Some Thoughts on Investment

Recently there happened to be an accidental discussion with one Mr. Joshi, a retired Engineer and an acquaintance of another friend of mine. The discussion was accidental because it was not pre-planned and Mr. Joshi was telling us how wisely he had invested in a house property in his younger days and how he sold… Continue Reading

Budget 2015: A Common Man’s Perspective

When Finance Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, presented the NDA government’s first full year budget on 28th February 2015, I was one of the millions of Indians who sat glued to their television sets to catch the budget highlights first hand. To be honest, like most of individual tax payers out there, I was expecting a… Continue Reading

Is Buying Property a Good Investment?

At the outset, let me hasten to clarify that this article is not about renting vs buying a property. This article is purely an analysis on investing in real estate, its plus and minus points. i.e., treating direct investment in real estate as one of the avenues for deploying your surpluses for good returns and… Continue Reading

A Primer for First Time Apartment Buyers – Part One

Buying a property is not like buying onions and potatoes. Firstly, the financial outgo is huge and may be a lifetime investment for many. Secondly, all properties are  not the same. All apartments in a complex with same dimensions are also not the same! Your selection of a particular apartment in the same complex has… Continue Reading

Home Improvement Loans: Dos & Don’ts

Once you have become a proud owner of an apartment, it requires to be furnished and maintained properly so that you continue to enjoy your investment. In the context of increasing cost of materials and labor, this requires a pretty large outlay of funds. Banks provide home improvement loans for renovation, buying new furniture and… Continue Reading

Budget 2014 and Impact on Real Estate Market

This time around the budget has many proposals which directly and indirectly impact the real estate market positively. If we take the direct tax proposals, it has many goodies for the middle class and the salaried. Even though premium housing has emerged as a niche segment, the bulk of the housing demand continues to come… Continue Reading

Guaranteed Land Titles in India

A title is the foundation of property ownership. It is the owner’s right to possess, use and transfer property rights. Transferring ownership of an immovable property is different from transferring, say, ownership of a car. Real estate is permanent and can have many owners over the years, as well as rights to use the property.… Continue Reading

Expectations from the Union Budget 2014-15

The first budget of the Narendra Modi Government is to be unveiled on the 10th of July. There are high expectations from various sectors of the economy that are looking forward to delivery of a promise by Mr. Modi on “Aaache Din”. The economy is passing through high inflation coupled with forecasts of a poor… Continue Reading