rate in Bangalore grew 19 per cent in 2011. This was primarily driven by large affordable launches done by reputed developers. Price appreciation now seems to be catching up in Bangalore with completed/nearing completion projects witnessing 10-15 per cent appreciation over the last few months. New launches in Bangalore rose 56 per cent in 2011. Average property prices rose up to 24 per cent across key real estate pockets during the same period.

Chennai: The residential absorption rate in Chennai rose 37 per cent in 2011. High launch activity has resulted in increased unsold inventory in the market. Unsold inventory rose to15 from 10 months early last year. Average property prices rose 8 per cent to 30 per cent in pockets from Anna Nagar to Rajeev Gandhi Salai.

Noida: The residential absorption rate in Noida fell 31 per cent in 2011. In Greater Noida, it fell even further at 56 per cent. This indicates a sharp slump in demand due to a weak buyer sentiment given the recent political change that could impact project approvals/new launches. In Greater Noida, construction progress of launched projects has also slowed down in the market due to contraction of funds by banks/NBFCs. Average property prices in Noida rose 6 per cent.

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Housing prices dip in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore as slowdown takes its toll

The rising interest rates, liquidity tightening in the banking system and slowing down of economy have badly affected the real estate sector. As the demand for residential real estate has softened, its prices across the markets in India have started showing a declining trend.

According to National Housing Bank residential index, the prices have shown a declining trend in 22 out of 26 cities in the April-June 2013 quarter compared to the January-March quarter. Real estate prices have softened in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune.

R V Verma, CMD of NHB, said rising interest rates have adversely affected the demand from end-users, which led to rise in the inventory of unsold property. As builders have to meet the loan repayment liability as well as complete the already started projects, they find it more prudent to cut prices to sell the units and generate cash.

Sanjay Dutt, joint MD at Cushman and Wakefield, a property consultancy, said the decline in prices is not sufficient enough to attract the buyers. But, the good thing is that a beginning has happened. He felt if the economic conditions do not change, the trend will continue and it will provide a good opportunity to the end-users to buy a house. Dutt said as the sentiment is subdued the investors are also absent from the market.

Verma too argued that the declining trend in the real estate prices is good for both builders as well as endusers. As the cost of money has gone up and the chances of making money in the short-term are not very bright, the investors are absent. This will be a positive for end-users to buy house.

He added that if prices come down, transactions will increase , which would improve the cash flow in the sector. In 2008 and 2009, when the entire country was reeling under the global financial crisis, real estate came out of it unscathed mainly because of its strategy to cut prices and increase turnover.

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Buying a house in Noida? 5 tips that can help you

Noida has emerged as a major destination for home buyers over the last few years. Noida and Greater Noida, along with Yamuna Expressway and Noida Extension, provide affordable alternatives to middle class buyers in the national capital region. Average home prices in these regions are significantly lower than in Gurgaon, which is associated with high-end apartments.

Here are 5 tips as you go house-hunting in Noida::- 

1. Plot versus apartment:- You can buy a plot for the price of an apartment along the Yamuna Expressway, which connects Greater Noida with Agra. The world class expressway provides easy access from Delhi. However, don't expect immediate capital appreciation because there is an oversupply of plots in this area. Plots near the F1 track or in the integrated townships coming along the expressway are better options.

2. Choosing a developer:- Projects being developed by an unknown builder, or a first time builder, are prone to execution delays. They will be comparatively cheap, but may remain grounded forever. Samir Jasuja, chief executive officer of PropEquity says buyers should always pay a little premium but go with a reputed or branded developer who will ensure the execution of the project even though it may still get delayed.

3. Project specification:- Small may not always be beautiful. As buildings go taller, large open spaces become a necessity. Look for a project that is adjoining a public park, or has bigger common areas. There will be a small premium between a 25-acre and a 50-acre project to start with, but with time projects with better amenities command a bigger premium.

