What are the benefits of applying for a home loan in Joint name?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Sumit Sharma had planned to buy his home from a reputed developer in the locality that he was satisfied with. The cost of home was rupees 75 Lacs. Sumit had arranged for the 20% payment (Rupees 15 Lacs) from his pocket. For rest of the payment, he approached the bank to avail home loan.

Before sanctioning Rupees 60 Lacs, bank asked Sumit for following documents:

1. Salary slip/Form 16 A
2. A copy of the first and last pages of the ration card or a copy of PAN/Telephone/Electricity bills as a proof of residence
3. Details of investments (FD certificates, shares, any fixed asset, etc. or any other documents supporting the financial background of the borrower)
4. A photocopy of LIC policies with the latest premium payment receipts (if any)
5. Passport size photographs (as applicable)
6. A copy of bank statement for the last six months
7. Age proof
8. Financial details of guarantor, wherever guaranty is required

Having produced the above documents, Sumit was confident that his loan application will be approved. However, to his surprise, bank rejected his loan application on account of low monthly salary.

As a thumb rule normally most of the banks/HFCs (Housing Finance Companies) have a provision that one should be left with at least 50% to 60% of income after repayment of monthly loan installment, to take care of the family expenditures.

Sumit’s monthly salary was Rupees 80,000. For which he was eligible to avail about 40 Lacs Rupees as loan amount from his bank.

Cost of home: 75 Lacs Rupees
Upfront money arranged by Sumit: 15 Lacs Rupees
Loan eligibility: 40 Lacs Rupees
Remaining amount: (75-15-40) = 20 Lacs Rupees

Now, how will Sumit arrange for the remaining 20 lacs rupees?

To this, Sumit’s bank manager suggested that he can make his spouse as joint applicant for the home loan. Sumit’s wife was employed for last 3 years. Her net monthly income was Rupees 60,000. By combining the monthly income of both Sumit and his wife, bank was willing to sanction the loan amount of Rupees 60 Lacs. Finally, Sumit was able to buy his dream home jointly with his wife.

So, what are the benefits of applying for home loan in joint name?

1. As can be seen from Sumit’s case above, applying jointly for home loan increases the amount of loan that bank can sanction for people to buy home.
2. Moreover, banks or HFCs feel comfortable to sanction the loan in joint name because of greater security for the lender in view of the option to take recourse to either of borrowers.
3. Besides improving your loan eligibility and enabling you to get a larger amount of loan, co-borrowers are eligible for deductions under the Income Tax Act. Both the borrowers can claim deduction, to the extent of their share in the loan, under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act 1961 for repayment of loan, subject to the condition that they are joint owners as well.
4. Section 24(b) grants deduction for interest up to Rs 150,000 per year on a loan for acquiring a residential house. This deduction is available individually to both the co-borrowers. To be eligible for the deduction, the home loan needs to be taken in joint names, property be owned and financed jointly in equal shares, with both spouses being joint owners.

All the co-borrowers or joint-borrowers are jointly and severally liable to repay the loan availed from the bank/HFC, subject of course to the terms and conditions stipulated in the loan agreement. Thus, before volunteering to become co-applicant in a loan transaction, it is advisable to properly understand the implications of such decision.

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What is Property Tax / House Tax in India?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Municipalities across all cities in India charge a levy from local residents to maintain the city’s infrastructure such as sewerage, park, roads, other civic amenities, lighting, etc. The property tax shall not be confused with income tax payable on income generated from the property. While income generated from the property by renting it out comes under the ambit of income tax authorities and is calculated as per the income tax guidelines, the property tax is a municipal level subject. Income generated from the property is a central subject whereas property tax is a local subject. Property tax is also sometimes referred to as ‘house tax’.

Some municipalities do not charge property tax and instead bill separately for the services rendered to the residents. There are municipal bodies who charge residents for water and drainage facilities, maintenance charges. Moreover, MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) and MP (Member of Parliament) funds are also utilized for the upkeep of the city.

How is property tax calculated? The tax is computed on the basis of rental income that the property under consideration may generate by way of letting it out. Usually, the property tax or house tax is a small percentage of the yearly rental income that the property can generate if it is rented-out. And it varies from state to state and from city to city. The property tax / house tax in India is to be paid once every year or every 6 months.

Below are the types of properties that are liable to be taxed under property tax / house tax provision in India:

• Residential house (self-occupied or let out)
• Office Building
• Factory Building
• Godowns
• Flats
• Shops

More details about property tax in India:

Property tax or house tax in india from Green Realtech Projects Pvt. Ltd

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Four Financial Issues to Resolve Before You Settle Down

When the time comes to finally settling down, we often get so caught up in all the emotional and operational aspects that we forget to take the practical course of considering the financial aspects, before embarking upon this new phase in our lives.

It thus comes as no surprise that financial incompatibility can often cause situations of conflict in a marriage. This includes factors like budgeting, current debts, and current and proposed investments.

Here are a number of crucial financial issues that one needs to delve into, before settling down –

Review current debts –If you have a loan on a car or an education loan, or a credit card bill, you ought to put a number to the debt in terms of the value of your liabilities. It is also important to factor in how long it is going to take to pay back the amount, given the new expenses that are bound to crop in post-marriage. You should also review your partner’s financial liabilities and make a joint decision on whether to individually clear all debts, or pool in resources. This way, budgeting becomes much easier and the fact that there are debts to pay comes as no surprise or a cause for concern later in the marriage – full disclosure is mandatory.

List out assets and ongoing investments –Once you have identified the financial liabilities in terms of current debt, it’s important to look into current assets, investments and income, so as to be able to set a financial plan in place. While most of your investments till now were defined by your individual goals, marriage entails deciding what goals remain individual to a person and which goals, two individuals can combine and work towards achieving together. Make a list of your current and ongoing investments, approximate returns, stock investments and current assets like jewellery and real estate. Once you do this, you can decide the financial responsibility to be borne for each investment, post marriage.

Also, if need be, you might want to make future investments in your spouse’s name, or change the nominee in current investments, and while listing assets. These are aspects that need to be taken into account before settling down so that there are no conflicts or misunderstandings later on.

