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Discuss: No automatic residency for property buyers in Dubai

Source: AME INFO United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, June 24 - 2008 at 08:00 Marwan Bin Galita, chief executive of Dubai Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera), said there is no direct link between property ownership and residence visas in the emirate, reported Gulf News. Noting that it is 'not a must' that those who buy a property can get a residence visa, he said that even if an investment company applies for a residence visa for a buyer, the residency department could reject it.

Asia's realty market on a roll

Source: The Economic Times Dominic Whiting SINGAPORE I N THE property world, the momentum appears to be with Asia. Funds designed to buy offices in Tokyo or build homes in China and India are sucking up money from Western investors eager to enter a region so far only grazed by the global credit crunch. But is the easy money to be made elsewhere? Maybe in the ravaged London market in the United States in a few months if price declines slow, or even in undervalued Asian property stocks rather than in bricks and mortar? At this week's Reuters Global Real Estate Summit, fund managers ING Real Estate and LaSalle Investment Managers, the property arm of British insurer Prudential and Dubai's ETA Star Property Developers all said they were raising new funds this year to invest in Asia. Hailing strong regional growth and a more mature investment landscape in Asia, where the advent of real estate investment trusts (REITs) has brought more transparency to the murky world of property deve

Real estate FDI inflow up nearly five-fold

Source: The Hindu Business Line New Delhi, June 24 The Indian real estate and housing space emerged as the darling of foreign investors in 2007-08, clinching FDI equity inflows of about Rs 8,749 crore, a near five-fold increase over FY07. "The investors have seen that the real estate potential in India is huge. The returns are quite attractive. In fact, we see the trend picking up even further this year as the prices are getting more attractive for investors," Mr Ra-mesh Sanka, Chief Financial Officer at DLF said. Late last year, DLF Ltd had sold 49 per cent stake in eight residential project SPVs to private equity investors for a total consideration of Rs 1,675 crore. A Merrill Lynch & Co entity had bought 49 per cent equity in seven residential projects in Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi and Indore for Rs 1,481 crore. The company headed by Mr K.P. Singh - has also diluted 49 per cent stake, in another middle-income housing project in Panchkula, Haryana, to Brahma Investments

Demand for Housing set to grow: NIBM

Source: The Financial Express At least 68 million Indians will require independent housing by 2015 and add to the housing demand of nation due to age-demographic effect. Inthecase of urbanpopu-lation, the additional need for housing would be 31 million, a report on the 'Study of Residential Housing Demand in India prepared by the Nation-al Institute of Bank Management (NIBM) for National Housing Bank (NHB) said. NIBM has forecasted additional demandforhousingfor 2012-13 at around 6.79 million, a figure that has been projected by the 11th Planning Commission. Studying the linkages between housing demand and other sectors like steel and cement production, NIBM has estimated a 10 % increase in realised demand for houses (proxied by number of loans disbursed by HFCs and banks) resulting in a 4.59 % increase in steel produc-tionand 4.67% in cement production. A typical borrower, according to the study, would most likely to be a male in the age group of 40-50, a significant 25% were belo

INVEST, SELL AND THEN BUY

Source: The Economic Times Properties in the metros are literally going out of the reach of common people, the latest is to invest in affordable houses on the periphery, and later on encash these assets to purchase another house in the city. ET Realty explores the idea of buying property in the peripherals. M eet the new home buyer, who is actually a medium-term investor with a long-term end-user perspective first, an investor on the outskirts of the city, and later, a buyer in the city. Take a look at the case of Sanjit Baijal, a guy in his late twenties who works with a retail company. He wanted to own a house in Delhi itself. Anything which can be called a decent accommodation comes for nothing less than Rs 50 lakhs, whereas, he had only Rs 15 lakhs to spare. The result- he explored options in this range and combed the projects across Delhi NCR. The projects in affordable range were all on the periphery of Delhi, further away from the suburbs. He finally invested at the Ansal Town p

Emaar MGF plans $3bn expansion in India

Emaar MGF Land, a joint venture between Dubai's Emaar Properties and India's MGF, is to develop 31 million square feet of area in 10 locations in South India with a planned investment of $3bn. The first of these developments to be launched is Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, a leisure and residential community in Hyderabad. The $1.4bn project features an 18-hole championship golf course, luxury residences, large format retail facility, luxury & boutique hotels and IT park.

