Sunday, 18 August 2013

Real estate in Trivandrum likely to be upbeat in Chingam

Friday, the 16th of August was indeed a black Friday for sensex with stock indices tanking to record lows. As the investor looks for new avenues to grow his income, gold came to the rescue and gold prices soared to over 3100 per gram by the end of the day. These moves to asset classes such as gold, stocks and others are mostly heavily exchanged by short term investors who predict market movements. For long term investors with an investment span of five years or more real estate still remains a favoured asset class.

In the context of Kerala the astute real estate investor many of whom were waiting for the end of Karkidakam season and beginning of Chingam, are likely to be in for some good deals in the market. With some unsold inventory lying across various projects in Trivandrum, people who receive apt advice at appropriate times are likely to end up with good property decisions.

"More than 50% of customers who postponed decisions are now coming back to the market to book properties in the next 30 days owing to the auspicious time", remarks our CEO K Ramachandran Nair. There is also a spate of new launches in Trivandrum to usher in the festive season of Onam.

So what are you waiting for? Make use of this time period to get good deals in the property market and get good results for your long term investments.


Saturday, 8 June 2013

The new real estate regulation bill - a safety net for home owners

The Cabinet has approved the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill. It provides for setting up a regulator for the realty sector and having provisions like a jail term of up to three years for developers who make offences like putting up misleading advertisements about projects repeatedly. The housing and poverty alleviation ministry intends to introduce it during the monsoon session of the Parliament.

The bill will make it mandatory for developers to get themselves registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority to be set by respective states. All such builders -- developing a project where the land exceeds 1,000 sq metre -- will have to register themselves with the authority before launching or even advertising their project. Not doing so will invite up to a maximum three years imprisonment or fine of up to 10% of the total project cost.

It also aims to make it mandatory for a developer to set aside half the money collected from buyers to a separate bank account for every project, to ensure money raised for a particular task is not diverted. 

The bill also has strict penal provisions for builders who default on contractual agreement or deviate from layout plan. There will also be a two tier system in place to ensure redressal of buyer’s grievance – a regulatory authority at state and an appellate tribunal. This is a crucial issue as presently, except for going to the civil courts which is a time consuming process, there is hardly any redressal mechanism for buyers.  

Thursday, 25 April 2013

Falling buildings. The new bane of real estate

Heard of falling buildings before? Tragic incidents due to poor quality of construction are now becoming rampant in some of the emerging countries of the world. When developers cut corners in construction, lives of those lost in the accident are a stark reminder of the graveness of the situation.

On 24 April 2013, more than 100 people in Bangladesh lost their lives and scores were injured when a commerical building crashed at 9am during peak work hours. A similar building crash in 2005 also killed close to 70 people in Bangladesh.

In India, building collapses have sort of become the norm across many parts of the country in the past decade. In recent years lives have been lost in Pune, Mumbai, Faridabad, Thane etc. Some dont even get reported. The worst one off late was in Thane when more than 70 people died on April 4 2013. These incidents are not just limited to commercial buildings but also residential ones which increase the devastation. 

As a buyer how do you protect yourself from such tragic incidents? 

Check for Credibility. Consult experts.

For one, incidents of such nature happen due to a nexus between builders, engineers, contractors and municipal authorities. The other is because people dont go the extra mile to check for credibility of the builders and consult experts. 

"Fewer than 5% of the customers we speak with understand or can make meaning of the specification of a project as available on the builders brochure or website", remarks Mr.Ramachandran, our CEO

Pay attention during Construction.

The second  observation is that customers rarely visit projects during the construction phase and do not have much know how if they see something wrong in front of their eyes. For most customers, visiting a project site ends when they make down payment for a booking and then they just go in to occupy the project 2 or 3 years down the line.

