Chennai city housing prices zoom past Rs 1 crore

Chennai

If you are an apartment owner in a good location in city areas, then you can feel proud that you are a crorepati today at least in notional values. But if you are the one due to invest in housing for a specific city location, you will have to cough up not less than Rs 1 crore. Soaring land values, lack of clear title properties, fierce competition among developers and demand exceeding supply have all made buying an apartment a virtually impossible task for the common man.

Yet another factor is the archaic development control rules which have throttled the housing development for decades in key locations across the city. Restrictions on FSI have made housing a costly exercise for Chennaiites over the years without rhyme or reason. The worst affected sector is the middle class for whom the question of acquiring their dream home in city areas will be a Herculean task hereafter. The Tamil Nadu Housing Board apartment owners in key city locations are sitting pretty as the redevelopment exercise on their existing units would fetch a windfall besides cash incentives in the years ahead.

Just visualise the apartment prices for select ongoing projects across city locations and for a 1200 sqft apartment the price is over Rs 1.25 crore: Alwarpet (Rs17,500-Rs20,000), Anna Nagar (East) (Rs 12,000-Rs12,500), Besant Nagar (Rs 12,500-Rs 13,750), Adyar (Rs 13,500), Kalakshetra colony (Rs 15,000), Kilpauk (Rs 12,800-Rs15,000), MRC Nagar (Rs 10,500-Rs15,000), Kasturi Ranga Iyenger road (Rs 28,000), Nungambakkam (Rs 13,000 – Rs15,000), R.A. Puram (Rs 13,500), Sri Nagar Colony (Rs 14,000-Rs16,000), T Nagar (Rs 12,700-Rs15,000) and Valmiki Nagar (Rs 11,000-Rs12,000).

Even the resale apartments in key city locations are quoted at rigid prices due to which the transactions are taking much longer time nowadays, say realtors monitoring secondary market price movements in the city.

At the same time not all city properties can fetch fancy prices. There are road restrictions and access issues that have made even prime properties lying idle for several years as buyers do not evince keen interest at such prices. Even property developers are shying away from joint development in such areas due to lesser ratio for development. Some developers are keen to even accept 55:45 (developer) as the sale value compensates them with higher revenue and the lead time is short besides there is a ready market for such units.

For the younger generation this is a timely lesson to start investing in homes much earlier than later. They can pursue their costly higher education without any institutional commitment while pursuing their initial careers. They can mortgage, rent and raise resources from housing finance companies and banks to pursue their academic interest without the need to depend on their parents.

V Nagarajan, Property Consultant

Source: http://content.magicbricks.com/chennai-city-housing-prices-zoom-past-rs-1-crore

Realty market booming in Chennai

Post the 2009 slowdown, the demand for property has been robust in Chennai so much so that the city is leading other metros.

Chennai is witnessing steady demand for budget and luxury properties and properties in the bracket of Rs 20 to 45 lakh is the most sought after, said a group of leading realtors who will hold a three-day Chennai Realty Property show at the Nandambakkam trade centre here.

The organisers pointed out that there is a shortage of 24,000 homes in the city in the budget home segment and added that more than 80 builders and banks that provide housing loans will put up stalls offering 50,000 property choices.

“A wide range of properties ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 2 crore will be on the display and we expect a footfall of around 15,000 to 20,000 during the three-day event,” said Kishore Kumar, director, Eyeball.

“Property seekers were in a wait-and-watch phase because of Reserve Bank guidelines and market fluctuations and now the phase is over.

The investors and those who need homes should come forward to purchase properties and the Chennai real estate market is steady and booming,” said Kalyan Jayaprakash, managing director, Inno Geo City.

Chennai suburbs have potential and the public should start thinking about leading a peaceful life in a suburb, where there is no traffic chaos and congestion, said J. Kishore, director, Evocon.

He also pointed out that properties in the suburbs of Mumbai and Delhi were sort after by people, and a similar situation would soon arise in Chennai.