Financial planning and budgeting – A critical factor you need to take into consideration when getting married, is that your attitude towards money and those of your future spouse, might be different. You should thus have a discussion with your partner, about their spending habits, goals, and future expectations vis à vis those of your own. What you might consider a frivolous expense, might be a priority spending area, in the eyes of your future spouse.

You should also factor in financial responsibilities like monthly maintenance bills or looking after parents, and future plans like buying a house or having children. At this point, you ought to have your individual as well as joint priorities set, so that you can put a number to your short and long term finances.

An additional area of conflict could be actually spending on the wedding, which you should factor in into the financial-planning process as well.

Defining financial responsibility and demarcation of money – Often, conflicts arise depending on who manages the money, or who’s paying the bills. It thus becomes important to plan whether one or both the individuals have access to the funds, whether there are joint accounts or individual accounts or both, and each person’s role in making investments, bill payments and household expenses.


This is a guest post by Paisa Bazaar

What are the landlord’s rights and what precautions a landlord shall take before renting out a property?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Real estate is a lucrative investment class. Not only it gives you capital appreciation gains but at the same time one can earn rental income from his/her property. Whether the property you own is commercial or residential, one can rent the property to earn stable monthly income. However, as easy as it may sound, there are always issues when it comes to renting out a property. What if the tenant does not pay the rent on time? What if the tenant mishandles the property? What if the tenant doesn't pay the utility bills on time? These are some of the questions a property owner is confronted with and therefore taking precautions at the beginning of renting out a property will make sure that the property is rented out to good quality tenant.

At the same time, a landlord enjoys legal rights as laid down by the Transfer of Property Act, 1882. These are ‘Right to timely accrual of lease amount’, ‘Right to know about the condition his property is in’, ‘Right to know of any changes that the tenant might want to make’, ‘Right to notify the tenant of an intention to increase the rent’, ‘Right to be informed of any disclosures’, ‘Right to get back his property on repossession’, ‘Right to repossess the property complete with all fittings and furnishings’, ‘Right to claim all the charges for supplies’.

Therefore, before one rents out or leases his/her property to a prospective tenant, make sure to go through the following document about ‘Precautions before renting out’ and ‘landlord's rights’.

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Why You Don’t Need to Leave Your Home to Find a New One

House hunting isn’t for the faint of heart.

No matter how structured your city is or well paying your job might be, you might still be short of a decent place to live in. A house hunt takes seemingly countless hours of neighborhood tours and location drive-by to finalize that decision on ideal property. If your weekdays are packed, chances are that you would also have to compromise on your weekends to go property hunting with your broker.

As if putting up with your broker isn’t enough, these incessant trips to different localities will also leave you physically and financially drained. Opting for an online realty search, you get to check out countless listings, be it rental or lease apartments, without even having to step out of your home.

Image: Pixabay

Here’s how taking your house hunt online can take a load off your shoulders.

• Saves Time and Energy 

Visiting each flat for rent personally would take up a lot of your time and energy. Additionally, you’d have to cough up parking and fuel charges if you plan on taking your own vehicle to new localities. Getting stuck in traffic for hours can also leave you frustrated.

When you search for properties online, you save yourself from all these unnecessary hassles. You can simply surf through numerous sites that give you a virtual tour of the property. You can make a list of a couple of properties that you want to check out personally, and pre-book a visit before you zero in on a particular piece of property.

• Eases The Documentation Process

Unlike conventional processes where the broker would be in charge of the situation while you were in the dark, you would take the lead here. You’d be aware of the proper pricing and wouldn’t be taken advantage of. Some of the real estate sites even help you understand the documentation process.

• No Brokerage Fee

When you opt to search for flats without brokers online, you directly interact with the owner and avoid having to go through any intermediate. This helps you in getting to know the owner and learning more about the property first-hand. You also free yourself from paying a brokerage fee and all that unnecessary running around.

• Refines Your Search

One of the best parts of searching for a property online is not having to go through hundreds of random properties to get what you want. Filtering your search according to the locality, specification, amenities, or the budget you are going for will help you streamline your search.

You can get your hands on the best deals when you compare different properties and their rates online. Doing your homework on the current real estate scenario across different neighbourhoods also helps you build confidence in your ultimate decision.  

• 24/7 Availability

Round-the-clock realty portals let you access different properties throughout the day. With just a PC and phone at hand, you can check out properties online without the even needing to get out of bed. You can get all the contacts and listings you need within the comforts of your home.

This means that you don’t have to compromise on your leisure time. Using this method, you can shortlist a few prospects before you shift into a new home in a different city.

You can now find the home of your dreams without giving up on daily activity. Comment below to let us know how online realty portals have helped you find the right place, and/or if you have a better suggestion!


This is a guest post by Sudarshan Purohit

Growth of Housing Finance in India

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

In order to provide housing for all by 2022, the government needs to develop the housing finance sector. In its current avatar, the housing finance sector is able to provide loans to borrowers working in the formal sector with proof of income and banking transactions. However, about 99% of the total shortage of housing in urban areas belongs to the Economic Weaker Section and Low Income Groups of the society.  (Overall housing shortage in urban areas - 18.78 million units till 2012).

Over a period of time, housing finance has evolved considerably. In the initial days, people either self funded their housing needs or participated in schemes launched by government owned institutions in the real estate sector like state housing boards and development authorities. Launch of HUDCO in 1970 represented a paradigm shift and for the first time housing finance was formalized. However, private sector participation in housing finance took shape only when HDFC was setup in 1977. In the late 1990s, commercial banks also got involved in housing finance.

On August 28, 2014, Prime minister launched the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna’. The objective of the program is financial inclusion for all. Can this program cater to the housing finance needs of the BPL or marginalized Population in future? There is possibility of directly transferring interest subsidies on housing loans to the EWS and LIG categories.

In this section, we highlight the various steps taken by the successive governments to facilitate the need for housing and housing finance in India.

Growth of housing finance in india from Green Realtech Projects Pvt. Ltd

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How to check for legalities, cost, penalty clauses, and available financing options for a real estate project in India?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Are you looking to buy property in India? Have you decided on the location, or choice of builder? Are you satisfied with your research of similar offerings available in the market? If you answered ‘YES’ to these questions, then there is all the likelihood that you may be about to make the booking amount to the real estate developer. But, hang on; despite making all the efforts to research for the right property, right builder, location, and budget, there is still a possibility of things going wrong. What else can you do to minimize such risks? Well, conduct a thorough due-diligence including verifying the legalities of the residential project of your choice, It’s pricing, penalty clauses to the developer, and available financing options for the project.