Due to this some realize the hard way that all that glitters is not gold. In Kochi, an apartment complex which was recently completed had customers fuming. The reason: builder did not deliver on their promise and the customers had to rue their judgment. Even basic things got missed out and dreams of a comfortable life turned into nightmare for many of them when they got saline water for drinking or taps dried up overnight, lifts stopped midway through, and parking space for cars were found non-existent.   

Sub Contracting and Liquidity Crunch.

The worry is that even some large builders having in excess of 30 projects to their name can cut corners in the interest of cost or due to faltering liquidity. The most recent case of liquidity crunch hitting real estate is that of Century Real Estate and Mantri Realty promoted by Sunil Mantri group where the builder stopped paying interest on a loan to SE Investments, a Non Banking Financial Instituiton (NBFC) starting Jan 2013.

Most builders when they start out, do one or two projects to get experience. When they transition over a period of time to a larger builder, having more than 10 projects, they spend about 40% of their per project costs in a quarter for cost of materials, contract and labor, around 5% on marketing and sales, between 10 to 40% per quarter on land acquisition and 5% on miscellaneous expenses. The rest are profit margins.

This transition means that the focus might shift from building quality projects to upping the number of projects under their name by subcontracting the construction to third parties. Thereby land acquisition and sales of new and unsold projects takes on priority over delivery of current projects. Thus builders who do not manage current projects well run the risk of tarnishing their reputation when the subcontractor does a poor job of construction. Eventually customers who invest hard earned money can end up with poor status of amenities or even worse poor quality of construction that shows up in 5 to 10 years time.

The Life of an Apartment Building. Need for Regulation. 

"A good apartment construction can give it a life of anywhere between 40 to 80 years or more depending on its quality. However most customers do not have an eye for detail or are not educated enough to spot the subtle differences in construction between two similar projects of well known builders. The differences only emerge 5 to 10 years down the line when maintenance costs shoot through the roof due to poor quality", remarks our CEO. 

Without adequate maintenance, buildings could develop cracks and become unstable  in as low as 20 years due to poor construction. Proper regulation is the only way that this menace could be curbed. Until then its best to consult experts and not just rely on your own judgement. As someone said, half knowledge can be worse than ignorance. 

Saturday, 30 March 2013

Kochi Real Estate is back with a bang!

If the crowds around the new Lulu Mall at Edapally in Kochi, measuring over one lakh in number on a daily basis are to be believed, then Kochi Real Estate is back with a bang. We had recently featured how builders like Puravankara are offering zero booking prices for new luxury apartments around Marine Drive, Kochi. Commercial real estate developers and even star hotels across the world are seeing these massive crowds as a positive sign to invest further in cities in Kerala like Kochi and Trivandrum to develop the next gen commercial spaces. Trivandrum is also set to welcome new malls in another 2 to 3 years.

The Revival

The recent statistics available from NHB residex point to a revival in the Kochi real estate market. We have covered the ups and downs of Kochi real estate in a number of articles in the past. 

Only 6 months back the numbers weren't showing signs of revival.  However things have taken a turn for the better since Onam last year and new excitement is on the horizon post opening of the Lulu mall at Edapally and the work on the Kochi metro finally getting started.

CITIES    
2007     Index
Jan-Mar 2011 Index
Apr-Jun 2011 Index
Jul-Sept 2011 Index
Oct-Dec 2011 Index
Jan-Mar 2012 Index
Apr-Jun 2012 Index
Jul-Sep 2012 Index
Oct-Dec 2012 Index
Kochi
100
86
107
97
82
72
73
80
87

Leading developers in Kochi we spoke with were still saying that market is not back to the old levels seen in 2010 or 2011. However they are optimistic and look forward to seeing an increase in the number of bookings from Vishu, which kick starts the Malayalam New year on April 14 of 2013.

Searching for Trivandrum Real Estate - Know the steps

Are you one amongst those searching for Trivandrum Real Estate? Like any product or service that you consume or buy, purchasing a property also encompasses multiple stages in the buying cycle. An awareness of each of these can help you overcome mistakes and understand where or when to seek help.

