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New Delhi, Realty firm <keyword id="143494" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahindra-Lifespace" source="Orion">Mahindra Lifespace</keyword> Developers Ltd on Friday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 18.93 crore for the second quarter ended September on lower income. Its net loss stood at Rs 7.51 crore in the year-ago period. Total income declined to Rs 25.7 crore during the July-September period of the 2023-24 financial year from Rs 73.82 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to a regulatory filing. Mahindra Lifespace is the real estate and infrastructure development arm of the business conglomerate Mahindra Group. On the operational front, the company said it achieved pre-sales of Rs 455 crore in residential business. It launched 0.47 million square feet of saleable area at Tathawade Phase 3 in Pune. The company collected Rs 311 crore in residential business. Mahindra Lifespace achieved land leasing of 9.9 acres in the industrial business for Rs 32.2 crore. The company's development footprint spans 34.46 million square feet of completed, ongoing, and forthcoming residential projects across seven Indian cities. It has over 5,000 acres of ongoing and forthcoming projects under development and management at its integrated developments and industrial clusters across four locations.

Mahindra Lifespace posts nearly Rs 19 crore loss in September quarter

<ul><li>Signature Global’s IPO received tepid response from institutional investors on day 1.</li><li>Investors can bid for a minimum of 38 equity shares and in multiples of 38 equity shares thereafter.</li><li>It has fixed the price band at ₹366 to ₹385 per share and the issue closes on September 22.</li></ul> The initial public offer (IPO) of Signature Global was subscribed 0.54 times at the end of the first day of the issue. The issue did not receive any bids from qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) with tepid response from non-institutional investors. The company has fixed the price band at ₹366 to ₹385 per equity share for its maiden public offer which closes on Friday, September 22. Investors can bid for a minimum of 38 equity shares and in multiples of 38 equity shares thereafter. The public issue of shares that have a face value of ₹1 comprises fresh issuance of equity shares worth ₹730 crore and an Offer for Sale (OFS) of shares worth ₹127 crore. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Signature Global IPO Subscription status" comment="subhead" text="Signature Global IPO Subscription status"><keyword id="18848203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="signature-global-ipo-subscription" source="Orion">Signature Global IPO Subscription</keyword> status</cmsannotation> <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Category </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">No. of times subscribed </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Qualified Institutional Buyers </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Non-institutional Investors </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.42 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Retail </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.9 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Total </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.54 </td></tr></tbody></table> Signature Global started operations in 2014 through its subsidiary Signature Builders Pvt Ltd with the launch of 'Solera' project on 6.13 acres of land in Gurugram, Haryana. As of March 31, 2023, it had sold 27,965 residential and commercial units, all within the Delhi-NCR region, with an aggregate saleable area of 18.90 million square feet. The company's sales (net of cancellation) have grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42.46 per cent, from 1,690.27 crore in fiscal 2021, to 3,430 crore in fiscal 2023. As of March 31, 2023, it had sold 25,089 residential units with an average selling price of 36 lakh per unit. ICICI Securities Ltd, Axis Capital Ltd and Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Ltd are the book-running lead managers to the issue. The equity shares of the company will be listed on the BSE and NSE. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/jioairfiber-launched-in-metros-plans-and-benefits-versus-the-airtel-xstream-airfiber/articleshow/103804858.cms">JioAirFiber launched – plans and benefits versus the Airtel Xstream AirFiber</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/comparison-of-citroen-c3-aircross-vs-honda-elevate-suvs-price-and-features/slidelist/103810860.cms">Citroen C3 Aircross vs Honda Elevate – Performance and features of the similar priced SUVs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/new-google-bard-allows-you-to-search-gmail-work-docs-and-more/articleshow/103800570.cms">Bard gets access to Google Apps – You can now search your Gmail or Docs for information</a>

