Tuesday, December 4, 2018

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

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

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

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

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

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:






Have any Questions?

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

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.




Thursday, September 27, 2018

Indians Buying Property Overseas

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter

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.






Have any Questions?

Friday, August 31, 2018

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

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter

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.








Have any Questions?

Monday, July 23, 2018

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

Monday, July 2, 2018

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

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter

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



Have any Questions?

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

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
 
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.



Have any Questions?
 

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

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.













Thursday, June 7, 2018

Celebrities’ amazing homes and guess which celebrity own these homes


Home decor is a personal and subjective choice and often reflects the personalities. Take a look at celebrities’ amazing homes and guess which celebrity own these homes!





Thursday, May 31, 2018

What shall I do if interest rates go up?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter

Sumit booked his apartment in a builder project in 2010 in Noida Extension. He booked a 4BHK unit measuring 2250 Square Feet at a base selling price point of Rs. 1950 per Square Feet. Prices were affordable and he was able to book the apartment within his budget:

Area of the Apartment (SqFt) 2250
Base Selling Price (Rs/SqFt) 1950
Development Charges (Rs/SqFt) 225
Car Parking (Rs) 150000
Club Charges (Rs) 100000
Interest free Maintenance Charges (IFMS) in (Rs/SqFt) 85
Final cost of the apartment (Rs) 5335000

Out of the required 53.35 Lacs, he arranged for 13.35 Lacs from his own sources such as cash, provident fund, and fixed deposits. Balance amount of Rs. 40 Lacs was availed from a leading bank in form of home loan. Home loan rates in 2010 were hovering at around 8 to 8.25%. Which meant his monthly payment in form of EMI was Rs 33458 for a period of 20 years. His home loan interest rates were of floating type. This meant whenever, RBI revises repo rates, home loan interest rates would go up or down depending upon RBI monetary policy.

Everything was going as per plan; however, as the inflation started to go up because of various macro economic factors, RBI started revising its monetary policy. The focus of RBI moved towards bringing inflation under control. And therefore, interest rates started moving up. From about 8% in 2010, the interest rates jumped to about 11% in 2014.



What it meant for Sumit was that his EMI outlays increased over a period of time. At one point of time, he was paying monthly payment of Rs 41288 in form of EMI. That’s an increase of Rs 7830 per month.

What can Sumit do to maintain his EMI under control?


  1. Stretch the loan tenure: Sumit had availed home loan for a period of 20 years. However, since, interest rates had moved up, he could sit with bank officials and seek to extend the loan tenure to 25-30 years. Thereby, he can bring his EMI under control.
  2. Move to another lender: Sumit can also move to another lender offering lower interest rates. In this case, he has to study and analyze the offers by various banks. And if there is a difference of about 0.5%, then, Sumit can switch to another lender to bring his EMI under control. However, he should check if there are any pre-payment charges with existing lender. As per RBI rule, customer can move from one lender to another without paying any pre-payment charges.
  3. Prepay portion of the Loan amount: Sumit can also prepay some portion of his loan amount to the existing lender. This way, his EMI would come within manageable limits.
  4. Avoid shifting to fixed loan rates: When interest rates are fluctuating, many people believe fixed rates are way to go about. However, fixed interest rates are more expensive and at the same time, one cannot take benefits of lower interest rates as and when RBI brings interest rates down. Therefore, Sumit should stick to points 1, 2, or 3 and should completely avoid point 4.


Thanks. Please share!



Have any Questions?

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Mechanism for sudden price appreciation and need for regulator

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter
 
To many this wouldn’t be a new thing, I am talking about the sudden increase in residential property prices in Indian metro cities between the periods 2003 to 2007. On a macroeconomic side, it is very well documented that prior to 2003, the property prices were significantly depressed and they shot up post 2003 on account of huge demand driven by increased jobs in sunshine sectors such as IT, Auto, and services. This coupled with relatively short supply gave further rise to real estate prices.

But how did prices go up so suddenly to the tune of almost 8 - 10 times. Well, I struggled a bit to understand that phenomenon and after years of being in real estate sector, here are my two cents.

