Deep Impressions

Real Estate: Freedom for Designers ( Also published in CNBC TV 18 on 14th Aug 2018) https://www.cnbctv18.com/real-estate/real-estate-freedom-for-designers-515871.htm "It is time that developers learn to give away their fondness for the last square inch of FSI for the cause of design. It is time that regulation provides that extra space to designers to experiment with new ideas." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “As you enter into the apartment, to your right is kitchen and then an L shaped Living/Dining room and then two bedrooms to your left with attached toilets, one common toilet to your right and then the third bedroom”, complained my house hunting brother-in-law “ this is the nth building in Mumbai with the same 3-BHK design”. Being from a developer community, where “FSI efficiency” remains the KPI ( Key Performance Index) resulting in similar designs from dev

Marketing Evolution in Real Estate Summary :  Besides the historical tour of t he Indian Real Estate market's shift from  an unregulated sellers market in 70s and 80s to a buyers market now, this articles discusses whether, going forward,  will Real Estate Marketing follow a  process   driven  FMCG  OR  an unregulated industry like Bollywood OR  will it follow the  footsteps  of Uber and  Olas (where hiring dominates ownership). [ Also published in the magazine "Realty Plus" ] While interviewing a mid-management sales personnel, I asked, “If wishes were horses, what would be your wish list for the real estate market?” He replied, “Project should be sold out within a week of announcement. Nothing should be available after the foundation.” When I asked him if there was still anything that he would wish. He continued “If everything is sold at foundation, we won’t need to spend money in advertising and, I would then do away wi

When the consumer is not King Information overload has moved the decision- making power away from the consumer to a new set of market players — the influencers ( article also published in The Strategist - Business Standard, 16th Feb 2015 http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/when-the-consumer-is-not-king-115021500650_1.html ) Information  overload  has  moved  the  decision-  making  power  away  from  the consumer to a new set of market players — the influencers In the latter half of last century, the rising competition among suppliers tilted the bargaining power  in  favour  of  the  buyer.  Competition  intensified,  so  much  so  that  the  purchase decisions  of  the  customer  started  deciding  the  fate  of  suppliers.  This resulted in  the  oft  repeated marketing jargon, ‘ the customer is the king’. The power of the customer was further expected to multiply manifolds with globalisation. Instead, abundance  of information, coup

Articles, 99acres.com By Deepesh Salgia, Director, Shapoorji Pallonji Group December 24, 2015 “What comes to your mind when you think of  Mumbai?” Bollywood, commercial capital of India, Hotel  Taj,  Gateway of India or textile mills? However no lay man would remember Mumbai for its palatial homes. To  most unaware about the  real estate  market  in  the  city,  the  term  ‘Homes  in Mumbai’  conjures  up images of  slums  or dilapidated  ‘chawls’.    A strange paradox emerges as Mumbai also houses some  of the ‘most expensive homes in India’. Why does the housing  sector in Mumbai reflect such a stark disparity? Quality housing  has not yet reached millions in the city even after 25  years of liberalization and de-licensing of industries in India. The answer to the above lies in the question itself. Is housing an “industry”? It may surprise many   but the fact remains that real estate is still a ‘business activity’ and not an industry . This remains  the root cause of