Private Equity Raises Fund
Despite the adverse wind Private Equity (PE) still in the real estate business. Though most of the PE firms reported to exit from the real estate field, some are still very active in the real estate business. Residential real estate oriented fund Raised by Motilal Oswal is such an example for this. Motilal Oswal, an India-focused PE firm reported that they were planning to raise an amount of Residential real estate fund of 500-Crore. Continue reading
Surging Housing Shortage of India.
Continued population boom in India leads to a situation where residential units or space remains insufficient for the people. According to Cushman and Wakefield all major cities of India are in high need of around 2.1 million new housing units to meet the increased demand. Real estate sector has to come up with new residential projects to solve out this great menace. Real estate has to play a vital role. Continue reading
India Government Labels Vadra as “Corruption Free.”
Government of India ruled out all sorts of enquiries into the allegations against and leading real estate developer firm DLF Ltd. Robert Vadra, son in law of Sonia Gandhi, Congress president and the most powerful politician of India. Continue reading
townships see light again after 6 months in W.B.
West Bengal government plans to allow the real estate builders to resume their construction works which have been barred for last six months. Earlier the West Bengal government had prevented West Bengal real estate builders from building townships in West Bengal. Continue reading
Private equity (PE) firms were the top investors in the 2006-08 boom years of Real estate. But the recent situation shows that they look ways to exit. Though they aim to exit profitable returns hold them tight in the field. Fallout of negative returns from their real estate investments makes them rethink of their exit. Continue reading
Anti Corruption Campaign By CREDAI.
CREDAI– Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India has asked the members not to bribe officials as part of their anti-corruption policy. This warning is resulted from the hurt feeling caused by the growing allegations on real estate corruption. Continue reading
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved two more entities with the view of setting-up Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). AIFs are regarded as newly created class of pooled in investment in private equity (PE), other hedge funds. This will invite real estate investment also. Continue reading
The higher financial stress of the Government makes them think of selling or leasing of the surplus land. This will provide more land for construction in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and other such notable cities of India.The decision will boost the real estate growth. Realty firms are sure to cast their hawk’s eye on this land and make the profit out of it. Continue reading
Real estate investment has greater scope in the suburbs is clearly shown by the growth of Gurgaon and Noida. Recent trends show that the suburbs are more preferred to Metropolitans for Real estate investment. This is due to the change of attitude of the people and their living conditions. Comparing to the earlier days now even the wealthiest class people are ready to relocate and live in the suburbs. The upcoming “millions worth Luxurious apartments” are all built for this class of people. Suburbs remain the best place for real estate investment. If Real estate investment is a wise decision then Real estate investment in suburbs is wiser. Continue reading
Noida seems to be affordable only for the elite group and the millionaires, why so? Why the realty developers construct more luxurious homes? How the normal people are affected? An analysis is done here. Growth is good in all the ways. But the growth should never be concentrated on a particular class or section of the people. It must include all the sections. The upcoming projects in Noida show that the city has become a hub for the rich and wealthy class. Noida, the hotspot of realty firms, has emerged as a “Millionaire Diva”. Continue reading
PwC real estate partner, John Forbes, told the 2012 Cambridge Real Estate Finance and Investment Conference that the global financial crisis means that the milestone could come sooner than expected. ‘Back in 2007, we predicted that the GDP of the leading emerging markets would surpass that of the leading advanced economies by 2050. The intervening global financial crisis has slowed growth overall, but the deceleration has been most marked in the advanced economies,’ he said.
Real estate investors need to adapt as emerging markets start to dominate and China, the United States, India and Brazil are set to become the four major economies, it is claimed.
‘The shift in the balance of economic power is therefore happening more rapidly. We expect there to be three dominant economies by 2050 China, the United States and India. Then there will be a significant gap to the country that we expect to be in fourth place, Brazil,’ he explained. ‘We are already standing at a milestone. According to the latest data published by the International Monetary Fund in April, the share of world GDP of emerging and developing economies is expected to overtake that of advanced economies for the first time this year,’ he added.
