Colours have a profound effect on individuals and can affect us on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level. We look at how you can choose the right colours for your home, to create a positive and happy environment.

Colour or chroma therapy is an alternative method of healing, through the use of colours. When we gaze at colours, different energies are absorbed, as each colour has its own frequency and vibration. "We are constantly surrounded by a free flow of colours, through nature, the clothes that we wear and the space where we live or work. At different stages of our lives, we feel attracted to or repelled by different colours, depending on our emotional and mental needs," says Amisha Mehta, an artist and colour therapist.

Noida Expressway enjoys proximity to markets, offices and schools and this makes the NCR locality attractive to all kinds of home buyers.

DDA vice chairman Tarun Kapoor at a press conference here said several flats are under construction and by the "next six months, about 25,000 flats would be ready".

The Finance Ministry recently clarified that GST will not be applicable on real estate properties that have obtained the completion certificate at the time of sale. We examine how this will impact various segments and stakeholders in the sector.

The applicability of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the Indian taxation system, was a move aimed towards ‘one nation, one tax’. After land abetment, the applicable GST for under-construction properties was 12 per cent, while ready-to-move-in flats were kept out of the ambit of GST. Even for under-construction properties, there was a ruling to provide input tax credit (ITC) pass-over to the buyer, to ensure that it becomes a tax-neutral proposition.

RERA initiate a census of all delayed projects and pass seizure order along with auction of seized assets if it finds that funds have been diverted.

MUMBAI: The Forum for People’s Collective Efforts (FPCE), a pan-India body of homebuyers, has sought forensic audit of all housing projects that have been delayed by more than two years to find out whether funds have been diverted, as turned out to be the case with Amrapali Group’s projects.

It has suggested that the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) initiate a census of all delayed projects and pass seizure order along with auction of seized assets if it finds that funds have been diverted. The body has also sought that RERA authorities constitute flying squads to keep a check on builders adhering to RERA provisions such as maintenance of escrow account, check exact status of project completion and compare that with declaration given by the builders, deviation from sanctioned plan, specifications and layout.

NOIDA: Getting a house on the basis of a ‘lease agreement’ by simply paying 5% stamp duty may not be a solution after all, feel real estate experts.

Issues in the long-term related to the sale of property and fire safety norms, water, etc could be highly compromised by builders in this method as they will try to hastily exit projects. Buyers, meanwhile, are livid as they feel victimised.

"The proper route for handing over flats to buyers is through occupancy certificates after the houses get completion certificates. Handing over flats is not just a matter of securing revenues for the state, but there are other issues that should be kept in mind. Suppose if a lift falls or there is some other kind of problem in maintenance or construction, who will be held accountable?" said Balwinder Kumar, member of Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (UP-Rera).

Ready-to-move-in properties saw more buyer interest than under-constructed projects

Mumbai: This year was a buyers’ market for real estate. "Real estate prices remained static, which didn’t work well for developers and investors," said Pankaj Kapoor, founder and managing director of Liases Foras, a realty research company. "It was a tough time for the sellers because they could not increase the prices on the back of high inventories and were also stuck with low liquidity."

Sonu Sood is a huge star not just in Bollywood but in southern cinema as well. Yet, in his luxurious home in Mumbai, it is his humility that shines through its decor of function and aesthetics, combined with tranquil tones and beautiful textures

"Home is the best place to relax," says actor and producer, Sonu Sood. The luxurious 2,600-sq ft, four-bedroom hall apartment in Mumbai, successfully combines function and aesthetics. Sood's house is located in Yamuna Nagar (Lokhandwala), Andheri west. This place is a hub for the film fraternity, says Sood. "I have been living in Andheri for many years, even before my career took off and I love this place. All my friends are close by. My gym, my children's schools, good restaurants, various shopping malls and multiplexes, are all in the vicinity," explains Sood.

Sood designed his house, along with ZZ Architects (Zubin Zainuddin and Krupa Zubin, principal architects).

This Mumbai location hosts several business centres namely One BKC, Godrej BKC, Parinee Crescenzo, IL&FS Financial Centre, etc.

In this week's realty hotspot series we turn the spotlight on BKC Mumbai which has excellent connectivity through SCLR, Western Express Highway, Bandra-Worli Sea Link & Bandra Terminus.

The location boasts good amenities nearby such as Asian Heart Institute, Lilavati Hospital, Phoenix Market City Mall, etc.

The BSE Realty Index had a roller-coaster ride in 2018. It is now more or less where it began the year, which pales in comparison with a 106% surge in 2017 on investor hopes that reforms would usher greater transparency in the sector.

While the reforms are a long-term positive, stringent regulations and the time taken for firms to account for policy changes have caused near-term stress. Along with the liquidity crunch at non-banking financial companies, this impacted volume. Inventory levels eased only marginally, deterring new launches. Prices have been stagnant too.

"Average property prices at the pan-India level rose by only 1% in 2018 from the previous year to ₹5,545 per sq.ft," said Anarock Property Consultants Pvt. Ltd.

Surprisingly, despite tardy growth through the year, the office property segment has done well. According to Anarock, office space absorption rose by about 19% in 2018, crossing 39 million sq.ft. So, realty developers with a greater mix of commercial rental assets and retail shopping malls posted better results in the first two quarters of 2018-19.

Meanwhile, the Real Estate (Regulatory and Development) Act, 2016 has ushered in more transparency. Leading listed firms that were debt-laden have trimmed borrowings considerably, with some tying in private equity investments too. Yet, weak sales due to sluggish market conditions kept the ratio of interest cost to sales at elevated levels, especially for firms with a higher residential portfolio mix.

The trend of better income expansion for those with commercial (annuity) assets comprising office, retail and hotel, mix in their portfolio is expected to continue. Developers with residential projects are likely to shift towards affordable housing given 41% share of this segment in total home sales in 2018.

Adhidhev Chhattopadhyay, an analyst at ICICI Securities Ltd, argues that companies with annuity assets and those investing in capex to add more such assets, will have a sizeable revenue stream in the next two to three years. This will account for 60-70% of their enterprise value. "These annuity assets would act as a cushion for valuations in all these companies through cycles," he says. On the other hand, a gradual reduction in housing inventory and the new percentage completion method of accounting will make revenue and earnings accretion lumpy. This could weigh on stock valuations of such firms.