It’s not that difficult a task, just be more open and ask a set of questions from the developer, and bank. This is to make sure all bases are covered in case something goes wrong with the project. We have put together a detailed list of “TO DO” things for you to verify before you pay the booking amount for a property of your choice.

Here it is:

Process to check for legalities, costs, penalty clauses, and financing of a real estate project in india from Green Realtech Projects Pvt. Ltd

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How to Select a Real Estate Agent

Whether you are a property owner who wishes to sell real estate or whether you are a prospective buyer who wants to buy a property, you will need to hire a real estate agent to help you in your endeavor. When it comes to hiring property agents, not all home buyers and sellers are as informed as they should be about these service professionals. The following tips will help you analyze a real estate agent's credentials, his work and success stories so that you can conveniently achieve your goal.

Here are some useful ways by which you can find out more about the agent before you decide to get him on board.

• Get in touch with the agent’s recent clients

Ask the potential agents to bring with them a list of their previous clients along with what they have listed or sold in the past one year. Now before you pick up the phone and start calling up the clients, ask your agent if you should expect any specific client to be particularly satisfied or particularly upset. You can also ask the other clients about the asking price and sale price. If you happen to be the seller, find out if the properties sold by this agent are similar to yours in terms of price, amenities and features. One should hire an agent who has a specialization in the type of property you are looking for or wish to offload. You may also ask the clients as to how long their property been on the market?

• Check the license

Real estate dealers must hold a license that is authorized by a board of a particular state. You should check with your state's regulatory body to find out if the agent is licensed and whether there has been any sort of complaint or disciplinary action taken against him. You may be able to find information related to certain states on databases available online, which the consumers can access.

• Opt for the best

Check out the peer-given awards held by the agents. Look for felicitations that actually mean something, for instance, ‘Realtor of the Year’ award conferred by the state or an association of realtors. Real estate agents are best judged by contemporaries and peers and if an agent has been honored by his allies then that is a huge endorsement.

• Look for the right credentials

Just like doctors specialize and have a niche, real estate agents also excel in a niche. Even professionals working in the general sphere will seek special training in a particular area. So make sure you go through the name and look for any indication that the agent has made extra effort and taken specialized training in a specific sub-domain of property sales. Here is what the designations imply –

1. Accredited Buyer's Representative or ABR – The agent has added education in representing shoppers in a transaction.
2. Certified Residential Specialist or CRS – This implies that the person holds extra training in managing residential real estate.
3. Seniors Real Estate Specialist or SRES – This means that the agent has completed training for helping both sellers and buyers who are over 50 years of age.

• Find out how much experience the agent holds

You can find out facts like how long a particular agent has been dealing in real estate. Such information can be obtained from the state licensing authority. Or you may simply inquire the details from the agent himself. If the agent has been out of business for over five years, they could now be learning on you which is definitely not good. You should always hire a professional who has been actively engaged in a specific sub-domain and price category. You should gauge the magnitude of knowledge of through these two parameters and check the agent’s market presence.

• Check the current listings

Go through the agent's listings shown online. Check out the agent’s official website or other portals with Multiple Listing Service as a searchable online database. Nowadays, most buyers begin their search over the Internet. Thus, you should hire an agent who uses the web effectively. Presentation is everything and so the agent must be able to show his work through pictures of properties and establish credibility through listings. 

Your responsibility is to see how close the listings come to the type of property you wish to sell or buy. You should also check whether the agent operates in the area where you would like to invest and whether he has dealt with homes in the same price range. The person must be able to have sufficient listings to portray a steady business. However, the list should not be extremely long either because then you will just be a mere number in it. 

You can also assess the agent’s proficiency by mentioning about a recent deal in the area. If he knows about it and can give some details, this means that he knows his job and you can hire him immediately.

Lastly, don't forget to check the various fees charged by the real estate agent. And compare these fees with other real estate agents in the locality.

This is a guest post by Devika Arora who is a professional writer dedicated to following the current real estate trends and writing guest posts and blog posts for the benefit of potential home buyers and investors. The above article talks about how to choose a property agent.

5 Investment Tips for Commercial Real Estate

An investment in commercial real estate is a great way of increasing your market worth. Also, by acquiring the asset you add a steady source of earnings to your portfolio. Commercial property that is strategically located can appreciate dramatically over a period of time, while rented commercial properties can procure a regular cash flow for other financial pursuits like investment or for comfortable retirement. The following are five useful tips that will help you while purchasing a commercial property.

• Learn from experiences 

It is always good to go with your instincts. Make use of personal knowledge as the best ideas for investment come from the investor's prior investment experiences and know-how. You should search for real estate in an area located close to your home or some place that is known to you. Investing in familiar markets is always a safer option and you can trust your instincts about what to buy where. Start going through blueprints and get a potential property evaluated. Remember to park your hard-earned money in a well-established locality, rather than an upcoming one even though it would cost more. It is going to be a more profitable investment eventually.

• Wait for the right opportunity 

If you have just seen the property once and have decided to seal the deal, probably you are rushing in a bit too soon. Do not make such a blunder just because you have the purchasing power or like the look of the place. That does not mean the property is ready to be acquired. You should be comfortable with the area and the property. Visit the real estate during all times of the day to see the amount of lighting and the noise in the vicinity. Recce of the real estate may probably even bring out a few flaws in the property that can later be used to negotiate the price.

• Build a real estate circle

An investor seeking to buy a commercial property cannot strike the best deal without a few suggestions and strategies from friends or experts from the real estate network. If you have a business associate from the legal, banking, contracting or property sales profession whose opinion you can trust, you should probably get some professional advice before taking the plunge. The person may also help you find a better deal.

• Plan for both short and long term prospects

As an investor of commercial property, you should be able to gauge the immediate outcome from your investment, while also understanding its long term effects. Cities and their suburbs consist of several run down properties that were once buzzing. Draw your plans and cross-check what you want with what is available. Sometimes, changes in infrastructure, transportation routes and arrival of big organizations in the vicinity can instantly boost the worth of real estate. If something like that is on the cards for the property you are considering, you may be in for success in the near future.

