Repo Rate Cut: A Perfect Start To A New Financial Year

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

As hoped for, the RBI has reduced the repo rate by another 25 basis points.

Back-to-back repo rate cuts by the RBI are indeed the perfect start to a new financial year, resulting in overall reduction of 50 basis points since February 2019.

The repo rate now stands at 6% – returning to the same level as in April 2018. This will augur well for the Indian real estate sector and keep the momentum going in the coming year.

As it is, the sector already saw an uplift in homebuyer sentiment due to the multiple sops offered by both the Government and the RBI in just the first three months of 2019.

These measures have contributed to a 12% increase in housing sales in Q1 2019 across the top 7 cities.

The RBI has done its part by slashing the repo rates. The onus is now on the banks to concurrently reduce home loan rates further, thereby encouraging more fence-sitters to take purchase decisions and giving another boost to the real estate sector.

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

The new GST-related announcement has given real estate developers the choice to either opt for the old rates and the accompanying input tax credit (ITC) benefits or else to adhere to the new reduced GST rate of 5% without ITC.

While not exactly ground-breaking, it is indeed an intelligent move by smart play by the incumbent Government. With this decision, it has carefully side-stepped conflict with both builders and buyers.

Most developers reacted to last month’s announcement of the new GST rate minus ITC with trepidation.

There was justifiable worry about what would happen to the input stock which they have accumulated much before as part of their long-term purchases. For them, this new move will be beneficial.

However, developers choosing to go with the second option of new GST rates may not be able to hike property prices in the immediate future.

The possibility of prices being hiked was a matter of concern for aspiring buyers, but the fact is that developers can ill afford to test the currently fragile market sentiment by raising rates immediately.

by Arun Chitnis

CII Real Estate Confluence 2019, Mumbai – Friday, 15 March

Maharashtra Real Estate: Ahead of the Curve – Refine. Reboot. Re-emerge

Date & time: Friday, 15 March 2019, 1730 hrs

Venue: Ballroom, Hotel Taj Land’s End, Bandra, Mumbai

Inaugural Address – Gautam Chatterjee, Chairman – Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA)
Theme Address – Anuj Puri, Chairman, CII Real Estate Confluence 2019 – Chairman, ANAROCK Property Consultants
Keynote Address – Abhishek Lodha, MD & CEO – Lodha Developers Ltd

ANAROCK Property Consultants are knowledge partners at the CII Real Estate Confluence 2019 to be held on Friday, 15 March in Mumbai.

This year’s conference theme ‘Maharashtra Real Estate: Ahead of the Curve – Refine. Reboot. Re-emerge’ is aptly chosen for the state which has been the forerunner in RERA adoption and implementation. ANAROCK, in partnership with CII, will also unveil its latest report ‘Affordable Housing: The Blue – Eyed Boy of Indian Real Estate’

by Arun Chitnis

PRESS RELEASE

ANAROCK Launches Dedicated Operations In Abu Dhabi

To expand next into Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

More than 50% of NRIs living and working in the UAE have interest in Indian realty; top investment cities are Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai & Kochi
In ANAROCK’s Consumer Sentiment Survey, NRIs from the GCC countries comprised maximum share with 36% (followed by 23% from Western Europe, 22% in Asia and 19% in North America)
NRI investors have a higher appetite for under-construction properties than resident Indians; higher focus on investment for ROI rather than on end-use

Abu Dhabi, 5 March 2019: Marking the next step on its international expansion agenda, ANAROCK Property Consultants has announced the launch of its dedicated office in Abu Dhabi, the high-profile capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

ANAROCK Abu Dhabi is the Firm’s second operational base in the UAE after launching operations in Dubai in 2017.

“We are in aggressive expansion mode in this key market.

by Arun Chitnis

PRESS RELEASE

ANAROCK Completes 300 Exclusive Project Mandates Worth INR 22,000 Cr

100 exclusively mandated projects worth INR 9000 Crore currently ongoing
Sale rate of 1000 units/month unprecedented in the current market
The firm relies heavily on technology as the key differentiator

Mumbai, 27^th February 2019: ANAROCK today announced the successful closure of 300 exclusive mandates to market residential projects across India and in the Gulf. The cumulative market value of the inventory sold to date exceeds INR 22,000 Cr.

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK says, “ANAROCK has strategically partnered with over 150 top developers across 13 Indian cities and in the Gulf. The market value of the overall mandated inventory we have sold since our launch in 2017 exceeds INR 22,000 Cr across the 300 residential projects. Interestingly, 11,000 units of these, with a value of INR 10,000 Cr, were sold in the current financial year (FY18-19) itself. The combination of focused experienced brokerage and our bespoke technology has been a winning combination.”

by Arun Chitnis

Three-fold jump of mall supply this year – from 3.2 mn. sq. ft. in 2018 to nearly 10 mn. sq. ft. – following supply rollover from the previous year
Online players plan survival tactics post new E-commerce policy; eye brick-and-mortar spaces
E-commerce pegged to grow at 27% CAGR, offline retail at 16% between 2017 & 2021
Nearly US $1.42 bn FDI infused in Indian market between April 2000 to June 2018

Mumbai, 25 February 2019: Responding to burgeoning consumerism in India, mall developers are rapidly infusing new retail developments across the top 7 cities, with nearly 10 mn. sq. ft. new mall supply in 2019.