Small flat owners may get property tax relief

Source: The Times of India Mumbai: Small flat-owners across Mumbai could expect greater relief in their property tax assessments. All party MLAs on Tuesday proposed that no changes will be made in the tax structure for flats with an area up to 500 sq ft for an initial five-year period. Put simply, lakhs of middle-class residents in chawls in the island city and those living in old buildings in suburban Mumbai could be spared any increase in the property tax which would shortly be levied on the basis of the market value of a property as against its rental value. The proposal was discussed at the joint select committee meeting of the state legislature which met on Tuesday to seek an all-party consensus to shift to the capital value system of determining property tax while protecting the interests of the middle-class. At present, property tax is calculated on the basis of the rents determined in 1940. Minister of state for urban development Rajesh Tope chaired the meet. While the MLAs una

NCR project hits new price high

Source: Business Standard SIDDHARTH ZARABI New Delhi, 18 May S etting a new benchmark for apartments in the super-luxury segment in the national capital region, a local developer is offering 7,672 square feet of super area at a basic prices ranging between Rs 13,500 and Rs 14,750 per square foot (sq ft), the highest in the region. The property is attracting keen interest in the market and analysts said it indicates the market for luxury properties remains strong as ever. The 240-apartment property is being developed by Ambience Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd, a company promoted by Raj Singh Gehlot. Located 800 metres from the toll gate on the Delhi-Jaipur expressway of national highway 8, the 150-acre site borders the vast Rajokri greens. The smallest apartment in the Ambience project - The Caitriona - has a basic sale price of Rs 9 crore, while the largest carries a basic tag of Rs 11.31 crore. There are others charges that buyers have to bear: for preferential location, an open terrace with

RIL sets up $1 b realty fund with US biggie Vornado

Source: The Economic Times Co Also In Talks With Canada's Four Seasons & France's Accor To Set Up Hotels Chaitali Chakravarty & Boby Kurian NEW DELHI/BANGALORE I N WHAT could be mark the beginning of Reliance Industries' foray into real estate and hospitality, the Indian conglomerate has sealed a Si-billion joint venture with the New York Stock Exchange-listed Vornado Realty Trust to set up a real estate fund that will develop a network of mega malls and highway shopping centres in India, not just for Reliance Retail (RRL) but also for others. Reliance is also in talks with the Canada-based Four Seasons Hotels and French group Accor to set up hotels at some of its properties in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The RRL spokesperson, however, declined to comment. The joint venture with Vornado (ET reported about the two being in exploratory talks in February) is Reliance's fifth global partnership in three months�the other four being with Marks & Spencer, Vision Express,

'The real estate sector will touch the $50 billion mark by 2010'

Source: Hindustan Times Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman, DAMAC Holding speaks to Nuzhat Aziz on DAMAC's recent venture in India and the investment opportunities in Dubai DAMAC Properties has recently tied up with 60 agents in India across metros and tier I cities. What is going to be the strategy and how will DAMAC sell regional properties to the Indian investors? India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The purchasing power has also gone up accordingly If you look at the recent developments with regard to real estate industry alone in India, the picture is quite positive and that has also grown due to the buying power of the consumers in India. We are currently in the feasibility study stage and will share more details as things unfold. Are there any particular cities that DAMAC will focus on? Which are they and why? We are currently looking at Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. We are in the evaluation phase. However, we feel that the growth is more or less uniform

A swimming pool in the sky

Source: The Times of India Taking a lifestyle plunge in your swimming pool on the 40th floor brings the ultimate outdoors, indoors . What does it take to make this aquatic statement? reports What makes the exclusive penthouse a coveted segment of premium real estate? Several things. It could be a rooftop terrace or a private clubhouse or your very own swimming pool in your high rise pad. "It translates into a lifestyle experience with the added advantage of privacy," says Vinod Thakkar, CEO of real estate Square Feet "A swimming pool at ground level puts every swimmer vulnerable to peeping toms. A pool on the terrace is off-limits to anyone looking out the windows," he explains. Putting another spin to it is real estate professional Sunil Bajaj. "In space starved Mumbai, real estate requirements at times can be quite complicated. You need to have maximum open space on ground level for car parking, this means you have to move the garden and swimming pool 'up

