In what real estate experts see as a sign that land rates are becoming more realistic, a 135-acre plot that belonged to the defunct PAL-Peugeot auto company in Dombivli has been auctioned off to Metropolitan Infra Housing Pvt Ltd (a subsidiary of Gammon India) for Rs 601 crore.
With liquidity from traditional channels like banks and equity markets drying up for property developers, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) have raised rates for loans to real estate companies by two-three percentage points (200-300 basis points). The rates have gone up from 15-19 per cent to 17-22 per cent. The rates vary according to the developer, the project and the requirement of the company, say NBFCs and consultants.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India has expressed concern over “painting” the ‘loan-for-bribe’ as a scam. It says such negative projection would lead to drastic reduction in credit for real estate companies.