• Diversify your portfolio

Do not risk your money by parking all your funds at one place. You may be taking a huge risk by putting all your investment into a single commercial property. While buying commercial real estate and renting it out will ensure decent cash flow at a later stage, a market slowdown during retirement would be ruinous. Commercial property must not be the only one holding for an investor. To avoid getting stuck with a fruitless investment, it is advisable that you diversify by purchasing residential real estate or stock. If you are only inclined towards venturing into the realty sector, you can branch out by acquiring space in retail or office buildings, apartment buildings, condominiums, studio flats or by buying raw land.


This is a guest post by Devika Arora. The above piece of work talks about commercial properties in India.

Tips for landowners before they enter into a joint venture agreement with real estate developers

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Recently, our team was interacting with some of the landowners who have entered into a joint venture agreement with real estate developers in Delhi NCR region. Now, believe it or not, most of these landowners are inheritors of ancestral property and have no clue about the legalities of a joint venture. They go as per the words of their confidants and sometimes find themselves into trouble. Take this, a landowner who entered into a joint venture agreement with a real estate developer in 2006 still finds that his land has been locked by the developer and there are no signs of the proposed group housing project taking off. What can you as the owner of land do before entering into a joint venture with a property developer?

1. First of all, what is a joint venture between a landowner and a real estate developer?
Joint ventures are formed by at least two parties with the objective of achieving a specific investment return. Unlike many other business agreements, when the objective is achieved, the joint venture is usually terminated. Following are the attributes of a joint venture.

• Risk sharing: A single investor may be unwilling to undertake a real estate venture because of its size, location, capital requirements, and/or duration. However, by sharing the risk, two or more parties may be willing to undertake the venture.
• Combining expertise with capital: Joint ventures are frequently formed as a way to pool equity capital from one or more sources, as well as a means of bringing parties with different expertise to the venture. A joint venture could also involve purchasing existing properties and operating them. In this case, one of the parties may be responsible for acquisition, leasing, and management, and others may provide capital.
• Speculative objectives

2. Organizational forms

Participants in joint ventures may include any combination of individual investors, partnerships, corporations, or trusts. However, a joint venture in and of itself is not a legal form of organization. In order to specify capital contributions, rights, duties, profit sharing, and the like, a joint venture agreement or a business entity must be created. The choice of organizational form used to accommodate those various groups of investors could be a partnership, corporation, Pvt. Ltd, or trust. Partnerships are frequently the vehicle of choice in real estate joint venture.

3. Profit sharing

Because the parties to a joint venture may contribute different things, and possibly in different proportions, a partnership must be structured such that it provides economic incentives for all parties. Differences in tax status of investors also may affect the way partnerships are structured.

A joint venture can take on a number of different partnership forms. The most common is the limited partnership. As is the case with all partnerships, there must be at least one general partner and any number of limited partners. Generally, in real estate, limited partners are the investors that provide most of the equity capital, while general partners are usually responsible for managing the partnership assets and may contribute a relatively small portion of the required equity capital.

4. Following factors are considered by potential investors for structuring a joint venture.

• How much initial capital will the parties contribute and how will the parties contribute additional capital if needed in the future?
• How will the parties share in the annual cash flows to be produced from operating the property?
• How will the parties share in the cash flow received from sale of the property?
• Will some of the parties receive a preferred return? Will the preferred return be paid from annual cash flows and/or from sale?
• Will taxable income (or losses) and capital gain (or loss) be shared in the same proportion that operating cash flow to be distributed?
• Who will have control over the operation of the property and decisions involving capital improvements, approving leases to tenants, financing and possibly refinancing the property, and when to sell the property?

5. Points you as the owner of the land must keep in mind:

• Check the credentials of the developer. His past record and success in achieving targets.
• Before entering into a joint venture agreement with a builder, register your company and transfer the land on the book of this new entity. You can hold 100% of shares of this new entity or shares can be held by various promoters depending on their claim in the land. The new entity formed should ideally be registered as private limited company under the company’s law act of India.
• Now, enter a joint venture agreement with a builder’s company. Therefore, the agreement is between two companies. One providing land for the development of the project and other providing capital and expertise to develop the project.
• How do you decide on profit sharing? Well, we have defined it above. However, Recent trends in India indicates a 1/3rd – 2/3rd rule. 1/3rd of the project outflows going to the landowner and 2/3rd of the project outflows going to the real estate developer.
• As a landowner, make sure that the number of housing units or the developed area of the project is assigned to you and is clearly mentioned in the joint venture agreement. For example, in case of housing project, you should have the housing unit number, size, and floor in the joint venture agreement.
• As an example, a landowner enters into a joint venture agreement with a ABC real estate developer Pvt. Ltd. The plot of land measures 20 acres and about 600 housing units would be developed. As a thumb of rule, 200 units should be assigned to landowner and remaining 400 to the builder. For a landowner, this kind of agreement is safe and can result better returns for his/her land as opposed to the agreement wherein builder pays the 1/3rd of the cash inflows to the landowner on the sale of housing units.
• Hire a professional legal company with expertise in real estate joint agreements, and due-diligence.

Find the sample Joint Venture agreement between a landowner and the real estate developer.

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Indians Buying Property Overseas

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Post 2008 financial crisis and sovereign debt problems in various European countries, the property prices fell down. Speaking to one person familiar with Spanish market, one get the sense that there is huge property overhang in the country and therefore government has relaxed norms for foreign nationals to buy property. Similarly, in Switzerland, one can easily buy a holiday home in upcoming projects in Andermatt or in other picturesque locations. Fall in property prices in US, EU, and Dubai make these places attractive for NRIs as well as resident Indians.

There could be various reasons for buying property in these countries from settling there later in life, or sending kids for education, pure investment, holiday destination, etc. "Dubai, London, New York and Singapore are the most popular property destinations for Indians. In 2013, Indians topped the list of foreign nationals who invested in Dubai Property market.

However, buying property overseas has its fair share of glitches and therefore one should adhere to following tips and RBI guidelines in order to make sure that process is legal and hassle free.