4. Absorption:- Some areas like the Yamuna Expressway and Noida Extension have large inventories and absorption could continue to slow down. Homes in areas with low absorption rate are less costly, but are suitable only for long term investors, who have a time frame of at least 5-10 years. You should invest in such properties only if you are an end user with no plans to dispose the property.

5. Geographical factors:- Noida and Great Noida have high water table unlike Gurgaon where ground water is not available. Noida has better accessibility to Delhi as compared to Gurgaon, which relies only on the Jaipur Highway. However, both Noida and Gurgaon fall in seismic zone 4, where the risk of earthquakes is pretty high.

Monday 26 August 2013

Realty sector can double its share in GDP to 13% by 2025: CBRE

The realty sector can more than double its contribution to GDP to 13 per cent by 2025 on rising housing demand, if the government removes bottlenecks in infrastructure, lowers borrowing cost and makes process of approvals shorter, global property consultant CBRE said.

The share of the real estate sector in GDP is likely to be 6.3 per cent in 2013, CBRE said in a report titled 'Assessing the Economic Impact of India's Real Estate Sector'.

The report projected that the realty sector will generate employment for 17.2 million people and supply 8.2 million sq ft by 2025, more than double the figures for the current year.

"India's real estate sector is poised for significant growth in the coming decade as it benefits from significant opportunities such as increasing urbanisation, demand for new housing and the expanding urban fabric of tier II and tier III cities in the country," CBRE said in the report.

That sector, however, faces numerous challenges like high borrowing costs, slow and uneven infrastructure development and lengthy approval processes, the report said.

"Once these bottlenecks are addressed, we can expect the economic contribution of the sector to increase considerably, with its share of the GDP to more than double from 6.3 per cent in 2013 to almost 13 per cent by 2025," it added.

Commenting on the report, CBRE South Asia Chairman and MD Anshuman Magazine said the sector has the potential for significant growth provided country's economic growth does not stagnate and these bottlenecks are removed.

The real estate and construction sector would continue to remain one of the largest employers in the economy, CBRE said, adding the annual employment opportunities generated in the sector are expected to increase from 7.6 million in 2013 to almost 17.2 million in 2025.

The annual real estate supply in India is expected to increase from about 3.6 billion sq ft in 2013 to about 8.2 billion sq ft in 2025. Majority of this space is expected to be concentrated in the residential sector.

Urbanisation in India has been increasing at an unprecedented rate, with almost 71 million people being added to the urban population from 2001 to 2011. At this rate, close to 534 million people will live in Indian cities by 2026. This offers tremendous opportunities for real estate development.

Thursday 22 August 2013

Only faster asset sales can salvage DLF

DLF's June quarter numbers indicate that the cash flows from the company's operations were not enough to fund even its interest cost. Although the company's sales grew by 5% on a year-onyear basis, the cash flows were lower than the interest it paid for the quarter. 

Going ahead, weakness in core operations and the property market and high debt will continue to weigh heavy on the stock's performance, unless the company speeds up its asset sales programme to reduce debt, which continues to remain high at around Rs 20,400 crore. 

DLF's June quarter sales were ahead of street estimates, but that was due to revenue recognition from the launches of high-value Gurgaon projects, which the analysts thought would reflect only from the September quarter. The company's strong sales did not translate into higher earnings. Its sales grew by 5% year-onyear to Rs 2,314 crore, but earnings declined 38% to Rs 181 crore due to lower operating margins and higher interest. 

Although the company's June quarter sales were strong, the profitability of its high-value Gurgaon projects were below expectations, implying weakness in the Gurgaon property market. The company's operating margin of 39% in the quarter should have been higher than 40% according to analysts. 

A higher interest — two third of the earnings before interest and tax — led to further margin erosion at the net-profit level as the net profit margin declined by 425 basis points year on year. Operating cash flows were also far lower than the actual cash interest paid. 

