Real Estate Trends – Page 41

Thane’s Vartak Nagar – A New Real Estate Hotspot Emerges In MMR

Prashant Thakur, Head – Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants

Vartak Nagar is a residential suburb in Thane once known largely for its tapered roads and deplorable infrastructure. The residential market was predominantly defined by low-rise developments that housed industrial workers from the nearby manufacturing units.

Today, with the rapid urbanization of Thane and its surrounding precincts, Vartak Nagar has witnessed a significant upgrade in terms of both civic and social infrastructure, and its revamped market profiling has turned it into a promising real estate destination in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

It now has excellent road connectivity to the central and western suburbs via the Eastern Expressway and Western Express highway (via Ghodbunder road) respectively. Vartak Nagar is also well-connected through an established rail network.

Its proximity to the serene Upvan lake and exquisite view of the scenic Yeoor hills have become the major drivers of consistent real estate growth in Vartak Nagar.

Moreover, it still has an abundant supply of land parcels (primarily through the redevelopment model) available at competitive prices. This is a major draw for developers of residential projects since the lower land prices allow them to sell their properties at attractive rates.

by Prashant Thakur

Prashant Thakur, Head – Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants

Pune, known as an education hub and a prominent location for manufacturing industries, has evolved as an information technology hub during the last few decades.

Spread across 244 sq. km. and with a population of over 3 million, the city has rapidly transformed from a pensioner’s paradise to a bustling economic centre of India.

Well-connected to Mumbai – the financial capital of India – Pune is also well-networked to other major cities across the country, as well as the world.

In terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Pune is ranked 6th in the top 10 wealthiest cities in India and the second-highest in Maharashtra (after Mumbai) in terms of GDP contribution.

The major sectors contributing to the city’s growing economy include manufacturing, education, tourism, and culture. The Mercer 2017 Quality of Living Rankings evaluated living conditions in more than 440 cities across the world and ranked Pune at 145 – second in India after Hyderabad, which ranked 144.

As per the same ranking, Pune featured among evolving business centres and nine emerging cities around the world,

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

All eyes were on the Finance Minister as he delivered his fifth full Union Budget – the last one before the general elections in 2019.

As expected, the budget turned out to be populist and sounded excessively cautious while the need of the hour was to provide a positive boost to the economy, which is reeling under the pressure of structural changes and policy reforms.

The Budget did not offer any substantial incentives to individual taxpayers, with slabs remaining constant. A change in the standard tax deduction in lieu of transport and medical expenses, which now stands at INR 40,000, was the only gift to the salaried class.

There was no change in tax savings on home loans, nor were the 80C limits raised. While this put paid to any hopes for significantly increased home buying appetite, there were some notable announcements with positive implications for the real estate sector:

The continued push for affordable housing

As many as 51 lakh houses in rural areas are to be built in 2018-19.

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

With Union Budget 2018-19 just around the corner, the Indian real estate market waits with bated breath to see how it can potentially benefit.

In fact, it has never been a better time for aspiring homebuyers, as there is a more than generous stock of ready-to-move housing options across most Indian cities.

Ready properties are the pièce de résistance of 2018, not least of all because they are the most de-risked purchase proposition, do not attract GST and offer instant gratification. After all, owning a house is the culmination of almost every Indian’s lifetime efforts and aspirations.

The sense of security, achievement and social stature linked to home ownership is what has for long been driving the demand for – and supply of – residential developments across India. All major roads, railway stations and airports are flanked by hoarding advertising real estate projects.

With a massive urbanization rate of more than 30% (estimated to reach 40% by 2030), the demand for homes in India an assured long-term story in which chapters will continue to unfold.

However,

by Prashant Thakur

Prashant Thakur, Head – Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants

Pune, once known as a ‘pensioners paradise’, has transformed significantly over the past few years.

The booming IT/ITeS and manufacturing sectors led to a rapid makeover of the city, and working professionals from all parts of the country started flocking to Pune. The concentric development pattern of the city helped expansion in the suburbs and peripheral regions.

Undri and Ambegaon, located in South Pune, are in the process of becoming Pune’s next vibrant property boom areas over the next few years. More and more of Pune’s homebuyers now seek out residential destinations which still offer the unspoiled natural splendour and healthy environment which Pune was once famous for.

Such areas are increasingly hard to find in the face of the rampant real estate construction drive all over the city. The availability of large, contiguous land parcels for development in Undri and Ambegaon is another big advantage for the area, which for this reason lends itself particularly well to sizeable township projects.

This region’s history as far as real estate development is concerned is not very long.

by Prashant Thakur

Prashant Thakur, Head – Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants

Once a small village located on the eastern periphery of Pune and defined by industrial developments, Wagholi has now transformed into a sought-after residential destination.

The housing boom in Wagholi kicked off primarily on account of vast availability of land parcels at affordable prices, low registration costs and easy legal procedures, as it falls under a Gram Panchayat area. Wagholi and its nearby areas have also witnessed a rapid growth of IT parks and other commercial centres.