Indians buying property abroad from Green Realtech Projects Pvt. Ltd

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What are the various payment plans currently being offered for real estate residential projects in India?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Booking an apartment with a real estate developer is not easy. While on one hand there is this question of finding the right property developer with sound track record and on another hand there is this nagging question about housing prices and payment plans. In last few years, real estate projects and in particular residential projects have been launched with attractive payment plans in order to attract end-users and investors to book an apartment. The creative and financial engineering skills of real estate developers and banks are showcased with every new type of payment plan.

At the end of the day each payment plan which is designed reflects the existing market sentiment. If market sentiment is good and there is growth in the sector, then existing payment plans can prove to be sufficient. However, in times of bad market sentiments, there is much more pressure on real estate developers and bankers to sit and devise new attractive payment plans. In recent months, some of the new payment plans which have been introduced in the market are 80-20 scheme, rent on home buy, etc.

In this section, we analyze the various payment plans on offer and their implications for customers.

Down payment plan

A typical down payment plan looks like this:

Down Payment Plan [(8 % Rebate on Base Selling Price (BSP)]

• At the time of Registration / Booking - 10% of BSP
• Within 45 Days From date of Registration / Booking - 85% of BSP + Car Parking + DC +Club Membership + PLC (if any)
• On Possession - 5% of BSP + Other Additional Charges etc.

In a typical down payment plan, one can get a discount on market Base Selling Price. The discount offered can be negotiated with the developer and generally ranges between 8-10%. Now, the question to be asked is, why would a developer offer this 8-10% of discount? Well, if a developer borrows money from bank or other financial institutions, then in that case, the developer ends up paying 12-15% yearly interest. And in down payment plan, a customer is willing to pay the entire apartment cost within 2 months at a discount of 10%. It’s a plan which suits the real estate developer most. However, investors with large amount of cash do also take considerable interest in down payment plans. Because where else can they park their unreported income but for real estate.

For end-users, this plan can prove to be risky in case the project is delayed unexpectedly.

Construction linked plan

A typical construction linked plan looks like this:

Construction/Time Linked Installment Plan

• At the time of Registration / Booking* Rs. 3.0 Lac
• On Allotment of Unit / within 45 days of booking* Completion of 15% of BSP
• On Start of excavation / within 90 days of booking* Completion of 25% of BSP
• Completion of basement roof slab / within 120 days of booking* 7 . 5 % o f B S P + 50% of DC
• Completion of 1st Floor roof slab / within 5 months of booking* 7 . 5 % of BSP + 50% of DC
• Completion of 4th Floor roof slab / within 7 months of booking* 7 . 5 % o f BSP + Car Parking
• Completion of 6th Floor roof slab / within 9 months of booking* 7 . 5 % o f BSP + PLC
• Completion of 8th Floor roof slab / within 11 months of booking* 7 . 5 % o f BSP
• Completion of 10th Floor roof slab / within 13 months of booking* 7 . 5 % o f BSP
• Completion of 12th Floor roof slab / within 15 months of booking* 5 % o f B SP
• Completion of 14th Floor roof slab / within 17 months of booking* 5 % o f B SP
• Completion of Top Floor roof slab / within 18 months of booking* 5 % o f BSP
• On Completion of Brick Work in Apartment 5 % o f BSP
• On Completion of Plaster Work 5 % o f B SP
• On Possession 5 % o f B S P + IFMS + Club Membership + Other Charges

In a typical construction linked payment plan, one pays a booking amount of 3 to 5 lacs and the apartment is booked. Thereafter, installments are paid as per the construction of the project. This plan safeguards buyer’s interest in case the project is delayed since installments are paid as per the construction schedule of the project. Most banks also offer home loan to individual home buyers on this payment plan in order to make sure that funds which are provided to developer as part of installment actually go in the development of the project. This is by far the most prevalent plan in the industry today.

Flexi payment plan

A typical flexi payment plan looks like this:

• At the time of Registration / Booking 10% of BSP
• Within 30 Days From date of Registration / Booking - 30% of BSP + Car Parking + DC +Club Membership + PLC (if any)
• Within 90 days from date of registration/booking – 30% of BSP
• Within 180 days from date of registration/booking – 25% of BSP
• On Possession - 5% of BSP + Other Additional Charges etc.

Just like down payment plan, flexi plan offers discount on base selling price usually in the range of 5%. As the name suggests, this plan provides flexibility to investor in paying the apartment cost over a period of time. Again, it is not suited to end-users who normally opt for construction linked plan. Most banks also do not offer loan on flexi payment plan.

20-80 payment plans

20-80 schemes are a new phenomenon. What it means is that one can pay 20% now and remaining 80% at the time of possession. However, the price per square feet for 20-80 schemes is much higher than the usual construction linked plan. As a buyer, it might look attractive on the surface, but one must be careful in understanding the price differential between a 20-80 scheme and a construction linked plan scheme. 

Even though, in 20-80 schemes, the pressure is on the developer to complete the project on time but there is all the likelihood that prices for 20-80 schemes will be much higher. The hidden point to understand is who is the paying the 80% of apartment cost during the construction period? It will certainly not be a bank, or the developer. Ultimately, the amount is passed on to the customer in the form of higher base selling price. Therefore, before, one jumps on to these schemes, check the price differential.

According to some media reports, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has banned the 20-80 schemes.

Rent on home buy plan

Recently, some developers have launched rent on home buy. What it means is that if you book an apartment in the under-construction project with a particular developer, then developer agrees to pay the rent for your current accommodation if the project is delayed and in some cases the developer agrees to pay the rent for the entire construction period of the project. The idea is to ease the financial crunch a buyer faces when he/she pays equated monthly installments (EMIs) and rent during the period of construction.

Experts believe that such assurances come with a cost, but the builder is unlikely to disclose two sets of rate cards to potential customers — one that includes the rental offer and the other without it. Just like the 20-80 schemes, one must be careful in opting for these schemes as the pricing will be much higher than the usual construction linked plan.

At the same time, direct discount is far better as it is simpler to understand. Then, there is the time value of money you are committing over the period of construction.

Which payment plan one needs to choose?