The company's operational cash flows in the quarter were around Rs 300 crore, while it paid cash interest of a little over Rs 700 crore. This means, excluding proceeds from IPP (institutional private placement) and non-core asset sales that the company did in the first quarter, it generated a negative cash flow of around Rs 700 crore. 

This indicates cash burn in the business and that the operations are unable to fund even the interest cost, suggesting that a faster and stronger debt reduction is needed. In the June quarter, total debt reduced only 6% to Rs 20,400 crore, despite receiving Rs 1,860 crore from IPP and Rs 215 crore from wind power asset sale and cash from sales booking. 

The management expects to reduce the debt by around 25%, through sale of non-core assets and land sale, but till it materialises, DLF's earnings will remain subdued.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

New home launches in NCR decline 39% in January-March

The property market of the National Capital Region (NCR) saw a 39 per cent fall in the new launches of apartments to about 7,600 units during January-March period compared with the previous quarter, global realty consultant Cushman & Wakefield said today.

In the top eight cities of the country, Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) said that an estimated 38,000 residential units were launched in the first quarter of 2013, registering a marginal fall of about 2 per cent over the previous quarter.

These major eight cities are -- NCR, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad.

"National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed the launch of approximately 7,600 units, a decline of 39 per cent compared to the previous quarter," C&W said in a statement.

The new launches were concentrated in the suburban locations of Gurgaon (66 per cent) and Noida (34 per cent) with over 80 per cent of units catering to the mid-range segment.

"Due to the subdued demand, Noida witnessed a steep decline in new launches at close to 70 per cent and ended up being the primary contributor for the overall decline in number of launches in the NCR," the consultant said.

Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad also witnessed decline in new launches of residential units by 39 per cent, 3 per cent, 89 per cent and 62 per cent, respectively.

"New Residential Units Launched more than doubled in Bengaluru and Pune in the last quarter, increasing by 144 per cent and 109 per cent, respectively," C&W said. Kolkata saw a modest increase of three per cent.

On prices, the report said that most locations in Delhi witnessed stable capital values in both mid and high-end segments.

However, capital values in high-end segment in South Central Delhi witnessed 15 per cent appreciation over last year due to limited supply and high demand.

Among the suburban locations, Gurgaon saw higher appreciation due to the high demand from both end-users, the workforce working in the various companies located here and investors, coupled with the limited project completions.

Gurgaon saw a change in the capital values in the luxury/high-end and mid-end residential segment at 29 per cent and 18 per cent respectively over last year, C&W said.

"The country's residential market witnessed some vibrant launch activity during the quarter despite the sluggish economic environment. Funding will remain a major challenge for developers while executing these projects," C&W executive managing director (South Asia) Shveta Jain said.

"Capital values have largely remained stable across most micro markets except for some key locations in NCR, Chennai and Bengaluru. Prices are expected to remain largely stable in the coming months as developers will be looking mainly to boost sale and increase cash flows in projects being currently executed," Ms. Jain added.

Sunday 18 August 2013

HUDA plot allotted in defence quota cancelled

The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has received a cancellation order of a plot belonging to a paramilitary defence officer in Gurgaon. The plot was allotted under defence quota to retired deputy commandant, Dharambir. An internal probe had found that he had been allotted four HUDA residential plots in different years.

RTI activist S K Sharma, who has been pursuing irregularities in HUDA Plot allotment in Haryana, said: “The cancellation order had come from head office on July 18 and EO II office has to take note of the order and do the needful. I have found the details of the plots of Dharambir through RTI applications.”
The plot, No. 1,725 in Sector 57, is worth several crores and ideally, HUDA must cancel it without delay, said Sharma.

The decision to cancel the plot was taken after establishing the ownership link of Dharambir with other plots Fatehabad, Sirsa, Gurgaon and Panchkula. During the course of internal inquiry, HUDA had cancelled the plots, including Gurgaon. Based on the findings, an FIR had been registered in Sirsa.

