At Bengaluru’s Yelahanka, Sound Planning Drives Real Estate Growth

by Prashant Thakur

Prashant Thakur, Head – Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants 

Despite new launches decline, property prices in Yelahanka did not correct significantly and actually appreciated by 9% in the past 2 years.

Existing since the 12th century, Yelahanka is closely linked with the origin of Bengaluru. The book ‘Bengaluru to Bangalore’ by T.V. Annaswamy mentions that the word ‘Yelahanka’ is derived from ‘Valipakka’, meaning ‘along the highway.’

Over a period of time, Valipakka (during Chola reign) transformed into Illaipakka (during Hoyasala reign) and finally into Yelahanka.

Rapid Development

The construction of the Kempegowda international airport was a game changer for the region and initiated Yelahanka’s metamorphosis from a sleepy little settlement on the outskirts of Bengaluru into a buzzing residential investment destination.

Yelahanka, which is divided into Old Yelahanka and Yelahanka New Town, is home to many defence establishments such as CRPF training school, Indian Air Force’s Air Force Station and BSF Training Centre.

This micro-market also houses the largest facility of Mother Dairy in Karnataka, as well as the rail wheel factory (India’s largest manufacturer of railway wheels and axles).

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New Housing Launches Up By 50% In Q2 2018

by Anuj Puri

Housing Growth

Affordable Housing Keeps the Momentum Going  

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

  • Unsold inventory down 2% from 7.11 lakh units in Q1 2018 to 7.0 lakh units in Q2 2018
  • Unsold inventory declined 10% from 7.7 lakh units in Q4 2017

 There has been a whopping 50% jump in overall new housing launches in Q2 2018 over the preceding quarter, with the maximum supply in the affordable segment (< ₹ 40 lakh).

Interestingly, the affordable housing supply increased by 100% in Q2 2018 over Q1 2018, and this supply has led the overall growth.

On the sales front too, housing sales across the top 7 cities of India also rose by 24% compared to Q1 2018, indicating that hitherto abstaining home buyers are back on the market.

Developers are working hard on clearing unsold inventory with attractive schemes, freebies and discounts. Moreover, the positive impact of the policy reforms including RERA and GST have begun to bear fruit.

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7 Ways To Succeed Or Fail In Real Estate Development

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Real estate development may seem to be little more than laying down brick and mortar to develop a massive concrete structure. It may seem to be a business that anyone can and probably should enter, especially considering the massive unmet housing demand in the India.

Nothing could be further from the truth – real estate development is a tough business. And though the entry barriers have reduced over time, the complexities of the real estate business have increased manifold.

As of now, developers across the country are grappling with a massive unsold inventory of more than 7 lakh units being unsold in the top 7 cities alone. How does a real estate developer make his mark in today’s dynamic property market where everyone is struggling to sell?

The 7 Hallmarks of Success:

  1. Understanding that it’s still always about location:

Location is the most critical success component for any real estate development. Even the humblest of small-sized projects with the barest minimum of facilities and amenities will find takers if they are in locations with sufficient social infrastructure and good multi-nodal transport connectivity.

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Gurugram Real Estate – Q1 2018 vs Q1 2017

by Santhosh Kumar

Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Gurugram Residential Real Estate

The Millennium City of Gurugram has a very prominent place on India’s residential real estate map and is considered a bellwether of the state of the market for NCR.

If we study what happened in the city’s housing market in the first quarter of 2018 against the same period in 2017, some interesting changes emerge.

Pricing

  • Q1 2018– The weighted average price for housing properties launched between January to May in 2018 is INR 4580/sq.ft.
  • Q1 2017– The weighted average price for housing properties launched between January to May in 2017 was INR 4,300/sq.ft.

In other words, we are seeing an uptick in pricing for newly-launched housing projects in Gurugram, in line with the returning end-user demand as a result of improving market transparency.

Launches

  • In Q1 2018, approximately 4,100 new units have been launched in Gurugram,

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GST Enters Year 2 – Real Estate Still Flummoxed

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

The landmark reform of Goods & Services Tax (GST) was, in many ways, the final bullet shot to the Indian real estate sector in July 2017. The industry was already reeling under the immediate impact of DeMo and RERA.

GST was touted to be a gamechanger for all sectors including real estate. It was largely anticipated that GST will provide a much-needed respite to homebuyers by way of reduced property prices. Unfortunately, with GST completing one year, it emerges that these expectations were unrealistic.

While the tax-on-tax has been eliminated with the advent of GST, the overall outgo from homebuyers’ pockets seems to have increased by as much as 8% across cities. This ultimately reduces the demand in real estate.

Also, the higher tax rate on purchasing a home – an already staggering expense for most Indians – has kept many home buyers and investors off the market.

Let’s understand this better.

  • In real time, the cost of raw materials under the GST regime underwent minor changes – cement, paints and plasters were taxed at 28%,

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How To Avoid Defaulting On A Home Loan

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Home loans are paid in instalments which are commonly known as Equated Monthly Instalments (EMI). These are fixed amount which is expected to be paid by the borrower to the bank every month as a part of loan repayment.