Pre-Purchase or Awareness

Typically months before purchasing a home, the need for the same can emerge in casual discussions with friends or family members or it could be a well thought out decision to settle down in a particular locality or invest in property to get returns. 


The human brain is capable of over 1000 processes every second but we're subject to cognitive biases, those annoying glitches in our thinking that cause us to make questionable decisions and reach erroneous conclusions.



For the same reason, we reach certain conclusions even before we start hunting for our property. For e.g. lets say you have an affinity towards a particular locality like Kowdiar in Trivandrum. Due to the cognitive bias, you could justify to yourself a higher amount of investment in an area. But since you may not be aware of recent developments in all parts of the city, you could make the purchase in your mind even before stepping out to do one and miss out on a better bargain in another locality.



As our CEO, Mr. K Ramachandran remarks " For 40% of our customers, they are closed in their mind even before venturing out to purchase a house or a villa. The rest 60% seek to understand their needs and come with an open mind which definitely helps us to guide them better". 

In a nutshell, although pre-purchase is a significant part of the buying process, its better to come to conclusions at this stage only if you possess all information at your disposal. Armed with reasonable amount of info and with an open mind, the doors could open up to a plethora of investment options for homes, plots or flats in the city that are ideally suited to your needs.

Assessment of Alternatives:

During this stage one typically focuses on reading news sites, blogs, magazines or even venturing out to meet experts on the field to compare alternatives. The challenge which customers tell us a lot about when comparing alternatives is their paucity of time. Most of them plan to complete purchase one to 3 months down the line during this phase, but don't have enough time build their info on all builders, localities etc. 

"Building good awareness in people is only 25% of the job done. Comparing alternatives can take up 75% of the time in buying a property hence is a very important phase which requires good advise", says Mr. Ramachandran, CEO of Nandanam Consultants. 

 "At Nandanam we spend quite a bit of time understanding the stated and unstated needs of customers. For e.g. a family was looking to buy a flat and a lot of properties being offered to them by the market were good but not ideal, since they were actually looking for an apartment for their disabled parents which meant only certain properties would suit them". Once we identified the right apartment, they took no time in closing on the purchase.

If you are short on time usually under a month to evaluate alternatives then good advise is extremely important to short list the right options.

Consideration and Purchase:

Once you have identified the right property then you can evaluate with your family if it meets your value criteria.We define value as follows: 

Value = (The importance of need you are trying to fulfill) * (usefulness of the property) / (Cost of fulfilling the need) 

Intrinsically at the back of your mind, people often do these calculations without realizing it. Purchase is usually easy once the shortlisting criteria is right. 

Post Purchase:

The true test for the property buyer is the post purchase phase once you have decided to purchase a  particular property. 

"When customers search for property on their own they usually miss the due diligence part which might go into months if the documents are not proper or are not available to the buyer on registering the property. A lot of deals fall through due to improper documentation and lack of due diligence", says a legal and documentation expert at Nandanam Consultants.

We hope outlining the steps above gives you a better understanding of the property search process and helps you take care of the things you need to consider.


Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Small sized homes coming in to fit buyers needs

A spate of apartment launches and entry of new players in the residential property market has meant a creation of oversupply coupled with less demand. As builders especially in large cities like Mumbai and NCR look dismayed in terms of selling off their inventory a new breed of developers with pocket sized homes are trying to disrupt the market.

In his path breaking book on Disruptive Innovation by Clayton Christensen, professor at Harvard Business School, he mentions that disruptive innovations make a product or service much more affordable through better technology or new ways of operating. He cites the example of Toyota which disrupted the US car market when large players like GM didnt even consider them as competition to begin with as they entered the bottom end of the market.

In the real estate sector there is tremendous scope for disruption. In a market like India where people are looking to buy homes under 30 to 40 lakhs there are not many options especially in larger cities. What can truly disrupt this market is better and faster construction techniques coupled with smaller sized homes which can be sold in larger numbers. The concept has been replicated in FMCG in the form of sachets for shampoos which led to a mass consumption even amongst the poor who could not afford a larger sized bottle.

