Indian Express Article on Builder-Broker Nexus
Posted: March 29th, 2010, 7:01 pm
Link :
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/soldo ... ck/596210/
Praveen K Singh
Tags : realestate, india, Apartments, Loans
Posted: Saturday , Mar 27, 2010 at 0053 hrs
In India, developers live in a world all of their own where sales indicators and market pattern often defy conventional wisdom, even in a sluggish market. While the astonishing sales graphs of some of the recent launches indicate a miracle recovery in the realty sector, a closer inspection reveals that there is more than what meets the eye.
Consider this: Last week the country’s leading developer, DLF, claimed to have sold more than 80 per cent of the upscale flats at its central Delhi project – Capital Green Each – at Rs 4 crore per apartment within two days of its launch. Last year, when the developer had launched the first and second phases of the project, it claimed to have completely sold off both blocks, with 1,350 and 1,250 apartments respectively, within a day of its launch.
This has become a trend among developers who have started claiming that their projects are completely sold out within a few days, if not hours, of their launch. For a sector that only a few months ago struggled to make any sales, such assertions are difficult to swallow. The question is: How genuine are these claims?
THE UNDERWRITING NEXUS
An investigation by The Indian Express has found that the reason behind the success of some projects is that developers use the services of brokers who underwrite these projects. Developers give a freehand to a few brokers who underwrite these flats with the intention of offloading them at a premium later. With the help of this nexus, developers start making claims that their projects
are sold out.
A prominent underwriter, on whom two of the country’s top developers rely on, told The Indian Express that there is a return of positive sentiment in the sector. “Buyers are coming back in the market. We are sure of selling the properties that we have underwritten,†he says. He adds that with interest among home buyers growing, prices were sure to begin rising once again, spelling profits for underwriters.
According to PSN Rao, founder chairman of the National Associations of Realtors (NAR- India), the phenomenon of underwriting has been in existence for a long time. “The advantage to the developer is that his products get sold quickly while the broker earns not just a commission, but also enjoys the benefit of any price appreciation that may occur while he holds the property,†he says.
Industry experts say developers are creating an artificial situation in concert with brokers. This is also done as a marketing ploy of creating a situation that leads prospective home buyers to think that demand is high and that they should buy the property now or else it will become more expensive. Developers also use these strategies to create an artificial shortage of their apartments. Not only does this nudge buyers towards a purchase decision, it also allows developers to sell the next phase of their project at a higher price.
One of the disadvantages to the end-user in projects that are underwritten by financiers and brokers is that even though he might be early in the queue, he will not be able to get the location of his preference as it may be blocked due to bulk bookings by underwriters.
By inflating their sales figures with these underwriters, builders are intentionally sending false signals about the actual situation. “By this simulation, the developer is able to tap into the herd mentality of buyers and snare many of them — including people who would not have bought if they had known that the real sales numbers of the project were much lower,†says Sanjay Sharma, managing director of Qubrex, a real-estate brokerage company.
NAR-India’s Rao says that the need of the hour is to create norms so that underwriting does not lead to artificial scarcity. “Developers have a tendency to make tall claims. The only way to verify these claims is to mandate by law that buyers’ names, addresses and telephone numbers be made available in the public domain. Interested parties can then check the veracity of developers’ claims with the actual buyers,†says Rao.
However, as some industry experts point out, the entire game of underwriting can boomerang if brokers and underwriters fail to offload their stock to end-users or long-term investors. Property prices could once again take a beating and the nascent recovery in the residential segment could be aborted.
BETTING ON UPSCALE PROJECTS
Just a few months ago -- when the slowdown was hammering the market and buyers kept away as lending dried up -- few developers veered towards the affordable segment, while some others in metros continued promoting their upscale projects. Analysts say that demand for upscale properties exist in metros like Delhi and Mumbai where residential prices are expected to firm up even more in the next few months due to a paucity of supply.
Demand in this segment also exists because developers offer a large margin of commission to brokers, somewhere around 10 to 15 per cent for properties above Rs 1 crore. Since the buyer conversion rate (BCR) is considerably high in this segment, developers have started counting on upscale home buyers as their best bet to bail them out of their cash crunch.
Says Mrunal Duggar, vice-president of homebay residential at Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, “The BCR is quite high in this segment largely because there is currently a rather limited choice of upscale projects.â€
However, some feel this is not because of buyer conversion rate. Anand Narayanan, national director, Knight Frank India explains, “I would say it is because of per sq ft realisation rate. Per sq ft realisational value tends to be higher in upscale projects rather than those in the affordable segment. The downside will be sales velocity.â€
NEED FOR A REGULATOR
Observing that developers are once again in a rush to launch new projects, the Reserve bank of India (RBI) has expressed concern about a bubble-like situation developing in the sector. It has ordered banks to set aside more funds to cover defaults on loans to property companies. It has also hiked the risk weightage on loans to the commercial real-estate segment. “All this has been done in order to avoid a price bubble, like what happened between 2005 and 2007 when prices shot up,†says a government official.