Over a decade ago, Wagholi was seen as little more than an extension of the city. However, it has interesting historical antecedents – Wagholi was the centre of the ruling chiefs of Chhatrapati Shivaji, and it’s very ancient Wagheshar (lord of tigers) temple is a popular tourist attraction.

Located on the Pune-Nagar highway, Wagholi has been under transformation since 2007. The region began developing primarily due to the saturation of core areas in Pune. In addition, the advent of the IT-ITeS industry in the eastern parts of the city drove up real estate activity here.

The major growth drivers that contributed to the development of Wagholi include the presence of affordable projects,

by Santhosh Kumar

Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Exponential urbanization and tremendous employment opportunities have made NCR one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.

It is the largest urban agglomeration in India, with more than 28 million urban residents (around 7.5% of overall country’s urban population).

The accelerated urbanization and rampant migration of working population from different states have created a tremendous need for affordable housing in NCR – and the requirement keeps growing.

A recent ANAROCK report shows that NCR comes out on top in terms of the number of units added in the affordable housing segment (priced < INR 40 lakh) during the last two years, and accounted for around 26 to 30% of the overall affordable housing segment’s supply across the top Indian cities.

The region’s share of new launches in the affordable segment has grown from a mere 21% in 2012 to 71% in 2017 (up to Q3).

While the entire region possesses the opportunity to shine in this segment, ANAROCK’s report has identified some pockets which qualify as the key destinations for affordable housing projects in NCR.

by Prashant Thakur

Prashant Thakur, Head – Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants

Once a quaint settlement known for its scenic beauty with lush green trees and inhabited by Eurasians and Anglo-Indians during the late 1880s, Whitefield has witnessed a shift from being a settler’s haven to one of the sought-after real estate destination of Bengaluru.

Whitefield is one of the key tech hubs in Asia and has evolved as a preferred residential real estate destination.

Falling in the eastern periphery of the Greater Bengaluru region, Whitefield is a burgeoning micro-market with a rich history of over 200 years. However, the spurt of real estate developments in Whitefield dates back to early 2000s when the IT-ITeS sector began to boom.

The establishment of Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) and International Technology Park of Bengaluru (ITPB) shaped Whitefield into a buzzing suburb. Today, more than four lakh ‘techies’ work in various multi-national companies located here.

Over the last few years, Whitefield’s skyline has metamorphosed into tall skyscrapers and big residential communities. The housing demand in this region is primarily driven by the IT professionals working in nearby office complexes.

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

With the advancement of the Internet and e-commerce, the ‘human touch’ and ‘face-to-face’ interactions are on the decline.

Hand-written letters and postcards have gone the way of the dinosaurs, and even e-mails are rapidly becoming passé as the world shrinks into smartphones and messaging apps replace almost all other modes of communication.

The way we shop has definitely undergone a massive sea-change over the past few years. Less than five years ago, ordering food, groceries, clothes, furniture and a whole lot of other commodities and services with the click of a button would have seemed like far-fetched science fiction, but it is a reality today. And it’s not only in shopping where the human touch faces obsoletion, but almost all forms business.

The Internet was not the only factor involved in the ‘dehumanizing’ process. As an asset class, real estate had become increasingly commoditized and home purchase became more of an investment play done purely for financial gains.

Thankfully, the slowdown in the Indian property market put paid to the extremely damaging speculative activity that drove up prices and created a staggering burden of unoccupied homes held solely for capital appreciation.

by Anuj Puri

Matching shopping options with local purchasing power

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Whenever I’m asked how real estate is performing in India, I have to ask the questioner to be a bit more specific. Real estate is not a single industry but consists of various categories/asset classes, and each behaves differently at the same time and at different times.

Residential, commercial and retail real estate each serve a very separate and distinct purpose, respond to a different type of demand and attract different types of investors.

However, it is equally true that all three categories are inter-related because they all depend on each other to drive growth. Residential projects tend to crop up around commercial office catchments, because that is where jobs are created, and employment drives the financial ability and appetite for homeownership.

Likewise, retail real estate developments are only feasible in and around residential and commercial catchments, since retail needs customers. What differs in these three asset classes are the ticket sizes, investment rationale, and investment horizon.

To invest in either,

Thane’s Vartak Nagar – A New Real Estate Hotspot Emerges In MMR

Pune Real Estate – The Calm Eye Of The Storm

Budget 2018-19: Balanced But Not A Boon For Real Estate

The continued push for affordable housing

Will Budget 2018-19 Boost Ready-To-Move Property Absorption?

Undri-Ambegaon – Major Growth Areas With Pune’s Historic Charm

Pune’s Wagholi – From Industrial Area To Hot Residential Destination

Emerging Affordable Housing Corridors In NCR

Bangalore’s Whitefield: From Anglo-Indian Village To Vibrant IT-ITeS Hub

Is The ‘Human Touch’ In The Real Estate Business Now Obsolete?

How Residential And Retail Real Estate Sync Up In India