Work afoot for Pune's third township

Source: The Hindu Business Line Our Bureau Pune, May 1 While two townships are already under construction in Pune, the third Metropolis, a 150-acre township is also taking shape. The township is coming up at phase III of Hin-jewadi where Blue Ridge township, a Paranjape Scheme, is also getting ready. Pegasus Properties, a joint venture between Avinash Bho-sale Group and Kumar Properties, has announced the launch of Megapolis at an investment of Rs 1,400 crore . Talking to presspersons, Mr Manish Jain, Joint Managing Director, Kumar Properties, and Mr Amit Bhosale, Director, Pegasus Properties Pvt Ltd, said the property is under construction and would be completed in the next five years. PROJECT DETAILS Mr Jain said the township would have 58 high rise towers with 21 storeys each. The options would include studios, one to five BHK (bedroom hall kitchen), and senior citizen blocks. He said the phase I, which was launched on Tuesday, would give the consumers the options of two, 2.5 and th

Why Invest in Nagpur?

Why Invest in Nagpur? Nagpur stands second in the overall tally of most developing cities of India as per Knight-Frank report. 4,00,000 (Four Hundred Thousand) employment is estimated to be generated. The city has shifted from Tier III to Tier II status. Mind blowing appreciation of 500% in the land prices of Nagpur in the year 2006-2007.Around 20 to 30% shrewd NRI investors are already proud owners of this land. MIHAN CITY NAGPUR:- The MIHAN (Multimodal International Cargo Hub Airport at Nagpur) + IT Park + Health City + SEZs project rising over 4055 acres.- Multi Million Doller Investments and land purchasees in Nagpur: - FDI: Rs. 1500 Cr. - Ascendas: US$ 185 m. - HCL: Rs 500 Cr. Satyam & Maytas: 1018 acres - KSL Group: Rs. 450 Cr. - Mantri Realty: Rs 2350 Cr. - Gati Ltd: Rs. 100 Cr. - Jagdamba Realtors: Rs. 2000 Cr. - CIDCO & NMC: Rs. 5895 Cr. - NDF Govt: Rs. 5000 Cr. - L&T: 120 acre. - Wipro: 117 acre. - DLF:150 acre. SAHARA City-106 acre - Rahejas. - H

Boom in the 'Orange city' - NAGPUR

Source: The Times of India The proposed International Cargo hub (MIHAN) has made Nagpur a real estate hotspot, says Shilpa Sachdev It is one of the fastest growing Tier III cities in India and believed to be India's future IT and Aviation city Nagpur is India's second capital and third big city in Maharashtra. It is famous for its oranges and hence is known as the 'Orange city'. Recent developments have fuelled the growth of real estate in Nagpur. One of them is the proposed Multi-modal International Hub Airport that has suddenly spurred the interest of investors in commercial and residential spaces in the city Located in the centre of India, Nagpur is a strategic location for the Multi-modal International Hub Airport. Boeing's maintenance base is another development that has added to the real estate growth in the city The upmarket zones of the city include areas like Dharampeth, Ramdaspeth, Gokulpeth, Ramnagar, ShivajiNagar, Byramjee town, Gandhinagar and Ravi Naga

Budget Bonanza: Real estate sector shining

Source: Economic Times. The Union Budget, may not have done wonders for the real estate developers but has certainly proved to be a blessing in disguise for the industry with both the movers (builders) and shakers (buyers) sounding equally enthusiastic about it. To explore this Budget bonanza which the real estate sector is about to witness, Times Property takes a look at the new tax breaks on spending and investment avenues of the potential home buyers. A city based young couple, which together fetches an annual income of Rs 10 lakh per annum sound really enthusiastic about the entire tax break provision. Shikha, who works in a bank herself is happy about the fact that her additional spending power would not only make her feel liberated to shop but also help them save better for the prospective property that she and her husband will soon be buying in the Hazratganj area. She expands, “Rishi, my husband and I had zeroed down on a house last year itself, but since we didn’t have the pa