What this means is that we should start seeing developers think differently and capture the lower segment of the market which has flats starting from 500 sqft onwards in much affordable prices. Examples are already to be seen. Many developers today are making plans for the sub 1200 sqft segment instead of higher carpet sizes to keep the costs lower for customers. 

In a market where absorption of new homes has slowed down compared to pre 2010, developers are finding unique ways to keep the inventory moving. Property research firms also point to the unlimited demand for affordable housing under 25 lakhs across India, which might open up a plethora of new launches of smaller sized homes in the future.

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Purvankara tempts Kochi property buyers with zero booking cost offers

Purvankara, a builder of repute in India is now in Cochin to offer property buyers zero cost on booking apartments. Purvankara currently has the following apartment projects in Cochin.  Purva Oceana at Marine Drive, Purva Grandbay at Marine Drive and Purva Eternity at Kakkanad and Purva Moon Reach at Seaport-Airport Road in Cochin.  Purva Oceana project is ready for occupation and other projects are under construction. 

We have signed up as the official channel partner of Puravankara for marketing their apartments amongst our wide customer base offering a set of unique benefits to our customers:

Unique Benefits with Nandanam Consultants

  • Cash back offers up to Rs.50,000 on booking. Cash back is credited to customers within 30 days of signing booking agreement with Purvankara
  •  Attractive discounts on resale and new flats in Cochin. These discounts are for a limited period only.
  •  Comparison with other projects in similar locations in Cochin so that you end up making a prudent decision.


Wednesday, 13 March 2013

A walk amongst the Tea Gardens of Munnar amidst your luxury villa


Munnar – A leaf out of God’s own country and the chance to own a luxury villa in a four star resort

Kerala, God's Own Country is bestowed with a many a beautiful hill stations, tea gardens, museums, lakes and pristine beauty. Any traveler to this wonderland would love to visit one of its most favoured destinations – Munnar, rated as one of the 50 must see destinations of a lifetime by National Geographic.

Munnar is an ideal getaway for all those who want to enjoy some genuine lovely moments with nature. Situated at a height of 6000 ft and at a distance of 140 kms from Kochi, you realise that this hill station in Kerala is tremendously gifted for the tranquil beauty of nature, the weather that suddenly turns cooler, the fogs which travel over the mountains and the first signs of green tea gardens, which is an indication that you have arrived in Munnar.





Nestled amongst this beauty is a new resort that is coming up – the Banjara Hills Resort  in Munnar. Nandanam Consultants with a repute of selling high end real estate projects in Kerala has bagged the exclusive property marketing rights of Banjara Hills resort in Munnar. This post is aimed at giving you a sneak peak of what this resort offers for the home buyer. 



The unique concept about Banjara Hills is that you own a villa in this four star resort at a amazing price with hassle free maintenance in a pristine destination. This is a dream come true for every home buyer. What comes with this is an option for a 14 day free stay in this luxury resort anytime during the year complete with amenities like a pool, club house, restaurants, sports facilities and the like.

The project is brought to you by Chand Group – which has made its mark in the field of Education and Academic Publications. Chand Publications, Chand Academy and Chand Builders are some of the companies under the aegis of the Chand Group.

Facilities in the Banjara Hills Resort

The resort which has construction in full swing is set to feature over 100 cottages and 50 suites, making it one of the Biggest Resorts of the state. Construction of around 14 cottages is already complete and buyers from all over the world are making a beeline to get the best villas in the resort in their name. 

The Banjara Hills consists a two-storey clubhouse featuring over 10,000 square feet of amenities, where your every whim will be happily indulged. A state-of-the-art swimming pool where memories will be born, a coffee shop that encourages long meandering conversations, a multi cuisine restaurant dishing out delicious food, a separate vegetarian restaurant for the health conscious are some of the amenities being developed in this fantastic project.

