Deep Impressions

    Pallonji Mistry….the unforgettable innings     The war-struck Indian economy of the 1960s was struggling with economic slowdown, food grain crisis and high levels of unemployment. Agriculture thus remained the focus area of the government.      Even during these difficult times, the family business of a Parsi family was doing well. But a young family member in his 30s chose to see the problem of India has his own problem. He realised that while the present belonged to agriculture, the future of India lay in show casing its engineering prowess to the world.    Indian engineering (then largely dominated by civil engineering) never had a chance to showcase its talent outside India. Previously completed projects play a critical role in bagging civil contracts. Therefore, with no proven past track record outside India, it had become a catch-22 situation for Indian contractors.    Leaving his well-settled life within the comfort of so...

                             …..As the Plot thickens                                                                         ( also published in 99acres.com  )   While plotted development has its advantages but it also runs the risk of expanding cities horizontally without creating housing supply. The tax structure should be rationalised to increase the supply of housing and not just of empty plots          ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   During the last two years, almost every segment of real estate has experienced some action. While the quantum of growth may remain a subject of dispute but what would certainly have consensus is t...

  Why ‘Rent v/s Buy’ debate is losing traction     A few years back, Rent v/s Buy remained the hottest topic for debate on real estate – be it in social media or be it among home seeking couples. The proponents of Rent (typically the husband in home debates) would argue that when the rent costs just 2% of the capital value borrowing at 9% to buy home did not make sense. The other side would support its case through the long term appreciation that real estate has delivered over years.    Interestingly, such debates are now more conspicuous either by their absence or by their significantly reduced intensity. And this is despite the fact that neither the number of rental transactions have shrunk nor have the number of home purchases    So, why has this debate been losing steam ?       A decco at the composition of home seekers market throws some light. Home seekers today comprise :   a)      The Young Home Seeker ...