For an investor with huge cash pile, it may make sense to go for down payment or flexi payment plans. But for, end-users, it is always advisable to stick to construction linked plans because of transparency and ease in availing home loans.

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What are the various kinds of documents that are required to avail home loan in India? What are the documents a salaried class, self employed, businessman needs to present for home loan in India?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

As per the recent report by National Housing Bank titled “Report on trend and progress of housing in India 2012”, the following observations were made.

The urban population of India has been growing at a rapid pace. As per the Census 2011, 31.16 per cent of the total population is in the urban areas. The shortage of housing units for the urban areas for 2012 is estimated at 18.78 million units.

With time, there has been expansion and improvement in the housing finance market by way of various financial reforms; however the housing loans as a percentage of GDP have remained at around 7 percent, significantly lower than the levels achieved in most of the developed countries.

During the financial year 2011-12, housing loan which is disbursed to individuals across India stands at Rs. 68221.12 Crore. Out of which about 71.34% was used by individuals for acquisition/construction of new houses, about 2.63% for repair of existing houses, and about 26.03% was used for purchase of old/existing houses (resale properties). The housing loan availed by individuals across India continue to increase year on year by an average of about 20%. All these numbers suggest that home loan is a key factor when an individual goes out to buy home.

However, before one approaches the bank or housing finance companies for housing loan, he/she needs to have the papers in order. Papers about income proof, bank statements, PAN Card, etc. What are the documents that are required to avail home loan? This is a question many of you are confronted with. And therefore, we have put together a comprehensive list of documents that are required for home loan. Find it below:

List of documents that are required to avail home loans in india from Green Realtech Projects Pvt. Ltd

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Buying your second property? Here is the checklist

Second home, a nomenclature designated to vacation house, investment house, or simply a home for the extended family. Whatever name you call it, second home market is developing as a cash cow for the investors and developers alike. Let us look into the concept of home away from home in some more detail and see a checklist to help make it a profitable venture without burning a hole in your pockets.

Buying a second house is very similar to buying the primary residence to some extent. However the dynamics might change depending on the purpose for which the property is bought. The purchase of such houses depends mostly on disposable income, as they are bought to match the lifestyle choice more than the primary need. Thus a lot of other things like purpose, affordability, and location etc. come into the picture.

For someone planning to buy a second house, hundreds of things need to be considered. It has been observed that it all comes down to a few basic points like purpose, affordability, location, and some other similar factors.

If you are struggling with the decision of whether or not to buy a second house, here is a checklist of decisions that you will have to encounter in order to take a sound decision. Give them a thorough thought before you go ahead and buy a house.

• Buy an age friendly house

Investing in a retirement house is also a very common thing. If that is your plan and you have decided on living in the second house, opt for an age friendly house. The amenities offered by the project will play a major role here. For a house that you plan to retire in, it should have all the care facilities, ATMs, shopping complexes, etc. in close proximity.

In India, places like Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, etc. are seen as age friendly cities. So if you plan on retiring in comfort, buy an apartment in Bangalore or opt for a house in Pune or Chennai.

• Think about the location 

It is one of the main considerations that second-home buyers take. The first part is to decide whether to invest in your city or buy a house elsewhere. Factors like safety, property values, rate of returns, etc. hold importance in deciding the location.

For those looking to buy house in the same city, pointers like purpose, location, and neighborhood plays a major role.

If you plan to buy a house for investment purposes, go for areas near metro routes or high on physical infrastructure front. In a country like India, where the real estate developments are on an all-time high, there are a number of profitable options available to you as second house destinations.

• Purpose of the second house

The purpose of buying a second house should be clear before you make the investment. Decide whether you are looking for retirement house, vacation house, or for investment needs. The location, price of project, and future of the property depends on this choice.

When buying house for vacation, the factors like returns, neighborhood etc. are overridden by luxury, comfort, and status-quo. And when you buy a house for investments, the exact opposite happens.

• Finances 

The main concern when buying a second property is Finances. If you already have the first property going on EMI, it is important to decide whether you want the second property on EMI too, or you want to pay the loan off on the first one and start a fresh loan scheme.

The affordability should always be given a priority. Avoid keeping both the property on loan. Have a good portion of the income with yourself to handle any exigencies with ease.

• Decide what happens with the old house

It is closely related to the purpose point. Before you buy the new house, decide what you are going to do with the old one. It is seen that people often live in the new house and put the old one on rent. Do proper house-benefit analyses before you decide on something. The pricing and EMI is the first thing that will directly affect this decision.

Before you finalize something, work on the tax benefits and insurances, to get a clearer picture of what is beneficial for you.

• Land vs. Apartment

Another important decision to take is Apartment vs. Land analysis. People who have already acquired a piece of land prefer to buy an apartment as their second house, and vice-versa. Again factors like purpose and affordability, finances play a major role here.

Along with huge tax benefits and a place for retreat or simply a source of extra income, second homes offer a number a benefits to the owner. However, the intensity of decisions in terms of how crucial they are increases in the second time round. Before you start searching for properties, go through the checklist and take a calculated decision.

This is a guest post by Tripti. Tripti writes on the behalf of 99acres.com. Her articles talk about new developments in the real estate industry. She is an avid fiction reader, craftsman and a keen observer. Being someone who just observes without having a point of view, she keeps herself updated in real time. You can reach her on LinkedIn.

The rise of India’s commercial real estate market

While talks about the residential real estate sector have got people gripped, commercial property is not far behind. Thankfully, good days have returned for office real estate property in India, with lots of domestic and foreign companies looking for space and many businesses in expansion mode. Bangalore being the prime location for office spaces, many companies are purchasing apartments in Bannerghatta road Bangalore and converting them into office spaces.

• Change in government

One of the most stabilizing factors is last year’s general election and that was one of the reasons behind the upswing of the real estate. It brought with it new confidence in the country’s economic development. Though, the country witnessed uncertain times in the first quarter of 2014, and market morale was low, sentiment improved gradually following the elections. Apart from buying apartments in Bannerghatta road Bangalore, the city of Mumbai, for example, witnessed 65 per cent appreciation in average deal sizes between the second quarter of 2014 and the second quarter of 2015.