Firstly, on account of increase in jobs as well as increase in income levels, the demand for housing was tangible. However, the supply was limited and new infrastructure has to be created to cater to that rising demand. That new infrastructure (if we talk about Delhi NCR) could only be developed in new locations such as Greater Noida, New Gurgaon, Golf course extension road, Greater Faridabad, Far away Ghaziabad, and so on.

Now, simple calculations will tell us that cost of construction is about rupees 1200 per square feet (I am talking about high quality construction at current prices). Add land prices to that number, and you would arrive at rupees 1300-1400 per square feet of developed land in the new locations mentioned above. So, how could builders of these new developments in those locations sell those properties for about Rs. 2500 – 3000 when you have properties being sold in primary (already developed) locations such as Faridabad, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad being sold for Rs. 1800 – 2000 per square feet. No guessing here, the prices have to move northwards in primary locations to justify the Rs. 2500 – 3000 in new locations.

But how do prices move northwards in primary locations? Well, tried hard and after spending some years in real estate sector came to realize that it needed vitamins, injections, or even better steroids. To illustrate it very simply, take a case of real estate sector in Noida where land rates in 2003 were hovering at around Rs. 800 – 1000 per square feet in most localities. All of a sudden builders ABC, XYZ, and few more enter the market and purchased the land plots for Rs. 3000 – 4000 per square feet and I am talking about the primary Noida locations here. What it meant for those builders was loss of money (maybe 50-100 crores) having bought the land at high prices when same was available at very low prices. What does it mean to Mr. Sharma, who believed that since Mr. Verma has sold his plot at Rs. 4000 per square feet, that he wouldn’t sell it for anything less than the Rs. 4000. And rest as they say, residential land price of Rs. 4000 per square feet became the market price in no time.

Now, the very same builders were developing the new locations and now that the price in primary location has already been put on steroid, they can charge Rs. 2500 – 3000 in new locations. So, for the loss of Rs. 50-100 crores, they can now easily make thousands of crores. No fault of theirs, in a capitalist world maximizing value is the key and they did it in open market. However, presence of real estate regulator could have avoided this steroid and maybe saved the common man with pains of going to new locations when most jobs are in primary locations. Given the income levels in major metros, can you justify the prices of real estate? No, and that’s where the real estate regulator could have been helpful.




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Saturday, May 19, 2018

UK’s Generation Rent


Presenting below the info-graphic on UK’s Generation Rent!

Young adults between the ages of 18 – 35 who are living in rented accommodation in UK are known as UK’s Generation Rent. 

This segment of population has little chance of becoming homeowners because of high property prices in UK. Is it true? Let’s compare UK’s Generation Rent with other nations in the EU.













Saturday, May 12, 2018

Mistakes to avoid when you rent out your apartment

A real estate report that was released recently highlighted the facts why Bangalore is considered as the most preferred city to stay in the country and also to invest in properties. While the real estate and property markets are down in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi, the report suggested that Bangalore has now a high rate of residential properties and the rate of rented apartments is going up with every quarter. Bangalore has a typical mobile population wherein people, young adults to be precise, come to the city to study and work on a temporary basis. This has resulted in the increasing numbers of rental accommodations like houses, flats and paying guests in Bangalore.

There are certain dos and don’ts that tenants need to keep in mind while finding a rent house in Bangalore so that the deal is profitable and stay is comfortable. However, as an owner also, one must keep in mind certain factors to avoid making mistakes. Grabhouse.com, India’s first broker free housing portal lists down the common mistakes that one can avoid as an owner of rented properties.

The first basic mistake that a landlord might make is deciding on a proper rental amount to charge. Apart from the basic rental charge, there are many additional charges that as a landlord, one might need to pay. These may include maintenance bills, water bills, etc. If the tenant has to pay these separately, you may keep them out of the rental charges. Else, make a list of the utility items that you need to pay and make it part of the entire rental charges for the tenant.

Make sure to conduct a background check on your possible tenants before you allow them to stay in your house. It eliminates the possible chances of inviting uncalled troubles if the tenant turns out to be someone charged with legal cases or similar other situations. It also helps you stay clear of the legal issues as a landlord. You can call up their workplace or any reference number to get a background check about the person or the family and then decide accordingly. If required, do not hesitate to check on your tenant after renting out the house also. Regular screening of the property and the house and a proper credit check of the tenant is important.