The project also features: Ayurvedic Massage Centre & Spa, Basketball Court, Internet and Wifi, Multi Gym, Board Rooms, 24 x 7 Generator Backup, Multi Gym, a Conference hall with 200 pax and even a helipad!


 Your space - Furnished villas that you own at Banjara Hills

At Banjara Hills you have an option to choose from fully furnished 1BHK, 2BHK and premium suites. It is one of the biggest in terms of inventory & area and one of the best in terms of quality. A lot of thought and care has gone in to designing these villas keeping in mind all your needs. A well appointed kitchenette and handpicked furniture makes its more of a home than a resort.

The maintenance of your dream homes are completely borne by the promoters of the project, there by ensuring that your villa remains in perfect condition through the year.

In Summary

At Banjara Hills what you own is a tangible share, in the form of a luxury villa or a suite in a four star luxury resort. This project is a tailor – made package of steady monthly returns coupled with appreciation of assets, for the return conscious investor.

For further information or questions about Banjara Hills, you can contact us at www.nandanamconsultants.in

Saturday, 9 March 2013

Luxury homes from 2 crore to 20 crore. What does the future hold? Any takers?

If you consider the 1.53 lakh high net worth individuals in India, the number of luxury home options are few and far between. These individuals are well travelled and do not want to settle for a less convenient lifestyle. In fact luxury is in the heart and soul of everything they do.

Take the case of Rajiv Lodha (name changed) a high flying business man who hails from North India but is now settled in a Luxury villa in Bangalore he bought in 2008. For Rajiv, the villa which he bought for 1cr + then is already getting a tad too boring. You may ask why.

ITC Grand Chola Chennai
ITC Grand Chola in Chennai which was launched recently
For a man used to plush experiences wherever he travels, his demands are justified. Hotels like the ITC Grand Chola in Chennai with a 30,000 sq.ft ball room, spa, luxury retail options or the  Lebua hotels which has a cover charge of $400 per person, with a limousine pick up service and mouth watering Muglai cuisine, Rajiv has experienced it all. No wonder he yearns for more.

This is not a fad but an emerging trend in countries like India and China where the  new segment called the middle affluent class is more and more luxury conscious by the day and are not bothered too much by price but more by the value for investment. 



Rajiv here is looking forward to the Real Estate luxury show which will open in Mumbai soon and then come to Bangalore and Delhi. He has his eyes set on Skyline Villa Maria which is priced between 12 to 22 crores and is shown only to a select few by invitation. At Nandanam Consultants, when super luxury projects are launched we do consult with developers on luxury homes which are always showcased to a select clientele. Some of these are Keralites from both the salaried and business community who are living a plush life abroad in US, Canada, Europe, ASEAN and Gulf countries and are considering to relocate to India in the future.

SuperNova in Noida

And the options are mouth watering for luxury home buyer. From the Armani designed SuperNova apartments in Greater Noida which start at Rs. 20,000 per square feet to the Lodha residential tower in Mumbai, the total cost of the 180 plus projects launched in India in the luxury space over the last four years is estimated to cross 100,000 crores in value  with each project being owned by 100 to 200 select clients.

From a Kerala perspective although today the focus remains on mid segment housing, developers in consultation with us are already considering super luxury homes and planning invitations to select customers. Some of these buildings could start appearing in Kerala's skyline within 3 to 4 years.

As the affluent middle class dreams bigger, the real estate sector is preparing a delicious meal filled with savvy luxury amenities and services to tempt their taste buds.

Watch this space for more luxury development and updates in this segment in the coming months. As always we look forward to your comments and suggestions on our articles. Until next time. Adios!


Tuesday, 5 March 2013

New Trivandrum Real Estate Projects expecting completion shortly

If you are keen on investing in Trivandrum and are unsure of new developments then this is the right place for you. The following real estate projects are expected to be completed shortly in Trivandrum. One can easily see that Akkulam is suddenly the center of attraction for real estate projects in the city.