The growth of the real estate sector can also be attributed to expanding businesses, especially due to India’s emergence as an attractive offshore destination. The government’s decision to introduce incentives to attract foreign investors plays a role. Also, the availability of a large pool of highly skilled technicians and engineers, customer-friendly banks and housing finance companies, the country’s favorable demographics, and increasing purchasing power. Increasing professionalism among real estate brokers is also cited as an advantage.

• The big three cities

Major shares in the profit are gained from tier 1 cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, and New Delhi. These cities are technological, commercial, and political hubs respectively. According to a survey, these cities even outperformed global commercial property market when it comes to annual rental yields. The Indian office market has been maintaining a healthy traction in 2014 and has clocked office space transactions of 18 million square feet in the first six months of 2015.

It is a record year for Bengaluru, which is expected to transact office space to the tune of about 12 million square feet in 2015. The three cities have also endured the largest individual transactions in the sector, with big corporations and expansive start-ups such as Flipkart and Snapdeal picking up a lot of office space. Some of them are purchasing apartments in Bannerghatta road Bangalore and expanding them to set up their offices. And with the growth in office activity, other commercial spaces follows suit, particularly retail, as well as hospitality due to increasing demand for lodging in the trade hubs from business travelers.

• REITs on their way

The Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) is expected to come up with a future boost. However, due to some legal barriers, the scope of taxation proceeds from such trusts remains unresolved. Foreign investors will be allowed to buy units. It will help reduce pressure and stress on the banking system to fund the real estate sector as REITs will enable the industry to propose fresh equity by attracting long-term finance from domestic and foreign investors. The Indian REIT sector is expected to give a further push to commercial real estate and is tipped to attract investments. So far, REITs worth a total of $20 billion in assets are mainly focusing on Grade A office space and parks, logistic space and warehouses, malls and shopping centers, hotels and other commercial space.

Today, the potential of the Indian real estate sector is enormous, but there needs to be a clear solution with regards to REIT taxation. Among other trends, there's been a steady growth of the commercial sector, which is favorable for organizations.







This is a guest post by Deepak Yewle

Can development of Secondary Mortgage Market help fix the housing shortage in India?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

As has been documented on numerous occasions about the shortage of housing in India, till 2012 (as per the census results) the housing shortage in urban areas stood at 18.78 million units**. About 99% of this housing shortage pertains to the economically weaker section (EWS) and low income group (LIG) categories. That’s a whopping number and constructing those many housing units for growing urban population will take enormous effort on the part of government, private businesses, and finance ministry.

Providing low cost housing finance to plug the housing shortage is seen as the key ingredient. However, most banks use traditional products such as using funds from deposits to finance long term housing loans. Therefore, to provide housing on a scale as large as in India, the concept of secondary mortgage market may well soon be adopted in India. In this article, we will briefly talk about the secondary mortgage market and why it is difficult to implement in India.

What is a Secondary Mortgage Market:

The secondary mortgage market is active in developed economies such as USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, etc. The primary function of this market is to provide a mechanism for refilling funds used by mortgage originators (Banks, Housing Finance Companies, etc.). This, in turn, enables them to maintain a flow of new mortgage origination during periods of rising and falling interest rates. They may accomplish this by selling mortgages directly to government agencies or private entities. Or they may form mortgage pools and issue various securities, thereby attracting funds from investors who may not otherwise make investments directly in mortgage loans. Hence, much like any corporation raising funds for doing business, the primary goal of mortgage originators in today’s market is to replenish funds by reaching broader investor markets.

In addition to direct sales of mortgages from originators to investors, many large mortgage originators found that they could place mortgages in pools and sell securities of various types, with mortgages in these pools serving as collateral. With the assistance and expertise of investment bankers, large mortgage originators can then issue securities in small denominations which would be purchased by many more investors. Firms with smaller mortgage origination volumes could continue to sell mortgages directly to government agencies, which in turn would create large pools of their own and issue securities.

Many types of mortgage related securities have been developed in recent years. The number and types of securities are continuing to increase as mortgage originators, investment bankers, and government agencies continue to innovate and reach investor markets that provide the ultimate sources for many of the funds used in new mortgage origination. Major types of mortgage backed securities are:

1. Mortgage backed bonds (MBBs)
2. Mortgage pass through securities (MPTs)
3. Mortgage pay through bonds (MPTBs)
4. Collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs)

Why it is difficult to implement in India?

RBI recently came out with a report listing down the reasons for non-implementation of secondary mortgage market in India:

1. Low Investor Base
2. Cultural factors
3. Poor capital market infrastructure
4. Regulatory environment
5. Legal hurdles
6. Lack of proper accounting standards
7. Taxation
8. Poor quality of assets
9. System deficiencies
10. Lack of standardization

Road Ahead:
It is clearly evident from the discussion above that development of secondary mortgage market in India is inevitable given the scale of housing stock that needs to be provided. And sooner, we as a country fix some of the issues facing secondary mortgage market; the better it is for growing urban population and economic growth of the country. In 2011-12, the housing loan disbursed to individuals stood at Rs. 68221.12** Crores. With secondary mortgage market in place, this disbursed loan amount can achieve the global levels. And at the same time, provide a mechanism for transparent debt markets.

** Source: National Housing Bank

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Can I afford to buy a home given my current income levels? How do I calculate Home Affordability?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta
 

This piece of blog is meant to illustrate if the home you are buying is affordable or not, given your current income levels.

For many of us working in IT/ITES; Auto; Manufacturing; other services sector, buying a home is a long-term financial commitment. On one hand, we have the aspirations of owning a home while on other hand we have the obligation to fulfill that aspiration. This is where a quick home affordability analysis would help us a great deal given our current financial situation.

Step 1:
Assess your current household income (include your spouse salary to it)
Household Income = your current take home salary + your spouse take home salary + other sources of income

Step 2:
According to global standards, one should allot maximum of 40- 50% of household income for home loan EMIs.
As an example, if your net household income is 1 Lac rupees, allot maximum of 50000 rupees for paying EMIs.

Step 3:
Most banks offer floating home loan rates, Therefore, we will only consider floating home loan rates here.
Analyze current home loan rates (It would help if you have the data for last 5 year home loan rates, because interest rates tend to move up & down in cycles)
As an example, let’s assume home loan rates are @ 10.5% and tenure of the loan is 240 months.