One basic rule of being a landlord is to be familiarized with the various legalities involving the laws of real estate sector and what it means when renting a house. Get yourself familiarized with the various aspects of the laws regarding renting out apartments to the tenants. You can consult a legal adviser specialized in this sector. Be sure about the policies involving security deposits, maintenance costs, and payment of rent on a mutually agreed upon day, parking and other community charges if any.

While preparing the lease document, make sure to include all the clauses pertaining to maintenance of the house, items provided by the owner, payment of rent on a particular day of the month, extra payment for the utility items, etc. Get the lease documents verified by your legal adviser, read it carefully and share it with your tenant. If your tenant suggests changes, get it verified by the adviser, come to a mutual agreements and then sign the paper, after you have read it carefully (again!).

Before renting out the apartment, make sure to have discussion regarding the revision and raising of rent amount annually. Discuss the percentage of raise and other associated charges properly to avoid ambiguity at a later stage.

Lastly, maintain a cordial relationship with your tenant. It will help in having the same tenant year after year and will develop the trust. Ensure that you are there to help them if they need you and offer to fix any damage in the house immediately that has not been caused by them.

This is a guest post by Shanaya Mehta

Monday, April 30, 2018

What are the major differences between Real Estate Venture Funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT), and Real Estate Mutual Funds?

Real estate investment from an individual’s point of view is a large investment wherein large amount of money (in Lacs, or in Crores) is required to purchase either a commercial or residential property. The money invested sits there in the asset and over a period of time capital gains are accrued by the investor. The capital gains thus accrued depend on supply demand equilibrium prevailing in the market. If property is available for use, the investor can use it for own purpose or rent it out to earn rental income. Thereby, investment in real estate can fetch twofold returns namely rental yields and capital gains.

However, only investors with deep pockets can afford to invest in real estate asset class. What about retail investors with small amount of money? Can’t they invest in real estate just like they invest in stock markets? Yes, they can by way of participating in either Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) or Real Estate Mutual Funds (REMF).  Read more about Real Estate Investment Trust.

Find below the major instruments that can be used by investors to invest in real estate without actually buying a Property:


  • Real Estate Venture Funds

Investment Audience: HNIs, institutional investors and global investors (since minimum investment required by each investor is worth millions, retail investors are outside the purview)

Investment Target: Real Estate Assets (Projects/Ventures), securities (of listed/unlisted entities) or both.

Investment Returns: 25-30% (on an average)

Leading Entities: Indian players (such as Kotak, HDFC, ICICI, Kshitij, DHFL) and international players (such as Actis, Morgan Stanley, Maple Tree, Sun Apollo, Lehman Brothers etc).



  • Real Estate Investment Trusts REITs

Overview: Close ended investment vehicles that invest only in real estate assets (through property or mortgages). It is floated as a company with issued share capital. ( REITs are structured as corporations with issued share capital)

Investment Audience: Retail as well other institutional investors

Investment Target: Real Estate assets only (either through mortgages or property). It invests primarily in ready to use, constructed properties only.

Investment Returns: Returns in the range of 10-15% annually from rental income of property owned by REIT.



  • Real Estate Mutual Funds REMFs

Overview: Close ended funds that invests primarily in securities issued by real estate companies (and to some extent assets as well).

Investment Audience: Retail as well other institutional investors

Investment Target: As per SEBI guidelines, at least 75% of the total assets should be invested in real estate or related securities. Further, a mandatory 35% of assets within the stipulated 75% have to be invested in completed real estate assets. The remaining 25% can be invested in securities related or unrelated to the real estate sector.

Investment Returns: Expected returns in the range of 35% (largely capital gains through investment in securities or sale of assets at time of closure).

Monday, April 9, 2018

What is a completion certificate and how to apply for it?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter

In our last post, we discussed various approvals that are needed to construct a house. We also discussed that no matter if you are constructing your own house or buying it from the real estate developer; you still need to get approvals from relevant authorities within your city.