Her told delegates that it is not a question of ‘if’ real estate investors will adapt to this changed landscape but ‘when’ and ‘how’. ‘Emerging market economies will be a major source of investment opportunities but also of capital. Real estate businesses need to address both. In terms of investing in emerging markets, investor concerns need to be considered,’ he pointed out. ‘The providers of capital have become increasingly attentive about a range of governance and transparency issues. This will be a major factor in determining which emerging market real estate businesses will attract international capital,’ he said.
‘Meeting the changing expectations of investors is a challenge for many real estate businesses even in advanced economies. Those in emerging markets are generally starting from a less developed point and for them the journey will be longer,’ he added.
Government of Delhi issued a fresh directive to the revenue department asking it to allow sale and purchase of immovable properties only through proper sale and not allow any such transactions by way of General Power of Attorney.
The direction issued by Divisional Commissioner Vijay Dev came as registration of properties at 13 sub-registrar offices across the city had slowed down drastically due to confusion on the issue following issuance of an advisory last month by the government clamping down on property transaction through GPA. “In today’s direction, the government has asked all concerned officials to strictly comply with the Supreme Court order on the issue. The order has been issued to remove the confusion,” said an official.
The government had put restrictions on GPA as a mode of property transfer following the apex court order on October 12 last year but such transactions had been taking place despite the order, prompting the government to issue the advisory. Following the advisory, registration of properties has come down at the sub-registrar offices.
The Supreme Court had on October 12 last year ruled that sale transactions carried out in the name of GPA will have no legal sanctity and immovable property can be sold or transferred only through registered deeds.
Godrej Properties, part of the Godrej group and one of the most promising Indian real estate companies, posted its worst ever quarterly performance after the September 2010 quarter when compared year on year. The company has registered a subdued growth of 8% in its consolidated net sales and 17.4% drop in operating profit. The company’s performance was impacted by subdued sales volumes, weak operating margins and a slowdown in execution. Over 60% of its total income during the quarter was accounted for from projects connected to group companies. The remaining projects earned a negligible margin. Certain commercial projects were sold below the break-even cost leading to drop in margins.
Cost escalation and higher share of minority interest also impacted the company’s margins. Growth in sales volumes have not been very encouraging in its Garden City project in Ahmedabad which contributed 16% to the total income compared to 49% in the preceding December quarter. Net debt after excluding the money rose from IPP stood at 1554 crore leading to debt equity of 0.85. This is higher than the ratio of 0.55 at the end of the previous fiscal.
The company’s management though is optimistic about improving margins, ramping up execution and launching 17 new residential projects in FY13. Maintaining the health of its balance sheet is going to be a major priority. However for now, the stock is likely to see some more correction as the Street would knock off the premium built into the realty stock price on account of the company’s asset light model, good track record and reputation of its promoters.
The number of high net worth investors (HNIs) and corporates seriously looking to invest in Indian office space has increased manifold in the last few years. Mumbai continues as India’s numerous office space investment destination, with companies from all over the world unerringly zeroing in on the financial capital.
As South Asia’s only true financial hub, Mumbai is among India’s best places to invest in commercial real estate. In times of global economic uncertainty, investors flock to markets that have consistently proved their long-term stability and fundamentals.
In a scenario wherein institutional investors are showing reduced preference for commercial real estate in their portfolios, Mumbai continues to present HNI and corporate investors with myriad growth opportunities in office properties. However, the multitude of options also gives many enthusiastic investors heartburn -where on Mumbai’s vast and complex map are the low-risk/high returns locations?
Today, Mumbai as a city for commercial space investment reveals a high rate of vacancies in many locations. The rental yields in these micro-locations are expected to decrease marginally over the next 12 months.
While this seems to present a depressing scenario on the surface, the fact is that we are now looking at the bottom of the curve. In other words, these markets are expected to bottom out over the next one year and will consequently start to move up again. These locations have significant long-term capital value appreciation potential, and well-informed investors are keeping a close eye on them.
Realty glitters in the diamond city. Real estate sector has witnessed a 100 per cent growth in the past two years, aided by a number of factors like vertical development, business opportunities and influx of people from other places.