NAGPUR,INDIA THE HOT NEW INVESTMENT DESTINATION

Nagpur is South east asia's and India'sone and only cargo hub cum hub airport which willtransform it into a world trade city. The combined investments committed as of date invarious projects is more thanRs.50,000crores.Additionally,Nagpur MunicipalCorporation is pumping another 6000crores intodeveloping the metro city infrastructure. MIHAN project will give direct employment to close to1,50000 people and indirect employment to another4,50,000 people.The various SEZ's in butibori willprovide equal amount of Employment. All these adds up to a huge population migration intothe city resulting in current housing demand of500,000 new homes. Nagpur is expected to have a population of close to75lakhs by 2015 when majority of the projects will beon or nearing completion. All this is putting pressure on land prices which isslated to rise @100% plus for the next 4-5yearsatleast. Nagpur, the center of India is fast becoming the center of attraction for global investments due to the fol

HOME STATE Maharashtra has taken a lead in providing houses to its residents

Source: The Indian Express OVER the years, Maharashtra has paid a great deal of attention to housing. In fact, it was the first state in India to declare its independent housing policy. According to Lalit Kumar Jain, chairman, Promoters and Builders Association of Pune (PBAP), Maharashtra is a national leader in housing and real estate. When it comes to housing, Maha-rashta has many firsts to its credit. It implemented the Maharashtra Ownership Flat Act for flat holders in the state. It was also the first state to construct houses for low-income groups at subsidised rates. It was the first state to incorporate modern features in construction, facilitate online design plans, online development and contracts and online booking. In fact, the computerisation initiatives undertaken by Pune's engineers for the housing sector have even received national recognition. "Housing in Maharashtra has always been a flourishing business and will remain so. Construction is now an industry. Bui

Is commercial space driving real estate?

Source: Hindustan Times This week, we try to dispel some myths regarding commercial real estate by answering some frequently asked questions. How well is commercial space doing vis-a-vis the other real estate sectors? The market for office space in India has witnessed a compounded annual growth in excess of 30 per cent over the past seven to eight years. The growth has been highest in the met-ros, and there is an overall annual addition of approximately 58 million square feet of office space. Is commercial space the primary driver? Does retail count in it? For all practical purposes, retail counts as commercial space - meaning that it is used for commercial purposes, and that a different set of parameters from those that apply to residential space comes into play. However, the IT and IT-enabled services industry does lay claim to a pretty significant chunk of the overall demand. Retail, in the form of shopping malls and multiplexes falls in a comparable league. There is also a huge dem

Multiple FDI projects may give relief to realty players

Source: Economic Times. NEW DELHI: Real estate companies , who are bound by strict conditions for bringing in foreign direct investment (FDI), can now look forward to a breather. Companies developing several projects simultaneously are likely to get a waiver on meeting FDI conditions on some if majority of the projects are FDI-compliant. Realty companies are subjected to conditions such as three-year lock-in period and a minimum development of 10 hectares for bringing in FDI. The move will particularly benefit real estate companies that take up expansion plans from time to time. Under the proposed waiver, such expansion schemes/projects would be eligible to get foreign funds even if they do not comply with the required conditionalities separately on their own. “Many a time, the developer faces difficulty to hive off projects that are not FDI-compliant. The industry’s main grouse is that if some of the projects are taken in isolation it negates the purpose of the whole project,” a sen

Realty players woo healthcare firms to meet govt norms

Source: The Economic Times WITH townships mushrooming across the country, it appears that healthcare companies are having a field day. To meet the government's mandate to set aside 10% land for facilities such as healthcare and education in townships, healthcare companies are being wooed by real estate players to set up hospitals in their townships. With just a handful of corporate hospitals in India, which have both the scale and brand, there is an urgency among developers to choose from the few healthcare companies available. "While it is an opportunity for both healthcare companies and developers, the scenario has become more favourable for us. We are being approached by real estates players from across the country, " says Max Hospitals ED medical operations Pervez Ahmed. Fortis Healthcare has entered into an agreement with DLF to set up 14 hospitals across the country in latter's townships. Cushman & Wakefield, India, joint managing director Sanjay Dutt said,