An important approval (or document) among all the approvals is completion certificate (CC). As the name suggests, this certificate is granted after the completion of the construction of your house or a group housing society. The certificate is issued when the property is ready to be moved in. A completion certificate is issued by the local development authority/Municipal Corporation certifying that:

  1. All necessary works have been completed according to the design plan and other directions, and
  2. The property is fit for moving in.
  3. The construction is carried out as per the building codes set up by the development authority.
  4. The building adheres to the earthquake guidelines, fire fighting guidelines, and do not breach any safety parameters.
  5. The interior work also has been completed as per the approved layout map. 
  6. The development authority has no role in the choice of interior fixtures such as bath fittings, electrical fittings. Fans, cooling systems, ventilation systems such as an exhaust fan, airconditioning, appliances, furniture, electronic items, kitchen fittings, are decided by the homeowner and the development authority has no role in that.


Therefore, it is your duty to apply for a completion certificate when the house you are constructing is ready to be moved in. Or you should ask your developer to get the completion certificate in case you are buying the property in a group housing society such as a high rise or low rise apartment complex.

Find below the procedure for obtaining the completion certificate:




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Saturday, March 10, 2018

What are the main approvals you need from the concerned authorities in urban areas while constructing a house in India?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter

Building one’s own house is what most people dream of. You are always filled with the excitement of designing your bedroom, drawing room, choosing the right set of tiles for the floor, bath fittings, modular kitchen design, etc.  However, in all this frenzy, one might lose track of important approvals that are required from the city planning bodies.

Whether you are looking to construct your own house in Gurgaon, Delhi, Noida, or other cities in India, the approvals you need from urban bodies remain more or less the same. For example, if you are constructing your house in Noida, then, you must focus on these necessary approvals and accordingly design the house including Bedroom Layout, Modular Kitchen in Noida, Bathroom Layout, Open Areas, Fire Fighting Safeguards, Rain Water Harvesting Rules, etc.

To ensure that your dream home takes a concrete shape in a smooth manner, you need to obtain certain approvals from the concerned authorities such as Municipal Corporation, Area Development Authority, Electricity Board, Water Supply and Sewerage Board, etc. You must submit relevant documents/certificates along with the design plan to the concerned authorities.

In case, you are not constructing your own house and rather you are buying it from the real estate developer in a group housing society, then again, you need to verify that your developer has approvals from the concerned authorities such as Municipal Corporation, Area Development Authority, Electricity Board, Water Supply and Sewerage Board, etc.



Here is a quick reference for the main approvals you need from the concerned authorities in urban areas while constructing a house:






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Monday, March 5, 2018

Looking to sell the house or your property? Pay attention to these tips!

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter

In May 2012, one of our colleagues decided to sell his 250 square yard plot in Delhi NCR region. He has bought the plot in 2003 and therefore, the capital appreciation gains were substantial. He wanted to sell this piece of plot and buy another plot in different city. The idea was to build a house on this new plot and live there. Therefore, he has reasons to sell the plot. However, when looking to sell your property, the first question you should be asking is “do I really need to sell?”

  • Do you really need to sell?
There can be in-numerous reasons to sell the piece of property you own and these reasons can range from shifting to new city, family wedding, education, or building/buying a bigger property, etc. Analyze those reasons carefully and discuss within your family members before arriving at the decision to sell the current property you own. Because make no mistake, selling is no easy job, it takes time as well as it incurs unwanted expenses such as brokerage fee, advertising fee, paper work, no-due certificates fee, etc. One can also explore the possibilities of obtaining loan against property (LAP) in order to fulfill the current need for funds rather than selling the property. However, once, you have considered all the possible options and selling is the best bet, then pay attention to the following advice.


  • Verify the prevalent market sentiments

The true value of the property is what a buyer is willing to pay in a transparent and mature market. Therefore, once you have decided to sell, do the quick check of property valuation and this is how you do it:
    • Check the selling price of highly similar properties which have been sold in recent months/days within the same locality. As a seller, you would not like to sell at below market prices. If there is no data available for similar properties, then check the selling price of dissimilar properties and adjust for dissimilarities in the selling price. For more on, property valuation, visit Property Valuation in India
    • Check for the time-duration it took others to sell their property. If it takes longer to sell, then it can be safely concluded that market sentiment is low and you would have to wait for long time period before being able to sell your property. However, one can always 'sell in distress' at high discount. This is what happened to our colleague since market sentiments in 2012 were low and he had to wait for 6 months before selling the property at a substantially lower price.
    • Check for the rental values of the similar properties within your locality and city as a whole. Sometimes, property transactions (sale/purchase) might be slow but there is demand for the housing and therefore, rental values may be appreciating whereas capital values have remained stagnant. This is what is happening in the current real estate market across India. In this scenario, it will be advisable to stay invested in your property and earn decent monthly income by renting it out for some time and sell the property when market sentiment is strong.