Om Ahuja, CEO-residential services, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) India, said, “In cities like Surat, the growth is directly related to increased income of people. High income has also spawned more nuclear families.”
Chairman CREDAI, Surat, Tarun Rawal said, “On-going development of mass transport infrastructure and planned town planning schemes in the city has given confidence to people to go to faraway places to live. Hence, small sector projects – 1,500 sq ft houses – have gained a foothold in the city.”
Surat was the only city where people used to buy and sell properties without documents, but now awareness is growing. “Now small units have started to come up in huge numbers,” said Harshil Daliwala of SNS Builders.
The city is estimated to be spread over in an area of 326 sq km. It could further expand by another 200 sq km. “There is a plan to convert Surat-Navsari into twin cities which will together have a population of 1.15 crore people,” Surat Municipal Corporation’s director of planning Jivan Patel said.
Indian private lender Dhanlaxmi Bank said it does not plan to shut down branches or shrink operations, but has initiated steps, including salary cuts, to control costs as it grapples with pressured margins.
“We have no plans to shut down any of our branches. We want to grow,” PG Jayakumar, the bank’s chief executive, told reporters.
The small-sized bank also plans to surrender excess real estate in metros and major cities.
Last week, the Economic Times newspaper reported that the bank plans to shut 30 branches in major cities as part of a revival plan.
The bank swung to a net loss of about 370 million rupees ($7.2 million) in the December quarter as costs soared and revenues shrank.
Consumers and businesses have rushed to park their money in long-term deposits, burdening banks with high costs, while lenders have been struggling to grow their loan books to boost profits.
“Strain on profits in one or two quarters is not going to affect us badly,” Dhanlaxmi said in a statement on Monday.
It plans to focus on loans against gold, small and medium enterprises and retail businesses for growth and expects a net interest margin of 2.5-3 per cent in the current financial year that ends in March.
The bank said it plans to raise 2 billion rupees each of tier 2 and tier 1 capital in the fiscal first and second quarter, respectively.
Shares of the bank, which has a market capitalisation of $126.3 million, ended down nearly 2 per cent in a weak Mumbai market on Monday.
The real estate developers on Thursday reacted sharply to the Bhubaneswar Development Authority’s (BDA) move to change the definition of “apartment” and “group housing.”
Talking to reporters here, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) state president D S Tripathy said the new definitions are vague and will result in the harassment of people while constructing houses.
The draft BDA (planning and building standards) amendment regulations-2012 proposes to amend the definition of apartment as building constructed in one block having more than four dwelling units where land is owned jointly and construction is undertaken by one agency. Under the existing BDA regulations 2008, an apartment is defined as a building having six or more dwelling units.
Tripathy said under the new definition houses of joint families may become apartments. As a result, such families would have to meet the required road width of minimum nine metres, he said. Tripathy said certain apartments can never form societies for which at least seven members are required. Similarly, the new definition of ‘group housing,’ building with more than one dwelling unit, where land is owned jointly and the construction is undertaken jointly by one agency, is vague and don’t convey clarity.
CREDAI, which suggested its comment on the draft regulations, open for public suggestions, is of the view that creation of the new “settlement fund” and earmarking of 10% of all housing projects for economically weaker sections is not going to help the poor. “It seems impractical that BDA will construct EWS houses using shelter fund,” the CREDAI chief said.
The CREDAI, Odisha, suggested that the state government should formulate an affordable housing policy on the lines of Rajasthan, which looks more realistic, gives incentives to builders and subsidy to weaker sections.
Private equity deals are alive and kicking in Indian real estate space even though headline numbers do not reflect the same due to the absence of big ticket investments. The total number of PE deals during the first quarter of CY 2012 has hit a three-year high, according to VCCEdge, the financial research platform of VCCircle.
There were 12 deals worth $279 million in Q1, compared to 9 deals worth $432 million in Q1 CY2011 and 4 deals worth $97 million in the same period in 2010, according to VCCEdge. This is much lower than the peak of 22 deals cumulating to $1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2008, after which stock markets went into a tailspin due to global financial meltdown.