For questions or comments please reach out to us via our website www.nandanamconsultants.in

1. Ulloor Akkulam Corridor - The 3.6km ulloor akkulam corridor is expected to be completed in another few months as per official reports. The road is expected to cater to nearly 1000 vehicles, be pedestrial friendly with footpaths and have adequate width of around 16 metres.

2. Akkulam Township Master Plan - As a part of the new ongoing real estate developments at Akkulam, TRIDA is preparing the master plan for Akkulam. Close to 150 crores has been earmarked in budgets for developing roads leading to Akkulam.

3. New KSRTC bus depot at Anayara, Trivandrum - The new bus depot would be developed in 3.5 acres of land at Anayara. The land is a part of the original World Market plan at Anayara. The State Government plans to convert Anayara into a mobility hub in the future given its proximity to bypass and Veli.

4. Marriott Courtyard 5 star hotel at Akkulam -  Courtyard by Marriott is a business travel hotel category featuring amenities like Wifi and all facilities for business functions.

5. Four Lane road development - The Maruthamkuzhi Vattiyoorkavu and Vattiyoorkavu Nettayam roads are being developed into four lane roads. Other roads being developed are Sasthamangalam Vattiyoorkavu, Mukkola Vazhayila, Peroorkada Mannamoola

6. New Malls at Kazhakoottam -  Some of the new malls where construction has begun include SFS Cyber Mall in Front of SFS Cyber Palms, Spring City Mall. Both of these malls are at Kazhakootam.

We will be posting more fresh real estate updates on the city as and when announcements are made and the project starts moving on the ground. Keep a watch on this blog for more!


Saturday, 2 March 2013

What the 2013 budget means for real estate and home buyers

The Finance Minister announced the annual budget in Parliament. Here is a closer look at Pros and Cons for home buyers and the real estate industry on the basis of the budget:

Pros for customers and real estate sector:
1: The higher fund allocation of Rs 6k crore rural and Rs 2k crore urban fund is likely to trigger greater home owernship.

2: Higher interest deduction of Rs 2.5 lakh on home loans upto Rs.25 lakhs is a positive for those who are looking to buy budget homes. The deduction is applicable on loans from banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).

3: Infrastructure has received a major thrust, especially transport and energy segment. The steps to increase funding for roads, highways and other infrastructure will surely add more terrain on the Indian realty map taking tier 2 and tier 3 cities on new growth trajectory.

4:Opening up of the ‘External Commercial Borrowing’ (ECB) window for affordable housing will ensure better capital availability for developers of low-cost housing and boost the overall sector which is characterized by low margins.

We believe the budget would give a welcome impetus to budget housing, first-time home buyers and to some extent, boost demand in smaller cities like Trivandrum and the distant suburbs in metros.

Cons for Customers and Real estate sector:

1. The finance minister has also proposed to reduce the abatement in service tax from 75% to 70% for homes that cost Rs.1 crore or above, or are 2,000 sq. ft or more in size. This translates into an increase in service tax outflow, which means that luxury housing will become more expensive. For a city like Trivandrum 1crore plus apartments and villas are less than 10% of any given project at the moment, hence this would not be a significant influence for the local real estate market. However for metros where projects might be 50% or even 100% composed of luxury homes exceeding in 2000 sq ft, this announcement might act as a dampener in customer sentiment and not help the already slow sale rates in metros.

2. Another announcement is that tax deducted at source (TDS) of 1% to be charged on the transfer of immovable property is aimed at curbing speculation and improving reporting and accountability in high-value transactions. TDS is to be charged on the gross transaction value rather than net gains, hence sellers will have a cash-flow impact in situations where the sales are at a loss or at zero/negligible gains.