Through RTI queries, Sharma had found out that several ex-servicemen had got more than one HUDA plot allotted by furnishing false affidavits at the time submitting application form. Sharma had given a detailed complaint to the Haryana Vigilance Bureau, which has initiated investigation into the HUDA allotment irregularities.

Source :- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/HUDA-plot-allotted-in-defence-quota-cancelled/articleshow/21563268.cms

Monday 12 August 2013

BPTP ties up with Italian Designer

BPTP ties up with the Italian Luxury Brand IPE Cavalli to bring Branded Villas to Gurgaon. BPTP Visionnaire Homes Take Villa Development To The Next Level BPTP Visionnaire Homes comprise of Villa spread over a 70 acre township in sector 70A, Gurgaon. What is unique about this project is that with BPTP Visionnaire Homes, BPTP have introduced brands in Villa development. The collaboration of BPTP with Italian design genius of IPE Cavalli Furnishings make these villas worth treasuring. A number of options are provided here in terms of plot sizes being offered. These include plots of 250 sq. yard, 290 sq. yard and 545 sq. yards. The bedrooms in these villas will have walk-in wardrobe. BPTP Visionnaire Homes villas come with VRV air conditioning, power backup, a lap pool, a basement with a multi purpose hall etc.


The option of private elevators besides stairways will also be available in these villa. The external structure will stand tall and will be painted with weather proof paint. Imported marble floors will be used in most of its rooms. Nature lovers will surely find this abode delightful. They can cultivate plants on the ground floor of BPTP Visionnaire Homes villas. A walk outside will lead them to a landscaped central park. With a view of the Aravalli Range in the background people, great photographs can be clicked and shared with loved ones. People who enjoy living in privacy can hibernate here for most essential commodities will be within reach.

Those who enjoy socializing will not find this place isolated either as it is well connected to major centers of activity in Gurgaon. Location advantages include proximity to: The Golf Course Extension Road, Sohna Road and NH-8 The Golf Course Road where several commercial structures are in place Those who seek comforts will find their sanctuary at a club appropriately named so.

It spreads over two acres of land and includes various lifestyle choices such as banquet halls, well designed art theatre, spa, gymnasium etc. BPTP is a company which is led by Kabul Chawla and which has been paramount in offering luxurious abodes which are visually pleasing, practically useful and makes an efficient and effective use of space. Some of the company’s projects in Gurgaon include Mansions Park Prime in Sector 66, Park Prime in Sector 66, Terra in Sector 37D, Freedom Park Life in Sector 57 and Amstoria Country Floors in Sector 102. As on 30 June 2012, this company has 25 ongoing projects.

IPE Cavalli was established in 1959, had built a 6000 sq. meter flagship project in Bologna, which was inspired by architecture of palaces. It has made its presence felt in as many as 33 countries. It is an internationally acclaimed brand in the world of interior designs and furnishings. BPTP Visionnaire Homes Gurgaon is set at a strategic location. Connectivity is excellent due to the Golf Course Extension Road, Sohna Road and NH-8. Moreover, it is at a 10 minutes drive from the Golf Course Road where several commercial structures are in place.

Good Quality Homes in Gurgaon

While there are multiple developers and so many apartments coming up in Gurgaon, the wide choice of apartments is both a boon and a curse. With so many choices and every developer talking about good quality homes in Gurgaon, loaded features and luxury specifications, how does one actually get down to acquiring the right asset? How does one actually evaluate the deliverables?

Is hit and trial methodology the solution? One could possibly take a chance while buying a smaller assets like music systems or a televisions or any other device that one may get lured into buying due to impulse, what should be the approach for a home buyer in making sure that the quality promised and the quality delivered are if not matched exactly, are at least the minimum variation.

