All over the world, cities are facing the challenge of uncontrolled urbanisation. According to the United Nations, 54% of the population across the world today resides in urban areas, and that this figure will rise to 66% by 2050. An accompanying fact is that urbanization is happening too fast, and without adequate foresight and planning.
For a very long time, Pune was considered little more than a pensioner’s destination which benefited to some extent from its proximity to Mumbai. It was not considered a serious real estate market at a national or international level. This has now changed for good – the city has attained its own unique identity and is firmly in the limelight as a thriving economic microcosm, with a real estate market that has overtaken Mumbai in terms of attractiveness and investment viability.
Track2Realty: Home buying is one of the most significant financial investments, and it is natural that one would be concerned about the worth of this investment. Consequently, one should take one’s time to do proper research when one is purchasing a property.
Track2Realty: Abroad, a new trend of evaluating neighbourhoods by their ‘walk score’ is being seen among home buyers. The idea behind this is simple, and in fact the very basis of that favourite real estate mantra ‘location, location, location.’ And it has great pertinence for the Pune real estate market, as well.
Track2Realty: Redevelopment is not a new phenomenon in Mumbai. Various parts of the city have being seeing redevelopment in pockets for many years as the city planning authorities strive to accelerate urban renewal and improve the quality of real estate and infrastructure, and developers strive to make a profit. The redevelopment process happens against a backdrop of the city’s fast-growing population and the rising demand for space amid limited availability of developable land.
Track2Realty: The investment vehicle called REITs is once again in the news, and the Indian real estate sector eagerly anticipates this internationally tried and tested platform for smaller investors to invest in larger real estate portfolios.
Track2Realty: A high-rise is a tall or multi-storied building equipped with elevators, but various bodies have defined the term ‘high-rise differently. For instance, the International Conference on Fire Safety in High-Rise Buildings pessimistically defined a high-rise as a structure where height can seriously impact evacuation, while the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary merely refers to high-rises as buildings having many stories.
Track2Realty: Technically speaking, retirement home projects are developed keeping in mind certain age groups, and should ideally be designed with special facilities to make life more comfortable for senior citizens. However, the on-ground interpretation in India has for the longest time been that any project and location that fits a certain budget and requirements is potentially a suitable ‘retirement home’.
Track2Realty: In financial circles, the terms real estate investors and real estate speculators are used to refer to people who are buying property to make a profit, rather than for personal use. Though the two terms are often used interchangeably, they are not exactly the same. Nevertheless, even veteran financial specialists tend to get mixed up between the two.
Track2Realty: Less than ten years ago, the concept of luxury homes was firmly tied to a city’s most expensive inner locations. ‘Pin code value’ was the watchword, and developers focused on the luxury segment operated within those boundaries.