Step 4:
Calculate the home affordability ratio which is
Value of home /your net household yearly income
In this example, the net household income=1200000
Value of home=6260142
HAR (Home Affordability Ratio) = 6260142/1200000, that comes out to be 5.21.

As a thumb of rule, the home affordability ratio should fall between 4.9 and 5.4 for the home to be considered affordable.

Therefore, before proceeding to buy your home, doing simple maths would go a long way in assessing the value of home that you can afford.

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Things to consider while buying a Property

So, finally decided to make a big move or still contemplating whether to take a step forward or not? There are so many things you think about when you want to make the big move of buying your own house. Be it buying a 2-bedroom, duplex, penthouse or a bungalow, its always a big decision.

Every buyer goes through series of questions and to find answers, they have to look at multiple websites, blogs and do a lot of research. There is never a single document which talks about all the facets of buying a property. So today, I’m going to try put all the steps required based on my experiences.

I have been lucky enough to have a chance to experience buying multiple properties, as an investment as well as buying a house to stay in. So, to help save the frustration first time buyers go through, I’m going to try to jot down all the points a buyer might think of before making the big decision.

Before any other questions arise, the most important thing to remember is the reason to buy a property. What are the motivation factors to buy a property?

• House to stay in
• Investment
• Probably both

Let’s try drilling down for all of those options.

If you are buying as an investment,

• How much are you willing to invest
• Are you taking any loans?
• what kind of returns are you expecting?
• how long can you stay invested to get your returns?
• can you afford to book a loss?
• What’s your primary investment goal? Capital appreciation or rental yield? If both of them which one is more important 

Buying a house to stay in,

• How long do you plan to stay there?
• How is your job, source of income, do you see a steady cash flow for at least few years?
• Changes that might happen in future (marriage, have kids, dependent parents moving in with you, in an unfortunate case death of loved one, divorce)

Both (first investment and then some day you plan to stay there or vice versa),

• In addition to above points
• Where are you staying right now, with parents, siblings, in a rental home, in company paid accommodation as you are in a transferable job?
• Define your tentative time line for each activity

Ok, so now you have already decided why to buy and have already answered the above questions, next question will be as to what kind of property – under construction or second sale.

Each have their own pros and cons and everyone person has to weight what is more important for them. An under construction property will be a brand new house and you can get the interiors done as you like without having to demolish anything. But that mean after you pay your initial amount, there can be a long wait. You will start paying your EMI much in advance to actually staying in the house. Some people are ok to do so if they already have a house to stay in or live with your parents or siblings. But if you are renting out your current place, then it can get very expensive as you will be paying rent as well as EMI.

On the flip side, a second sale house might be difficult to find as you will want to find a house which is done to your liking. Its not impossible but it does take a lot of time and effort. When I bought my house, I couldn’t afford paying a rent and EMI, so I decided to buy a second sale property. It did take me 5-6 months to find a house but when I did, it was perfect. I could move in immediately once the paperwork was done.

Be it a first time buyer or a savvy buyer, every buyer has to go through different stages in their buyer’s journey.  Let’s dive a little deeper to understand what to expect at every stage.

Initial iterative stage:

• At this stage you are really not sure what kind of property you really want and how much money would you need for it
• You spend at least 60-70 % of the property hunting time in this stage.
• Money Matters: You don’t have an exact idea how much this property is going to cost and can you manage that money? Note: You will need at least 20-25 % of the property value in cash
• Selecting a Size/Type/Design: Deciding between 2 bedroom or 3 bedrooms, penthouse or duplex
• Selecting a Locality: Ask these questions to yourself. How well do you know the locality? How know it well? Is it convenient? Proximity to your lifestyle needs (night life, malls, nature parks, medical facilities, grocery stores). Is the property located in close proximity to healthcare centres? If you are buying a property, say, for example in Faridabad in Delhi NCR region, then, make sure it is located to in close proximity to leading Gastroenterologist in Faridabad and other medical centres. 
• Selecting a Project: Are you fascinated by a particular condo or a complex? Have you got a particular size you are looking for,what are the amenities required?
• Selecting a Unit: what view are you comfortable with? Garden, swimming pool, parking lots, another building,etc., any religious spiritual things involved.Does it need to be east / north facing, fengshui, vastu shastra, condition of the unit. Amount of repair work

You will go through this stage multiple times until you have found the right property. This iterative stage stops only when you have identified the property. But remember to use a top down approach – identify budget, then size type, the locality, the project and finally unit.

After this comes the closing stage.

• You have identified the property, more or less comfortable with money matter and actively reaching final agreement with the seller
• Before you start negotiating, make sure you have done a thorough research on the market price. Also, check what price the other units were sold at. This will help you get a fair understanding of what the seller might be expecting.
• If the house you are buying is for investment, then also find out the rent the house would fetch. Check if the rent can pay off the EMI or you need to top up.
• With this, also make sure you find out the maintenance fees and sinking fund if any.

 

Lastly, with all the above done, doing the paper work:

• Token amount
• Black/White part of the deal
• Registration
• Final settlement
• Possession

This can be a little tricky as there is a lot of paperwork to do, lot of legal matters to take care of. It is advisable to get professional help if you are buying a property for the first time. Without prior knowledge of real estate, buyers get bogged down and don’t really know if they are doing the right thing. So to be stress free and to make sure that all the paper work is correct before moving into the new house, get yourself a property advisor who will not only help you find property, negotiate but also help with get the right paper work done for your dream house.

Depending on where and how you are buying, these points might defer. But the overall stages will remain the same in every buyer’s life.Hope this article help you make the right choices and happy shopping!


This is a blog post by Karishma Patel

5 most brutal accidents in the recent history of infrastructure projects

We are all accustomed to high levels of safety when it comes to construction of infrastructure projects these days. From bridges, to railway networks, to Metro line construction, to expressways, to dams, we expect nothing less than ordinary. The factor of safety in today’s construction is very high and therefore we don’t get to hear massive tragedies at infrastructure projects.

However, it was not all that rosy; it took human beings hundreds and thousands of years to reach these levels of safety. Here we present 5 most brutal accidents in the recent history of infrastructure projects.

Source: Five deadly construction sites