A bank considers a home loan to be in default when the borrower fails to make a payment and is behind by 90 days. In such a case, the borrower would have missed 3 payments of EMI.

When the home loan is in default, banks do not seize the assets of the borrowers immediately. They send a notice to the borrower stating that the EMI payment has been missed and strict action will be taken in this regard.

Banks are ready to understand the various reasons behind non-payment of the EMIs, which might include financial crisis, accident, etc. if the borrower approaches the bank with an explanation.

Once the reason is conveyed by the borrower or is otherwise evident to the lender, the bank restructures the EMI and extends the loan tenure on the request of the borrower.

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Coworking Space – A Threat To Conventional Offices?

by Anuj Puri

Anuj Puri, Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Coworking spaces have redefined the work culture globally and India is one of the most fertile grounds for the growth of this new work environment option.

From simple workplace with ungainly desks and chairs to much better-utilized spaces, automation and even added recreational facilities, office space structures in India have indeed changed a lot.

One of the offshoots of this evolutionary process is the rise of workplaces that can be easily accessed anytime and from anywhere – a plug-and-play concept of office spaces.

In short, coworking or shared office spaces.

Buoyed by the Central Government’s efforts to create a viable eco-system for young entrepreneurs, India is witnessing the mushrooming of multiple start-ups and SMEs across the country. Such businesses are increasingly focusing on co-working spaces.

  • These shared spaces are often in prime locations and provide a perfect platform for growth-seeking start-ups.
  • Moreover, they come at significantly lower costs than traditional office formats
  • They offer more flexibility greater flexibility to both employees and employers, and
  • They do not require a massive fixed capital investment.

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Indian Malls – Change Is The Only Constant

by Anuj Kejriwal

Anuj Kejriwal, MD & CEO – ANAROCK Retail

There is so much talk of the death of brick-and-mortar retail as a consequence of the aggressive advent of e-commerce into the country, when the fact is that shopping malls have just got started in India – and they are definitely here to stay.

As developers learn through trial and error and come up with more winning formulas for their malls, and as retailers get more into omnichannel selling, we will see the Great Indian Mall revolution spin into its next cycle of evolution.

Why the Indian Mall Story Rocks

Unlike ‘couch potato’ e-commerce shopping, malls offer an experience… a touch-and-feel benefit which online shopping cannot. Also, going to a mall becomes an outing for the family and friends, often coupled with a meal at the food court and a movie at the cineplex.

All this in air-conditioned comfort, escalators and lifts connecting everything to the parking below, and scrupulously cleaned sanitary facilities at all levels. The massive Indian middle class loves this experience and online retail is unlikely to put malls in the shade in India anytime soon.

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India Inc. Goes Global with Open Offices

by Sukhdeep Aurora

Sukhdeep Aurora, Chief People Officer – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Open offices are a new-age commercial spaces trend which is catching up across the globe, including in India. Improving wireless technology to suit changing business requirements is truly an enabler for this transformation.

Millennials and globe-trotters today account for a large and ever-increasing share of the Indian working population – they operate on a very collaborative wavelength and are, by and large, not at home in the traditional cubicles model that so far defined most Indian office spaces.

To cater to the evolving mindset of a Gen Next workforce – and to achieve better productivity and employee retention – an increasing number of progressive firms are now transforming their offices into trendy, happening, open spaces that promote innovation and collaboration.

Advantages of the Open Office Culture:

  • Employees can interact and collaborate easily, which not only improves productivity but also fosters a stronger sense of camaraderie
  • Colleagues can discuss and seek advice without scheduling formal meetings
  • Collaborative offices are vibrant spaces that emit positive energy and therefore uplift the innovation quotient
  • Making the spaces where employees spend a significant portion of their day more vibrant and energetic makes them look forward to hitting the office
  • Open offices reduce the cost of construction as walls,

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NCR Real Estate Market Report: Can NCR Deliver On Its Promises?

by Prashant Thakur

Prashant Thakur, Head – Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants 

Project delays are one of the most alarming issues historically dogging the Indian real estate sector.

The dearth of effective planning and execution of construction activities, escalating construction costs, approval delays, diversion of allocated funds to other projects and tepid sales are some of the predominant factors resulting in project delays. The homebuyer is, of course, at the losing end.

To put it in numbers, during 2017, out of the total 5.8 lakh residential units slated to be completed across the top 7 cities in India, only 1.5 lakh units were actually delivered until December 2017. This indicates that around 4.3 lakh units actually missed their stipulated completion deadlines.

The National Capital Region (NCR), one of the country’s largest residential markets, was seriously wounded by sudden policy changes, structural reforms – and the dubious practices of unscrupulous developers.

As a result, it topped the list of cities with maximum project delays. Around 1.5 lakh units in NCR missed the 2017 deadline. The story in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) was no different with nearly 1.1 lakh units missing the said deadline.

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