Consultation India - Pune, Mumbai Real Estate/ Properties Investment, Property Management Services

Following in State Bank of India's (SBI's) footsteps, other state-run banks may also come out with scheme offering home loan at a fixed rate of 8%. The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) would review the response of borrowers towards the SBI scheme after three weeks and if it finds that there has been a good response, other banks will follow suit, according to a top IBA official. "We would review the consumer's response (towards the scheme) and then take a decision accordingly," IBA chairman T S Narayanasamy told ET on the sidelines of a meeting here on Monday. Mr Narayanasamy is also the chairman of Bank of India (BoI). He said the review would be conducted after the completion of three weeks of the launch of the scheme.Last week, SBI had announced that it would offer home loans at a flat rate of 8% to all borrowers and would freeze this rate for one year. The chairman of one of the major banks, who asked not to be named, said SBI can afford to lend at such chea

There are still buyers for the super luxury home segment in Pune. Developers claim that despite depressed market conditions, this niche segment continues to attract investors. However, some of them have had to bring down rates to lure customers. Marvel Realtors, automated super luxury homes maker says that sales have picked up in the last one and half months due to correction in rates and banks easing lending. "Initially, buyers were holding decisions. With some correction in rat,es, they feel they are getting value for money. We have offered discounts of 10% to 15% less, than what we were selling at peak season rates," Vishwa-jeet Jhavar, CEO, Marvel Realtors said. Marvel has sold around Rs 20 crore worth properties in the past one and half months. "The first phase of Marvel Diva of around 3 lakh square feet is ready for possession by May 2009 and we sold 2.40 lakh square feet. These flats are in the range of Rs 80 lakh to Rs 5 crore," Jhavar said. The super 1uxury

PROPERTY developers building residential complexes will not have to pay service tax on sale of apartments now, as the tax department has cleared the ambiguity on taxability of these companies. The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) in a circular has said construction service provided by a builder to a person buying the apartment till the execution of sale deed would not attract service tax. Usually, developers enter into an 'agreement to sell' with the buyer of the property. But the property remains under the ownership of the developer and it is only after the completion of the construction and full payment of the agreed sum that a sale deed is executed and ownership of the property transferred to the buyer. "Therefore, any service provided by such seller in connection with the construction of residential complex till the execution of such sale deed would be in the nature of 'self-service' and consequently will not attract service tax," the circular sa