On the other hand, industry experts want the government to introduce standard disclosure norms. This would force developers to disclose details about their projects truthfully and would also make it easier for buyers to verify facts, including how many apartments have really been sold and to whom. Rao says, “The proposed Real Estate Regulation Bill should include this.â€
While the real estate sector is yet to get its own regulatory body, one of its key responsibilities would be to eliminate speculation from the property market. Only then will end-users be able to purchase property at genuine, and not artificially inflated, prices. l
praveen.singh @expressindia.com
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/soldo ... ck/596210/
Praveen K Singh
Tags : realestate, india, Apartments, Loans
Posted: Saturday , Mar 27, 2010 at 0053 hrs
In India, developers live in a world all of their own where sales indicators and market pattern often defy conventional wisdom, even in a sluggish market. While the astonishing sales graphs of some of the recent launches indicate a miracle recovery in the realty sector, a closer inspection reveals that there is more than what meets the eye.
Consider this: Last week the country’s leading developer, DLF, claimed to have sold more than 80 per cent of the upscale flats at its central Delhi project – Capital Green Each – at Rs 4 crore per apartment within two days of its launch. Last year, when the developer had launched the first and second phases of the project, it claimed to have completely sold off both blocks, with 1,350 and 1,250 apartments respectively, within a day of its launch.
This has become a trend among developers who have started claiming that their projects are completely sold out within a few days, if not hours, of their launch. For a sector that only a few months ago struggled to make any sales, such assertions are difficult to swallow. The question is: How genuine are these claims?
THE UNDERWRITING NEXUS
An investigation by The Indian Express has found that the reason behind the success of some projects is that developers use the services of brokers who underwrite these projects. Developers give a freehand to a few brokers who underwrite these flats with the intention of offloading them at a premium later. With the help of this nexus, developers start making claims that their projects
are sold out.
A prominent underwriter, on whom two of the country’s top developers rely on, told The Indian Express that there is a return of positive sentiment in the sector. “Buyers are coming back in the market. We are sure of selling the properties that we have underwritten,†he says. He adds that with interest among home buyers growing, prices were sure to begin rising once again, spelling profits for underwriters.
According to PSN Rao, founder chairman of the National Associations of Realtors (NAR- India), the phenomenon of underwriting has been in existence for a long time. “The advantage to the developer is that his products get sold quickly while the broker earns not just a commission, but also enjoys the benefit of any price appreciation that may occur while he holds the property,†he says.
Industry experts say developers are creating an artificial situation in concert with brokers. This is also done as a marketing ploy of creating a situation that leads prospective home buyers to think that demand is high and that they should buy the property now or else it will become more expensive. Developers also use these strategies to create an artificial shortage of their apartments. Not only does this nudge buyers towards a purchase decision, it also allows developers to sell the next phase of their project at a higher price.
One of the disadvantages to the end-user in projects that are underwritten by financiers and brokers is that even though he might be early in the queue, he will not be able to get the location of his preference as it may be blocked due to bulk bookings by underwriters.
By inflating their sales figures with these underwriters, builders are intentionally sending false signals about the actual situation. “By this simulation, the developer is able to tap into the herd mentality of buyers and snare many of them — including people who would not have bought if they had known that the real sales numbers of the project were much lower,†says Sanjay Sharma, managing director of Qubrex, a real-estate brokerage company.
NAR-India’s Rao says that the need of the hour is to create norms so that underwriting does not lead to artificial scarcity. “Developers have a tendency to make tall claims. The only way to verify these claims is to mandate by law that buyers’ names, addresses and telephone numbers be made available in the public domain. Interested parties can then check the veracity of developers’ claims with the actual buyers,†says Rao.
However, as some industry experts point out, the entire game of underwriting can boomerang if brokers and underwriters fail to offload their stock to end-users or long-term investors. Property prices could once again take a beating and the nascent recovery in the residential segment could be aborted.
BETTING ON UPSCALE PROJECTS
Just a few months ago -- when the slowdown was hammering the market and buyers kept away as lending dried up -- few developers veered towards the affordable segment, while some others in metros continued promoting their upscale projects. Analysts say that demand for upscale properties exist in metros like Delhi and Mumbai where residential prices are expected to firm up even more in the next few months due to a paucity of supply.
Demand in this segment also exists because developers offer a large margin of commission to brokers, somewhere around 10 to 15 per cent for properties above Rs 1 crore. Since the buyer conversion rate (BCR) is considerably high in this segment, developers have started counting on upscale home buyers as their best bet to bail them out of their cash crunch.
Says Mrunal Duggar, vice-president of homebay residential at Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, “The BCR is quite high in this segment largely because there is currently a rather limited choice of upscale projects.â€
However, some feel this is not because of buyer conversion rate. Anand Narayanan, national director, Knight Frank India explains, “I would say it is because of per sq ft realisation rate. Per sq ft realisational value tends to be higher in upscale projects rather than those in the affordable segment. The downside will be sales velocity.â€
NEED FOR A REGULATOR
Observing that developers are once again in a rush to launch new projects, the Reserve bank of India (RBI) has expressed concern about a bubble-like situation developing in the sector. It has ordered banks to set aside more funds to cover defaults on loans to property companies. It has also hiked the risk weightage on loans to the commercial real-estate segment. “All this has been done in order to avoid a price bubble, like what happened between 2005 and 2007 when prices shot up,†says a government official.
On the other hand, industry experts want the government to introduce standard disclosure norms. This would force developers to disclose details about their projects truthfully and would also make it easier for buyers to verify facts, including how many apartments have really been sold and to whom. Rao says, “The proposed Real Estate Regulation Bill should include this.â€
While the real estate sector is yet to get its own regulatory body, one of its key responsibilities would be to eliminate speculation from the property market. Only then will end-users be able to purchase property at genuine, and not artificially inflated, prices. l
praveen.singh @expressindia.com