Although the overall value of PE investments has shrunk and investors remain cautious about the sector, it does not necessarily reflect a poor investment scenario in the realty space, according to analysts.
Shobhit Agarwal, joint managing director (capital markets) at property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle India, says, “Most of the funding that is happening now is for last-mile project completion where most of the money has already been spent by the developers and they don’t need large-size funding.” In fact, the projects are 60-70 per cent complete and developers are looking for some more equity to finish them off, he adds.
Last year, the average deal for PE investments was skewed up in the first quarter due to two $100 million-plus investments, including one by Ascendas. This pushed up the average deal size to around $50 million, as against the average size of $20-25 million in Q1 of the previous two years.
But there is another reason for lower quantum of investments by PE firms in the realty sector. According to V Hari Krishna, director of Kotak Realty Fund, “Most of the funds are reaching their shelf life and new fundraising is not happening in the same pace as it happened in the earlier round. Therefore, a lot of funds have either exhausted their capital or are on the verge of it and investments are slowing down.”
Even though the average ticket size of PE investments has shrunk, real estate remains one of the top sectors drawing PE firms. During Q1, real estate accounted for almost 10 per cent of the total PE deal volume and around 15 per cent of total value of PE investments, as per VCCEdge.
“By 2020 we plan to open 100 hotels in India with an inventory of around 10,000 rooms,” Lemon Tree Hotels Chairman and Managing Director Patu Keswani told reporters on the sidelines of the Hero Mind mine Summit 2012.
Lemon Tree Hotels is planing to open 100 hotels in India by 2020, with a total room capacity of 10,000.
The company also said it has put on hold plans to foray into real estate in partnership with US-based investment firm Warburg Pincus.
This year the company is opening two more hotels, he said without sharing details on the investment that would be required for the expansion.
Keswani, however, said the company plans to raise money from financial institutions or may even go public in the next two-three years. “In the next 2-3 years, we might look at public listing,” Keswani said.
At present, the company’s total room capacity is around 2,000. On the company’s proposed real estate foray, he said: “We have put that housing project in cold storage. It is not the good time to start a project like that.”
In April last year, the company had announced that it will foray into real estate with plans to invest over Rs 1,400 crore to launch housing projects in India in partnership with US-based investment firm Warburg Pincus. “We will wait for the Indian economy to become better and interest rates to come down…I do not see the situation improving in another 2 years,” he added.
With bearish sentiment affecting corporate expansion plans in the country’s financial capital, there has been a steep decline in the commercial real estate taken up by Indian companies. In contrast, multinational companies (MNCs) have picked up considerable office space here.
The latest report by property advisor DTZ comparing the trends in the first quarter of 2012 to the same period last year shows a noticeable change in the profile of the commercial real estate occupier in Mumbai. Between January and March 2012, Indian corporate firms account for 29 per cent of occupiers of new commercial realty space in the city. This is a sharp fall from the 71 per cent market share of new space that these corporates picked up in the corresponding period in 2011.
In comparison, US- and Europe-based corporates were responsible for taking up 5 and 18 per cent of the space in the first quarter of 2011 respectively. In the same period this year, their market share has gone up by 32 and 23 per cent respectively.
According to Rohit Kumar, DTZ research head, an analysis of quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year office space take-up highlights the fact that relative market share of MNCs based out of USA and Europe has increased significantly while that of their Indian counterparts has dropped. “Be it IT, ITES or Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BSFI), the MNCs find India relatively cheaper in terms of labour and real estate. On the other hand, despite the positive growth signals from the US and Europe, Indian corporates are more conservative, fearing the return of recession,” said Kumar.
In a recent report, Jones Lang LaSalle said that Mumbai seems to be in a tighter spot with Rs275 billion being sunk in land since FDI (foreign direct investment) was allowed in real estate in 2005; most of which has failed to yield returns. Even many investments done in South Bombay once named as one of the hottest and costliest property location in the world have met the same fate. Read Mumbai has sunk Rs275 billion in lands since 2005, the reason is known to all. Sky high prices have put off customers. In Mumbai, an average flat costs more than Rs10,000 per sq. ft. and even in Navi Mumbai, in less populated areas, there are many projects that have flats priced at over Rs1 crore.