Jayanthi of Vijay Shanthi Builders spoke about new projects coming up at Ambattur, Kovalam and Besant Nagar.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/realty-market-booming-chennai-885

Resale property prices in Chennai reach a new high

Chennai

With Chennai’s residential property prices consistently moving north, location specific homebuyers are keen to settle for resale units available in city areas. Proximity to educational institutions, hospitals and retail facilities convince them to opt for resale properties.

Moreover, those looking at investing in larger units in city areas are also keen to dispose of their existing city units and opt for new units through bridge finance. All these compelling factors have virtually pushed the prices for resale apartments to a new high.

The price mismatch between old and new units is narrowing down to just 20-25 per cent now due to surge in demand for resale units, according to industry sources. Here again the demand varies depending on the specific location and property developers have a long waiting list from location specific customers for booking new units as and when new projects are launched at city locations.

For instance, in Kodambakkam while the new units are quoted anywhere between Rs 9,000 and Rs 10,000 per sqft, a resale unit deals took place place at Rs 6,500 per sqft, say realtors. Similar is the case in Nungambakkam at Rs 8,000 per sqft and Nolumbur at Rs 4,000 per sqft.

The demand for resale units particularly for middle class budget segment has been strong and growing, feels H Balasubramanian, Managing Director of Bhoomi Realty. The apartments coming up for resale are mostly located in gated community developments and in proximity to a range of facilities which makes life a little bit easier for Chennaites to avoid commuting long distances, he adds.

The demand for resale units is particularly strong in city areas like T Nagar, Nungambakkam, Chrompet, Nanganallur, Velachery, Nolumbur, Anna Nagar, Adyar and Besant Nagar apart from suburban locations like Sholinganallur on the IT corridor. There is a growing demand for other areas as well but the demand hinges on competitive pricing.

Even housing board flats with larger UDS are in big demand in areas like Besant Nagar and Kotturpuram as city land prices are soaring, says Murali, a realtor with Estate Points. With the redevelopment trend gaining momentum people are keen to invest in resale units now, he adds.

According to realtors, the trend is likely to continue until infrastructure development improves in suburban and peripheral areas with the emergence of more educational, health and retail amenities and connectivity levels.

V Nagarajan, Property Consultant

Source: http://content.magicbricks.com/resale-property-prices-in-chennai-reach-a-new-high

Redevelopment in Chennai poised for next major leap

Chennai

Strategic location advantages, vast open area, eligibility for higher FSI and an ever ready developer community to convert the existing site into a modern day multi-story apartment complex have all made erstwhile Tamil Nadu Housing Board occupants to wonder how best they can make better use of their crumbling units in prime city areas in Chennai. There are at least 10 medium to large-scale developers who have undertaken the task of redevelopment assignment in main areas in the city. An estimated 1,000 such projects may undergo transformation spinning a huge opportunity for both developers and occupants.

The momentum has already started and the coming years will see Chennai’s vibrant city areas like K K Nagar, Anna Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Besant Nagar, Korattur and Mogappair replacing housing board units with private multistoried buildings with better amenities, higher FSI, and a chance for the owners to earn monetary incentives as well in some cases. There are areas where the frontage is substantial ranging from 500 to 700 ft.

Among the city’s developers who have undertaken the development include Ramaniyam, KGS, Pushkar Properties, India Builders, Landmark, Green Peace Foundations and a few others.

Enhanced FSI from 1.5 to 2.1, opportunity to use premium FSI, possibilities of mixed development, leverage to get additional amenities like covered car park, lift, gym, club house and children’s play area are the cascading affects of redevelopment for housing board flat owners. Industry experts say that it is a win-win situation for both the developers and those owning the housing board units to realise their lifetime of living in large sized units with better amenities and that too within the city areas. Moreover, increased rental prospects will be a big boon to those in the retirement ages for whom the main income would be from the housing units.

All said and done, it will be a time consuming process as housing board projects vary in sizes and the association members will have to marshall the efforts of those who may not agree to the terms and conditions prescribed by the developers. Yet, many developers have already made in-roads in this area for whom a big redevelopment opportunity is awaiting to be encashed in the coming years.

Source: http://content.magicbricks.com/redevelopment-in-chennai-poised-for-next-major-leap