What Housing when India’s Realty Sector Data is an Opaque House

The Other day, I was reading a blog entry about housing prices and interest rates on the website of The Economist magazine. The data on which the blog was based included a long (20+ years) history of housing prices in the UK and the US. In the US, for example, the house price index with a base of 100 in 1988 had risen to a peak of about 320 in 2006 and is now down to about 220. In the UK, a similar index started at 100 in 1995, hit about 370 in 2007 but is down only to 320 yet. The post went on to examine why US housing prices have crashed so much more than the UK.
In India, no matter how much you want to, you cannot do any analysis like this because the data does not exist. Despite the centrality of real estate prices in the economy, as well as in the lives of people, these are an almost completely opaque part of the Indian economy. This is all the more galling because with financial savings less developed than the western countries, real estate (along with gold) is a much bigger part of people’s savings.

Whether you are a researcher who needs a couple of decades worth of broad data, or an individual who needs a price map of a particular kind of unit across an area, you are pretty much on your own. This lack of quality information has huge consequences. In any kind of exchange, it skews the advantage towards the larger and more organised side. As an individual, whether you are buying or selling, you’ll start with a scramble for information and will eventually have to make do with whatever is handed to you by people who are on the opposite side.

While the broader picture might eventually become clearer when the National Housing Bank’s Residex index builds up a long enough history, individuals will probably be faced with an information disadvantage unless someone has some ideas about filling this gap.

Real estate may Feel Connectivity Pinch

Metro connectivity and property rates in the capital goes hand in hand , its just like they run on parallel tracks as right from the announcement of new metro connections , property rates follows an upward swing.

With Delhi metro gearing up for the Phase III construction that will cover areas like Vasant Vihar, Dhaula Kuan, Munirka , Kalka Ji , lajpat Nagar , Botonical Garden (Noida) , real estate prices are expected to see a major rise in the prices. Metro certainly affectes real estate as it is a major factor to provide a safe and comfortable mode of transport. People prefers homes situated near the metro stations. How ever since the prices have already increased so much that it will be difficult to say how much impact the new lines will have now. Consultants further says that properties which are located near the Metro stations will have the maximum increase in the real estate price.

The entire scenario can be explained in terms of a U curve where in right from the announcement of the projects the price tends to go upwards and then it declines when the construction is underway and again goes up when the project is complete. On an average , a property may see 20-30% increase in price over three years. Proximity to the station may also effects an increase of 35-40%. Due to increase in the rates of properties which are near to Metro stations , the Municipal Valuation committee constituted by Delhi Government has also adviced that the residential colonies within half a KM radius of Metro line would be upgraded  by one level since they have witnessed the maximum amount of Infrastructure development.

Pre-Slowdown Observed in Realty Prices

Residential Property Goa | Royal Heritage - Axiom Estates
HDFC, one of the leading home-loans lenders has observed that the prices of residential realty which were hitting the peak levels are now undergoing pre-slowdown.

Deepak Parekh, the Chairman of HDFC said that there is an improvement in the economic condition and therefore, developers have started charging premiums. Due to the land prices touching sky, the realty prices also shot up.

As per the report, there was a downfall of 25% in residential real estate prices in October 2009, but now it’s steeping upwards again.

Parekh observe this change in the most active markets of India, for instance, suburbs of Mumbai, NOIDA in the NCR, a Bangalore suburb etc which all are experiencing price hike.

Also, he plans for having a real estate regulator in place.