Add to that the confusion created by the new DCR (development control rules). Many builders now have to make fresh plans to accommodate the proposed changes about FSI; and the worst affected are those whose projects are already underway. Many of the launches have been put on hold, and construction has been stalled in many places. And for people who have already invested in these projects, the longer the deadlock lasts, the more they have to pay.
Buy or not to buy? Despite a profusion of analyses and research reports on housing prices and their future direction, home buyers remain as confused as ever. So it is little wonder that 37 lakh of flats remain vacant in Maharashtra, of which 4.79 lakh are in Mumbai. The Census Directorate data says that even Thane district has more than 5 lakh vacant flats.
“Why doesn’t the government or RBI (Reserve Bank of India) understand that the more they squeeze liquidity by raising interest rates, it raises returns on black investments even higher. If our country can bring down black element out of property, rents will fall, property prices will fall,” said a commentator.
The home-buyer, however, is at a loss. The Budget came as a flop, and a recent Crisil report says that prices of steel and cement will go up, which will probably be passed down to the end-user. And then, there is the proposal to hike on leave-license, which is going to make rentals expensive. There are some who expect matters to improve.
Pankaj Kapoor, MD, Liases Foras also had echoed similar thoughts. “The high prices are not fault of only the builders. The hike in stamp duty was uncalled for and it is too revenue-centric and indicates a short term vision.” Read Maharashtra Stamp duty hike: “Neither can you afford to own a home, nor take it on rent”
However, as most experts say, one can buy a home any time. “You never know what will happen next. And honestly, there is little evidence to suggest that customers have waited for better home loan or price options when they have to buy a home—because it is a necessity. So if you want to own a home, there is no bad time,” said an analyst.
Journalists are misleading the home buyers, said the savvy second-generation developer, reclining on the deck of his corporate yacht, anchored off the Gateway of India, sounding truly concerned about the fate of middle-class Mumbaikars. With all sincerity, he explained how the prices of land have gone through the roof, how the cost of material has shot up and how even the labour cost has nearly doubled. Of course, he didn’t talk about increasing profit margins. “When all input costs are going up, how can the price of real estate go down? By writing reports that realty rates could go down, you are only delaying their decision. And finally, they will have to pay an even higher price for the delay,” the young turk clad in designer suit said, adding as an afterthought, “Do they have a choice?”
I think they do. The choice of not buying a home at all; the choice of renting it out! What does rising input cost and galloping interest rate mean to someone who opts out of the realty acquisition spree? Like this friend, who owns a 1BHK apartment in Seawoods, New Mumbai, and has for long been planning to move into a bigger home. A 2BHK apartment in the nearby Seawoods Estate costs upward of Rs1.4 crore and even after selling the existing flat, he would have to take a loan of Rs1 crore to move into his dream house — with a monthly instalment of at least Rs1 lakh dangling on top of his head like a sword. The monthly rent for the same apartment is just Rs20, 000 — a saving of Rs80, 000 every month, not to mention the pressure of servicing a gigantic loan. It would be a pity to buy your dream home, and lose your sleep over it.
In these days of fluctuating fortunes and unstable jobs, locking into a lofty home loan may not be the best idea and living on rent may well be a smart move. Leave aside complicated calculations and the conventional wisdom that realty prices only go up, and living on rent makes better economic sense too. Imagine paying a fat instalment for five years, and finding that the price of your flat has remained the same, or even worse, gone down by 30%. Live on rent and not only do you get to keep all that money which would largely make the interest component of your home loan, but you also have the flexibility of moving to a new address, or a new city.
Not that we are new to the concept of living on rent. A good percentage of the population in the west lives on rent, as did a good percentage of Mumbaikars too, till just 25 years ago. Very few people had the resources to buy a house, and one’s own home was a result of a lifetime of hard work. The rest rented it out, and home loan companies did not even exist.
Should every Mumbaikar make the choice of living on rent, the young Turk on the yacht has a lot to worry about not only about repaying his creditors, but also the fat installment for that anchored yacht!