  • Selling process
Finding the right buyer for your property is not easy. Because property transaction involves large amount of money, one needs to be careful in advertising the property, dealing with brokers, and prospective buyers. 
    • Online classifieds: list your property on online classifieds portals. Don’t just list the property blindly on all available classifieds portals. Rather select the ones which have high degree of trust among other sellers and buyers and at the most list your property on 2 online classified portals.
    • Brokers: approach the local area property brokers and enquire about current property market sentiments before listing your property with them. One should never list the property with multiple brokers. Rather list with 2-3 trustworthy brokers. "The best approach is to ask some brokers about buying the similar property and ask some brokers about selling the property. If there is substantial difference in the buying price and selling price as quoted by the brokers, then it indicates that there is demand for the property in the market but real estate brokers are downplaying that demand". In that scenario, it is better to wait and strike the deal when you get the best possible price for your property.
    • Agreement to Sell: once you have identified the buyer, check for his/her credential to pay the required amount in mutually agreeable time period. It is advisable to ask the buyer to make reasonable advance payment (say 20% of the property value) with the condition that in case the buyer subsequently backs out from the deal or fails to make full payment and take possession of the property in accordance with the terms & conditions of the deal/agreement, such advance payment will stand forfeited and will not be paid back to the buyer. This is known as “option” and should be included in the “agreement to sell” paper. The time period between “agreement to sell” and “sale deed” can be mutually decided between the buyer and seller. The prevalent trend is about 45 days or 2 months.
    • Sale deed: after the “agreement to sell”, the next step is to formalize the “sale deed”. ‘Sale Deed’ should be signed and title documents handed over to the buyer only on the receipt of full and final payment. Once the deal is concluded, full payment is received and Sale Deed signed, insist on the registration of the property in the name of the buyer with the Sub-registrar of assurances under the provisions of the Indian Registration Act. Consulting and engaging a good lawyer before selling the property to a person or organization is a good and sensible idea.

  • What are the risks in property selling?
As explained in the article above, the property selling process is long and there are inherent risks and one should be careful with the following elements:
    1. Inappropriate valuation of the property
    2. Selling through too many real estate agents
    3. Dubious buyers


  • Taxes

In case of sale of house property, long-term capital gains are taxed at the rate of 20% after availing indexation benefit. The indexation rates are released by the Income Tax department each year, which can be applied to arrive at the indexed cost of acquisition of the property sold. Short terms capital gains on house property, on the other hand, are included in the gross total income and normal tax rate is applicable.

Exemptions from Tax

The Income Tax Act 1961 contains certain provisions that offer exemption from tax on long term capital gain arising on sale of house property, these are as under:
  • If capital gain is invested in new residential property: Section 54 of the Act protects capital gains arising out of sale (or transfer) of a residential house (original asset) in either of the following situations:
    1. One has purchased a new residential house either within a period of one year before the date of sale of the original asset or two years after the date of sale of the original asset.
    2. One has constructed a residential house (new asset) within three years after date of sale of the original asset.
  • If long term capital gain is invested in capital gain bonds issued by specified institutions:
Section 54EC, under various schemes (as listed below), provides exemption to capital gains arising from any long term capital asset (original asset), provided the capital gains are invested in long term specified assets covered by Section 54EC within 6 months from date of sale of the original asset. The said Section requires locking of the funds for 3 years. However, the investments made on or after 1 April 2007 in the long term specified assets during any financial year should not exceed Rs. 50 lakhs.

Section 54EC Schemes for Capital Gains Tax Savings
    1. NHAI Capital Gains Bonds issued by National Highways Authority Of India.
    2. REC Capital Gain Bonds issued by Rural Electrification Corporation Of India.


  • Stamp duty and registration charges:
Stamp duty and registration charges are borne by the buyer and these charges differ from state to state. Visit Stamp duty and registration charges in India for more.


Above all be patient in the entire property selling process!


Data Source For Tax considerations: National Housing Bank




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