Saturday, 23 February 2013

Akkulam gets another real estate facelift with Heera Lakefront

There are always takers for pristine beauty and Akkulam lakefront in Trivandrum is no different. Being strategically located close to Technopark makes Akkulam a favorite with real estate customers and developers alike. Most large builders have mulled one or two developments close to the Akkulam bridge and the most recent among them being the 19 story Heera Lakefront apartment that is coming up in 75 cents of land at Akkulam overlooking the lake. The project commenced in August 2012, consisting of 69 luxury apartments and is expected to be completed by end of 2015.

The project has to its credit good connectivity to Technopark, Airport and the International Convention Center. With a spate of new mall developments expected to come at Akkulam in the next few years, the area is likely to become highly favored with techies and truly change in its outlook. 

The project boasts of amenities such as  Indoor recreation area/Association Room,Wi-Fi enabled AC Lobby, Fitness Centre, Children’s Park, Open Party Area,AC Home Theatre,Roof Top Party area etc. The project has 2 and 3bhk variants ranging from 1227 to 1705 sq.ft in area.

Other real estate developments at Akkulam include PRS LAKEVILLE project, SFS WATERSCAPES and ARTECH LAKE GARDENS project.

How tall buildings are changing the face of Trivandrum Real Estate

If one where to visit Trivandrum in the early 80s or 90s you would be much likely to spot coconut trees and a majority of one or two storied houses or commercial buildings which ran into a few floors. Come 2012 the face of Trivandrum real estate has changed and has now reached an inflection point where lack of available land in prime locations has forced developers to construct taller buildings which literally touch the sky.

One of these tall residential developments in Trivandrum is the Nikunjam iPark apartments that is coming up near Technopark. It is a 36 story residential building, one of the tallest ones under construction in Trivandrum. When this skyscraper pierces through the Trivandrum skyline by middle of 2014 when the construction is set to get over, Trivandrum is expected to have many more residential buildings which cross 30 stories. If you were approaching Trivandrum by train, the SFS Cyber Palms projects which is a 20 story building will definitely catch your eye at Kazhakootam. The Nikunjam iPark will better that by 180%.

So what's with living in tall buildings that's suddenly caught the imagination of the people. With the duplex apartments in iPark already booked although being in the top most floor and costing in excess of 1.5cr in value, there is a section who will pay a premium for a panoramic view of the city from the sky. The builder has prudently called this duplex unit a sky villa. One of the customers who bought an apartment in iPark told us that the infinity pool on the 28th floor and a dip in water at such a height is truly what drew him to the project. Having served more than 200 customers over the last 2 months we would tend to agree that the mindset of the Keralite is truly undergoing a dimensional change. 


When Trivandrum goes the Mumbai way in launching more tall skyscrapers the Malayalee is slowing realizing that the days of his 2 story building has just taken a 10x leap into the sky!

Monday, 4 February 2013

Property in Trivandrum looks up in 2013 - Have you done due diligence?

If the initial trends in the month gone by are to be believed then the Trivandrum Property market is showing signs of upward movement and may move significantly in the months to come. As per our information from HFCs and banks, loan disbursements continue at a healthy rate in Trivandrum and there is renewed enthusiasm from investors due to the lowering of interest rates by the reserve bank recently by 25 basis points. Although that number might sound trivial to start with, a small reduction in loan interest rates can make a large difference in the long run as pointed by us in this article on how change in interest rates on home loans could affect you.

Villas and apartments on Sale in Trivandrum - A majority of customers come to us looking for both villas as well as budget and luxury apartments on sale in Trivandrum. A careful analysis on the buying cycle done by our sales team tells us that about 25% of additional time is spent by property buyers in Trivandrum (in a sample of more than 200 customers we have dealt with in the last month) for ensuring the sanctity of the deal - which covers ownership, title deeds, encumbrances and a host of other factors.

Customers who approached us also mentioned that in about 5% of the properties in Trivandrum they were looking to buy, the owner, had still not completed the requisite documentation in the village office and at the Trivandrum corporation. Some customers also complained that due to the bureaucracy involved in the whole process and due to paucity of time, it was not worthwhile to go through real estate websites which had advertised a property without enough due diligence. These customers had backed out from the original transaction and approached us for advice.