A prosecution witness in the 2G spectrum allocation case on Thursday told a Delhi court that as per the Unified Access Service Licences guidelines, the real estate firms were not barred from applying for the licences.
Company Secretary V Mohan of real estate firm Parsvnath Developers Ltd, which had applied for the UAS licences in 22 circles in August 2007, told Special CBI Judge O P Saini that when the company had applied for the 2G licences, they had gone through the UASL guidelines.
“When the company made application for UAS licence, I had gone through UASL guidelines. When I went through guidelines and the company decided to file application for UAS licences, it was quite clear to me that there was no restriction on a real estate company, applying for a UAS licence,” Mohan said.
Mohan deposed that in August 2007, the firm tried to venture in the telecom business and made applications to the Department of Telecom (DoT) for licences.
Mohan said their application was rejected by the DoT and Parsvnath Developers Ltd did not get any licence.
During his cross-examination, he said their firm was complying with net worth criteria and paid up equity capital criteria when it applied for the UASL on August 24, 2007.
He said the firm knew about August 2007 recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and in view of this, they knew that the entry fee for grant of pan-India UAS licence was Rs 1,658 crores.
“The company was in the know of TRAI recommendations of August 2007. The company knew that the entry fee for grant of a pan-India UAS licence was Rs 1,658 crore, in view of TRAI recommendations. When the company made the application on August 24, 2007, it never knew that DoT was going to announce a cut-off date,” Mohan said.
Mohan, whose deposition concluded today, said the main ground communicated to Parsvnath Developers Ltd by the DoT for rejecting its application for the UASL was that the telecom business was not in the object clause of the firm at the time of making the application.
He said the rejection of the application by the DoT was challenged by the firm before the Delhi High Court. Besides Mohan, the court also recorded the testimony of prosecution witness Raj Kumar Kapoor, a retired Director of Bycell Communications (P) Ltd, which had also applied for UAS licences in 2007.
Kapoor, whose recording of testimony concluded today, said he was called by the DoT officials for licences on January 10, 2008 but at Sanchar Bhawan, he was given a letter to the effect that their application for UASL was not considered.
In a recent report, property broking and real estate consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle said the Indian property market is poised to attract about US$3 billion, almost double last year’s US$1.6 billion, from overseas buyers this year.
The Indian property market will see more investment from overseas this year as it still remains an attractive investment destination globally.
Of this, one-third would be from home buyers and the balance from investors. This is despite the fact that property prices in India are at an all-time high.
According to a recent National Housing Bank (NHB) survey, property prices in big Indian cities have increased by as much as 43 per cent to 166 per cent in the last four years.
NHB, wholly owned by the Reserve Bank of India, lends to home-mortgage companies. It also regulates and refinances social housing programmes. In its report, the bank said Chennai had seen the highest rise in prices at 166 per cent. Bhopal was second with a hike of 117 per cent and Mumbai was ranked third with an increase of 87 per cent.
What then brings overseas investment to Indian property, when prices are skyrocketing? The answer is simple: Despite the global turmoil because of the financial crisis, the Indian economy has remained robust, largely due to domestic-driven demand.
According to Jones Lang LaSalle, India’s strong economic growth, rapid urbanisation, growing middle-class population, demographic advantage and increased thrust on infrastructure has worked in its favour. Buying property is especially popular among Indians living abroad, who all seem to want a piece of the homeland. That is why Indian property shows are burgeoning around the globe.
Dubai-based Sumansa Exhibitions has been holding Indian property shows across five countries. And every year the number of developers taking part in the shows and the attendees has grown rapidly.
Sumansa Exhibitions’ chief executive officer Sunil Jaiswal says: “We have held shows in the UK, South Africa, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore. They have been very well received by both exhibitors and visitors alike.”
This year Sumansa will hold the Indian Property Show in Singapore on April 14 and 15. It will be held at the Suntec Exhibition Centre’s hall 401 and nearly 40 developers from across India will be part of the show.
More than 200 properties will be showcased during the two-day exhibition. Sumansa expects the number of footfalls at the event to be much larger than the 4,000 that turned up at its last year’s event.