Factoring in the rollover of some supply from 2018, there will be a three-fold jump in 2019 against the preceding year.

These and other critical insights are outlined in the research report ‘Customer Experience (CX): The Epicentre of Retailing’ by ANAROCK Property Consultants, released at the Retail Leadership Summit (RLS) 2019 in Mumbai today.

Customer experience and built environment are completely metamorphosing the retail business in the country,

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

RBI’s decision to slash the repo rate by 25 basis point to 6.25 % is a welcome and unexpectedly positive move, given the sops that the recent expansionary budget gave to farmers at an additional cost of Rs 75,000 crore per annum.

It was also overdue, as this has been the first cut in a long time. It definitely augurs well for the real estate sector which also received a budget bonanza in the previous week.

Rate cuts give a substantial push to property buyer sentiments, and it was certainly high time for such a cut.

Home loan interest rates increased by as much as 5-7% in the last year because the RBI hiked its repo rates by 50 basis points over the same period. In other words, home loans had become a more expensive proposition.

However, the real estate market does not depend only on marginally improved buyer sentiment – there are larger issues that hold the sector hostage right now.

The liquidity issues post the NBFC crisis are a bigger concern. NBFCs and HFCs have seriously curtailed disbursements to developers.

by Santhosh Kumar

Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Just 63,000 ready units currently benefit out of total 6.73 lakh units across top 7 cities
Nearly 22,000 ready unsold units completed before 2017 don’t benefit from new rule
33% of 5.88 lakh unsold under-construction units in the luxury segment – 49% in MMR – will not benefit immediately

Just when the real estate industry was preparing to give the budget a complete thumbs down, the finance minister sprung a surprise ‘bonanza’ for the sector in the last 10 minutes of his speech. Or so it seemed.

Without a doubt, affordable housing gained amidst what was essentially a mass-appeal budget. However, it was the extension of tax relaxation on notional rent for unsold inventory for another year that cheered developers.

However, under closer scrutiny, it is unlikely to benefit a majority of them as on date.

Anti-climax for developers

Basically,

by Arun Chitnis

PRESS RELEASE

Chennai Overtakes Bengaluru, Unsold Inventory Less Than 50% Of IT Capital – ANAROCK Report

Chennai’s current unsold housing stock at 30,800 units against 73,300 units in Bangalore
Avg. property prices lowest in 4 years at INR 4,900 per sq. ft.
72% new supply in last 6 years in under INR 80 lakh budget range
PE investment increased by 15% in 2018 against 2017

Chennai, 4th February 2019: Bucking all odds including political uncertainty and a major natural calamity, Chennai has trumped southern counterpart Bengaluru in terms of upbeat residential real estate activity.

ANAROCK‘s report ‘Chennai: From Resilience to Growth‘ confirms that the city is only behind Hyderabad in unsold stock numbers, and has the second-lowest unsold housing inventory of India’s top 7 cities in India.

As the event’s knowledge partner, ANAROCK released the report at RECON, an initiative by Tamil Nadu Real Estate Consultants Association, in Chennai today.

Anuj Puri, Chairman –

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

The interim budget was more or less a vote bank-facing exercise – an electoral pitch that drew attention to past achievements.

Vote-bank directed announcements included benefits to 12-crore small farmers via credit of INR 6k/year directly into their bank accounts, and also to 10 crore labourers by way of direct pension bonanza.

Direct and indirect positives for the real estate sector

Boost to Affordable Homes:

People earning up to 5 lakhs will get a full tax rebate. However, if one invests in specified Government saving schemes then the tax exemption extends to Rs. 6.5 lakhs. This can have good implications for affordable housing, but not really on the mid-income housing.

The Government also extended the benefit of tax exemption for developers by 1 more year, up to 2020 now. This, too, will give a push to the affordable housing segment.

Electricity for all by 2019 could have positive implications by making more far-flung areas liveable and therefore more viable for affordable housing.

The standard deduction for the salaried class was raised from Rs.

Repo Rate Cut: A Perfect Start To A New Financial Year

GST Announcement: Government Side-Steps Conflict

ANAROCK at CII Real Estate Confluence 2019, Mumbai – Friday, 15 March

ANAROCK Launches Dedicated Operations In Abu Dhabi

ANAROCK Completes 300 Exclusive Project Mandates Worth INR 22,000 Cr

New Mall Supply To Touch 10 Mn. Sq. Ft. In Top 7 Indian Cities In 2019: ANAROCK Report

Indian Real Estate Welcomes The Overdue Repo Rate Cut

Only 9% of Current Unsold Housing Stock to Benefit from Tax Relaxation

Chennai Overtakes Bengaluru, Unsold Inventory Less Than 50% Of IT Capital – ANAROCK Report

Interim Budget 2019: Affordable Housing Gains Amidst High Electoral Pitch