Indian Real Estate Scenario

India is the seventh largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country and the most popular liberal democracy in the world.India is now the fourth largest economy in the world and the second fastest growing economy.

One of the noticable recent development has been in the field of Real Estate.India real estate market is booming. Some 80,000 indians today have liquid assests greater than 5 crores and this No. is increasing by 13 % a year.According to well known source India's large cities boasts 400 -500 house listed at 5 crores+.

India's emergence as a hub for global outsourcing and the consumption-driven growth of india's economy is contributing to its new found real estate investment image.Upcoming glitzy shopping malls,entertainment centres,luxury hotels and multiplexes.Foreign Investment and the likes of Wal-Mart is already fuelling the demand for commercial property.Foreign companies can set up subsidiaries or joint-ventures to develop property, provided that their money is locked in for three years and that plots are of at least a minimum size.
However, India's property market remains unorganised and underdeveloped. This creates risks for investors. In the absence of clear title to property, the risk of litigation is high. For those foreigners who invest in India via real estate investment trusts, there are no rules on the marking of their stakes to market or on whether they must pay stamp duty on transactions.

The growth was initially fuelled and subsequently sustained mainly by cheap housing loans. Years ago, when India was a closed economy with lots of government control and intervention, the interest rates for house loan used to be as high as 18% per annum. But the gradual liberalization of the Indian economy and opening up of the domestic market, unrestricted flow of FDI and full current account convertibility of Indian currency (Rupee) brought down the PLR (prime lending rate) substantially.

Also there has been an increase in the income level of indian middle class who are now considrably investing in new property in prime metro cities like delhi,mumbai,bangalore. Several mega projects offering international lifestyles are on the anvil in different cities in India. The most developed are the , and market with luxury apartment and villas selling like hot cakes.

The Indian stock market and indian real estate are quite related .The stock market has been witnessing a nonstop bull run for an unusually long time. During last couple of years share prices have gone beyond all expectations. One can draw parallels between that and Japan's real estate crash in 1991. Prior to the crash, both the stock market and the property market were on fire. Profits from the stock markets used to be transferred to the property market, and vice versa. The same thing is happening in India as well.
Several mega projects offering international lifestyles are on the anvil in different cities in India.