global economic turmoil means the Indian real estate sector is bound to be affected in the short to medium term. Will this offer good opportunities to those who are flush with cash to invest in the property in India? Some Industry experts give there views.
Cushman & Wakefield
Executive director of global realty consultancy firm, Cushman & Wakefield, Kaustuv Roy said that 2012 will have to be year for the real estate sector due to some factors which will have a far reaching impact.
Tight liquidity
The developers’ tight liquidity position will cause stress not only to the consumers, but also to the banking sector as their exposure is huge. Because of the tight liquidity condition, developers may find it difficult to deliver on time to the buyers.
Uncertainties in the job markets
At the same time, because of the turmoil in the economy, there will be uncertainties in the job markets too. This may discourage the young buyers, who play an important role in the residential realty market. Therefore, Roy said, in the residential sector, there will be high dependency on the Indian corporate performance, and if the economy is slowing down, demand may dry up, which is likely to lead to residential prices softening.
Jones Lang LaSalle India
These developments will not only dry up the future demand but also lead to tightening of liquidity in the sector. In that case, developers will not go for fresh launches. “The absorption rate – meaning the ratio of sales over inventory in the market – is likely to be low, and the incidence of new launches will decline,” said head, Research & Real Estate Intelligence Service, Jones Lang LaSalle India, Ashutosh Limaye.
Further interest rate hikes by the RBI
“Because of the prevailing uncertainties in the global market and the likelihood of further interest rate hikes by the RBI in the early part of 2012, sentiments in the residential market will remain cautious over the short term,” said Limaye.
Cautious optimism
Roy also said that overall, 2012 will be a year of cautious optimism with the hope that the Indian economy is suitably insulated from the western economies. However, he felt, for the sector 2011 has turned out to be a mixed year. The first half of the year was extremely good, but by August, the market sentiment underwent a change, depicting more caution in the air.