Gurgaon Real Estate News Team happened to interview Mr. Harpreet Thukral (Harry Singh) and a seasoned real estate specialist and Gurgaon Real Estate Analyst and founder of MAXIM Real Space, one of the better brokerage firms based out of Gurgaon to find out his views on the subject, here is what he had to say…

Well, we guess Mr. Singh was quite candid in his approach in talking the facts, and we are sure that his inputs would definitely come in handy for all those home buyers who are looking for good quality homes in Gurgaon.

Source :- http://www.gurgaonrealestatenews.com/new-projects/good-quality-homes-in-gurgaon.html

Friday 9 August 2013

‘Realty project costs surge by up to 20%’

NEW DELHI: Real estate sector has witnessed substantial increase in project costs during the last couple of years as foreign fund flow has almost dried up, while interest rates and input costs have headed northward, said Jones Lang La-Salle in a report.

While rising interest rates have led to costlier bank credit, the strict RBI guidelines have made real estate lending all the more cumbersome, the report pointed out. “Currently, the costs of key inputs for Real Estate Development are up by at least 7%. This is over and above a rise of about 25% last year,” JLL said, adding that labour cost is up 10-15 % and the prices of steel and cement have gone up by about 7%. “The net rise in construction costs is approximately 20%. Therefore, the Indian real estate sector is in dire need of foreign funding, both for maintaining growth and containing costs.”

As the Real Estate Mutual Funds (REMF) remained a non starter, FDI is the only saver which the real estate sector can look up to, JLL said. However, the ever-changing policies on FDI, taxation and development, coupled with lack of transparency and a high amount of friction in approval mechanisms have led to an uncertainty in yields and tenure of lock-in for investments in real estate, the report said, adding that this has proved to be the biggest stumbling block in attracting FDI.

The total FDI in 2012-13 came down to around $1.3 billion as against over $3 billion in 2011-12. In the current year, the situation has further deteriorated. The biggest problem is the uncertainty surrounding the investment period. Shobhit Agarwal, JLL MD (capital market), said, “At present, if a foreign investor is willing to invest for a medium term like 5-6 years, he is bound to be hesitant as it is most likely that the targeted projects would take longer than 5 years in completion. Also, foreign investors are bound to miss out on the cream of returns, which come only after the project reaches advanced stages of development or nears completion

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Realty-project-costs-surge-by-up-to-20/articleshow/21640037.cms

Haryana approves ‘affordable housing policy’

CHANDIGARH: For mass availability of dwelling units at affordable rates through grant of licence, the Haryana government todaytoday approved “Affordable Housing Policy 2013″.
The policy will ensure increased supply of ‘Affordable Housing’ in the urban housing market to the deserving beneficiaries, it was informed at a meeting of the State Cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Through this policy, the state government envisages to make available close to 1,25,000 affordable dwelling units having carpet area of about 500 sq ft carpet area each in the urban centres of Haryana, which are constructed through the Capital Investment of private sector within a period of next five years, an official spokesman said.

“Once available, this supply alone is likely to serve a lower and lower-middle class population of close to six lakhs in the urban centres of Haryana in the next five years period,” he said.

The size of apartments to be constructed under this policy would be in the range of 28sqm to 60 sqm carpet area.

The maximum allotment rate for the apartment units approved under such projects would be Rs 4,000 per sq ft of carpet area in the Development plans of Gurgaon, Fairdabad, Panchkula and Pinjore-Kalka, Rs 3,600 per sq ft in the development plans of other high and medium potential towns and Rs 3,000 per sq ft in the remaining low potential towns.

As a matter of security against any possible delinquencies in completion of the project, the coloniser would be required to furnish bank guarantee against the total realisation from the project at the rate of 15 per cent for areas falling in the Development Plans of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Panchkula, Panchkula Extension and Pinjore-Kalka and at the rate of 10 per cent for rest of the towns, he said.

