The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Awaiting Budget with ‘interest’

Realtors, sellers seek sops, says Peeyush Agnihotri
Budget day and Valentine’s Day share certain similarities — both come once a year, choose spring to spring surprises, yield results for just a handful and deceive many.

Public seeks consumer-centric policies, writes S. Satyanarayanan
The soaring interest rate on home loans has played a spoilsport for those who are keen to own a dream house.

The man behind Kashmiri warmth
Ehsaan Fazili meets the person whose innovation has replaced traditional hammams
Modern technology is all set to phase out the traditional hammam in the Kashmir Valley. Traditional hammams have since long been installed to radiate heat and provide hot water at the residences, whereby one of the rooms on the ground floor is specially designed to pass on heat with the help of burning firewood through a furnace.

GRound REALTY
Combating tremors
Jagvir Goyal lists 10 building tips to resist quakes
It is not possible to declare a building quake proof. Unpredictable things can always happen and you never know when a high-intensity earthquake strikes the earth. If we really try to build an earthquake-proof building that may withstand the maximum intensity of all quakes that have rocked the earth in the past, it will be too uneconomical. Yes, the earthquake resistant buildings can definitely be constructed and we should really strive for them.

ESTATE TALK
TDI seeks infrastructure for conurbations
The focus will soon shift to Tier II, III cities and Mohali will be the city of future, TDI Managing Director tells Geetu Vaid
The edifice of growth in the real estate sector has become an imposing one in the region. Mushrooming malls, multiplexes and high-end residential projects present one face of it. While the rapid pace of growth may be too hot to handle for the sceptics, there is a brigade of young professionals who not only have tamed the high tide but also are surfing it. One such entrepreneur is Kamal Taneja, Managing Director of Taneja Developers and Infrastructure Ltd.

Buyers hibernate
Realty takes a hit as purchasers withdraw into wait-and-watch shell awaiting Punjab poll outcome, finds out Varinder Singh

Illustration by Gaurav Sood

Poll has cast a lingering shadow on the real estate in Punjab. Subsequent gap of two weeks between polling and the day of poll outcome has made both the buyers and sellers adapt ‘wait and watch’ policy, instead of striking any actual deals with the outcome that real estate has plunged into a brief dormant phase.
Illustration by Gaurav Sood

Grain market proximity affects prices
Construction activity slackens in HUDA sectors nearby, says Rahul Das
The proposed shifting of grain market of Ambala Sadar to a tract of land near HUDA sector of Ambala Cantt, located on the GT road, is a matter of concern to the HUDA plot owners as property prices are likely to be affected.

Stones across Wall of China

An woman labourer carries stones at a construction site in New Delhi. India has become the major supplier of stone slabs to China’s booming construction industry, which is thriving as a result of high growth in real estate and other sectors. The import and export volume of stone slabs amounted to over $3.7 billion last year, a growth of 23.3 per cent from the previous year, the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters said. — AFP

Priciest homes
Ilaina Jonas
For a mere $138 million, you can own a cozy 103-room English country home, with a panic room, marble driveways and helipads — a property that tops the 2007 Forbes annual list of the world’s priciest homes for sale.

NHB plans joint venture that may guarantee loans
Rajkumar Ray
India’s regulator for housing finance firms is in talks with foreign institutions to launch a company that will guarantee home loans if borrowers defaulted, its chairman said.

A Manhattan in the making
North Bangalore is becoming a hot proposition, notes Jangveer Singh
North Bangalore, the sleepy part of the city more known for its VIP residential areas, is the new Manhattan in the making, commanding real estate prices, which were unheard of till a few years ago. “North Bangalore ended at Hebbal, which is around 8 km from MG Road,” says Arun Patel, an investment specialist. However, the construction of a modern flyover with two arms and establishment of new colonies on the Bellary road extended the city. Arun says even then the area was not much in demand till the international airport project was announced.

Buzz on Bourses
Citigroup raises fund
Seattle: Citigroup’s property unit said it raised $1.29 billion for its first fund to invest in real estate and related assets in the Asia-Pacific region, with focus on China and India.