Some of the key documentation procedures involved include: Survey office documents, Transfer of electricity and water meters from respective authorities,  Corporation documents etc. 

This is where real estate advisors at Nandanam Consultants play a significant role in doing all necessary due diligence on the property before it is advertised on our website or shared with our customers so that they can buy a property in Trivandrum with complete peace of mind knowing that all aspects are taken care of.

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Best Villas in Trivandrum - Preview of Shanoor Homes

Shanoor Projects one of the best builders of villas in Trivandrum has many successful projects to its credit. Nandanam Consultants is associated with Shanoor Projects and many other reputed builders to ensure our customers get attractive discounts on available projects. We also help our customers compare many villa projects across Trivandrum depending on the individual and family needs. For further information on the best villas in Trivandrum and availability you can always reach out to us.

Ongoing projects from Shanoor include

Cyber Fort Villas located near Technopark Trivandrum

This project consists of 31 villas a majority of which have already been sold out. The project offers villas in three different sizes ranging from : Type A (2438 sq.ft), Type B(1965 sq.ft) to Type C(1550 sq.ft). The Cyber Fort project is located near Technopark and was launched in December 2010.
 
Center Point Villas at Sreekaryam Trivandrum

Center point is a new Villa Project by Shanoor near Sreekaryam one of the real estate hotspots in Trivandrum City. The 3 specifications of villas available in this project range from: TYPE A in 6 cents of land with 2475 sq.ft villa, TYPE B in 4 cents of land with 1697 sq.ft villa and TYPE C in 3 cents of land with 1425 sq.ft villa.

Along with this, Shanoor is providing amenities like Swimming pool, Children’s park, Gymnasium, Shuttle court, 24 hrs security etc which are common for all Villa owners in all their projects. Shanoor also provides villas that are designed by architects with a view of suiting all customers and internal changes are also encouraged by the builder on a case to case basis.

For any further enquiries on the best villas in Trivandrum you can reach out to us. 

Sunday, 20 January 2013

Nikunjam Builders - Ongoing Apartments in Trivandrum

Nikunjam builders with a history spanning close to 2 decades in the construction sector, has around 13 projects to its credit in Trivandrum. The current ongoing apartment projects in Trivandrum by Nikunjam are detailed below:
 
Nikunjam Imperial Court Apartments in Trivandrum

The project consists of unit sizes ranging from 1291 sq.ft to 3457 sq.ft and with rates from 80 Lakhs to 1Crore 43 Lakhs . The project is expected to be completed in December 2012.

Imperial Court is positioned in the luxury segment featuring just 38 designer apartments and is located in the Pattom - Kowdiar Road. The objective of this apartment project is to become one of the most sought after residential locale in Trivandrum.

As far as the location is concerned, this significant corridor of the city has become all the more appealing with the new 4 lane roads, lifestyle shops and exotic restaurants and enjoys close connectivity to Kowdiar.


For some exciting offers on apartments from Nikunjam Builders you can reach out to Nandanam Consultants

Amenities 
- Children's play area with play equipments
- Health Club with multi station gymnasium
-TableTennis & Carroms
- Swimming pool
- Reading room/ Party area
- Car wash area
- Landscaped exteriors
- Electronically controlled access
- Wi-fi enabled building.

 
Nikunjam iPark Apartments near Technopark



Project Type: Apartments
Unit Sizes: 1453 sq.ft to 3452 sq.ft, Sky-Villa
Unit Cost: 47 Lakhs to 1 crore 32 lakhs
Project Status: Superstructure works underway..

Completion: March 2014

The iPark project is positioned for the middle and premium segment looking for flats in the range of 50Lakhs to 1Crore in Trivandrum. The apartment consists of 36 floors,  features infinity pool on the 28th floor,  and has a fitness center and a childrens play area.