Source http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/real-estate/realty-trends/haryana-approves-affordable-housing-policy/articleshow/21656904.cms

Monday 5 August 2013

Good Developers to Launch Sohna Residential

One of the good quality developer which doesn’t need much introduction in the market place is soon likely to unveil their residential project in Sohna. Silver Glades is soon likely to announce the launch of their upcoming residential project under the new master plan of Sohna. This will be the beginning of Good Quality Developers product launch for Sohna as a destination. Sources revealed that the project is located on the Gurgaon Sohna Road, just short of GD Goenka World School.

Some key sources revealed that the Project development is spread over 18 acres of prime executable land, which is in a joint venture with the land owners. The likely development of these apartments is going to be a mid rise to high rise development in two phases. The initial price offering is likely to have an inaugural discount of Rs. 250 per sq.ft. which is only for a limited stock on first come first served basis.

The apartment sizes are likely to be 1400 sq.ft. approximately for a 2 bedroom apartment and 1700 per sq.ft. for a 3 bedroom apartment, which makes this an interesting opportunity for those discerning buyers, who have a limited budget and would still like to own an apartment in the vicinity of Gurgaon at affordable price points. Typically consumers, who are having a budget of 70 lacs to 90 lacs would fit in perfectly well.

Silver Glades has some of the finest projects under their belt to boast of as premium developments in the vicinity, to name a few, ITC Laburnum, IVY, Tarudhan Valley and Peach Tree Serviced Apartments. With this kind of a reputation of developing fine projects, the organization is committed to develop upmarket properties, considering which, even the Sohna project will be more upmarket offering at affordable prices.

Sorce :- http://www.gurgaonrealestatenews.com/soft-launches/silver-glades-sohna.html

Friday 2 August 2013

Commercial property in gurgaon sector 63

Gurgaon properties real estate is also at rise however there are still few Gurgaon property builders developers who are providing properties at much affordable prices. Investment in Gurgaon property through Gurgaon property builders developers helps you find the right match to your requirement without a big hole in your pocket.

People prefer a property in Gurgaon for doing business and for the leading businessman this place has become the new age business destination. There are still many projects that are going on to make this place a wonderful place to live and work in. Due to such experienced builders, commercial property in Gurgaon has reached a new heights and has become the new IT and BPO capital of India. Gurgaon is considered the commercial hub of the country with more and more industry giants striving to acquire a space in this mega city, and building highly sophisticated offices with state-of-the art-facilities.

Over the year the Baani City Center has built a formidable name in the real estate business. A huge focus on detailed planning, concentration towards architectural shades and dependence on cutting edge technology has helped deliver outstanding products to hundreds of satisfied customers. The administration at Baani Group has a latent energy and confidence owing to professionalism which has resulted in enviable working efficiency. Ultimately all attempts are directed towards one motto... of reaching extreme levels of customer satisfaction.

BAANI group is coming up with BAANI CITY CENTER  Mixed Use development comprising of Retail Shops, Service Apartment, Commercial and Hospitality at Sec 63, Near Golf Course Extn Road, Gurgaon. Indulge in a unique shopping experience spread over 1, 47,000 Sqft, with boutique stores offering the world most original, revered and influential brands. Whether it is Fashion, Food, entertainment or Lifestyle, youll find its most refined expression at BAANI CITY CENTER. Shopping would be a pleasure at Baani City Center with its specialty outlets, delis and cafes, iconic restaurants, health clubs, beauty clinics and much more. With luxury residential developments and large integrated townships located within walking distance, Baani City Center will be right where the action is.

Location: Sector 63 Gurgaon

Type of Project: Commercial

Area- 374 to 578 Sq. Ft.

INR: 38.34 Lac- 1.37 Cr.

Availability- Available

Floor: Ground Floor, First Floor

Furnished: Semi Furnished

Broker Fee: Yes

Booking: Open

For more info please visit: - http://www.sreindia.in/featured_deals.php?propname=Baani-City-Center

Source :- http://realestatepr.eu/post,commercial-property-in-gurgaon-sector-63.html