Signature Global receives over 50% subscription on day one

<ul><li><keyword id="859162" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kotak-Investment-Advisors" source="Orion">Kotak Investment Advisors</keyword> secured an anchor commitment of $500 million from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (<keyword id="6482676" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="adia" source="Orion">ADIA</keyword>).</li><li>Domiciled in Gujarat’s GIFT City, Kotak Investment Advisors’ new fund will target residential <keyword id="6354553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate" source="Orion">real estate</keyword> investments.</li><li>The alternate assets arm of the Kotak Mahindra Group had earlier raised $590 million from an ADIA unit this June towards the office space market.</li></ul>Kotak Investment Advisors secured an anchor commitment of $500 million from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for its $1 billion <keyword id="172775" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate-fund" source="Orion">real estate fund</keyword>, the company said on Tuesday. Kotak Investment Advisors is an alternate assets arm of the Kotak Mahindra Group. With the anchor commitment from ADIA, Kotak Investment Advisors has raised, managed or advised more than $3.3 billion across its 13 real estate funds, the company said. Kotak Investment Advisor’s 13th real estate fund will primarily target the residential sector. “The new platform is primarily targeted at the significant demand for housing in India, which is driven by sustained economic growth and a shortage of urban housing clusters,” said Mohamed AlQubaisi, executive director of ADIA's real estate department. It is domiciled in Gujarat’s GIFT City, and will focus on markets like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai. “This is an opportunistic fund which can invest across various real estate asset classes and capital stack, that is, both debt and equity. With the first close of this Fund, KIAL has raised around $1.5 billion in real estate across multiple strategies in around one and a half years,” said Vikas Chimakurthy, CEO, Kotak Realty Fund. Earlier in June, the company had entered into an agreement with an ADIA unit to set up a $590 million real estate platform, aimed at meeting the long-term demand for office spaces across the country. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Home sales rise 119% year-on-year in H1 FY23 in top seven cities" comment="subhead" text="Home sales rise 119% year-on-year in H1 FY23 in top seven cities">Home sales rise 119% year-on-year in H1 FY23 in top seven cities</cmsannotation> Home sales rose 119% year-on-year in H1 FY23 across the top seven cities of the country. According to an<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/early-diwali-for-developers-homes-worth-1-5-lakh-cr-sold-in-top-7-cities-in-h1fy23/articleshow/95405843.cms"> Anarock report</a>, homes worth ₹1,55,833 crore were sold between April and September this year, up from ₹71,295 crore in the same period last year. In terms of units, 1,73,155 units were sold in H1 FY23, up from 87,375 units in H1 FY22. Mumbai alone accounted for 48% of the total value of homes sold in this period, with Delhi-NCR and Hyderabad in second and third places, respectively, maintaining their positions from the previous year. “The data vouchsafes that the first half of FY23 was a highly upbeat period for the residential market in the top 7 cities, allaying fears that housing sales could be impacted by rising property prices and interest rates,” said Anuj Puri, chairman, Anarock Group. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/article/tatas-mega-aviation-merger-is-poised-for-flight-but-the-skies-are-not-clear-yet/articleshow/95526116.cms">Tata's mega aviation merger is poised for flight, but the skies are not clear yet</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/95-indian-companies-experiencing-new-types-of-fraud-after-covid/articleshow/95530428.cms">95% Indian companies experiencing new types of fraud after Covid</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/fusion-micro-finance-lists-at-a-2-discount-amid-volatile-market-conditions/articleshow/95523776.cms">Fusion Micro Finance lists at a 2% discount amid volatile market conditions</a>

ADIA commits $500 mn to Kotak Investment Advisors’ $1 bn real estate fund

<ul><li>The average debt cost for listed realty players has fallen to the lowest levels since the Covid-19 pandemic. </li><li>While the average cost of debt for <keyword id="6354553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Real-estate" source="Orion">real estate</keyword> companies fell by 150 basis points as of Q2 FY23, <keyword id="30067" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rbi" source="Orion">RBI</keyword> had hiked the repo rate by 190 basis points until end-September. </li><li>The eight listed companies in the list also saw their net debt fall to ₹20,800 crore as of end Q2 FY23, from ₹24,500 crore as of end Q4 FY20. </li></ul>The average cost of debt for the top eight listed realty companies has hit its lowest since the Covid-19 pandemic – dropping to 8.14% in Q2 FY23 from 9.64% in Q4 FY20, according to a report by <keyword id="4695749" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="anarock" source="Orion">Anarock</keyword> Group. The 150-basis-point decline in the cost of debt of these eight listed realty companies is despite the 190-basis-point hike in repo rates<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/rbi-hikes-repo-rate-by-50-bps-taking-it-to-a-three-year-high-of-5-9-das-says-inflation-at-alarmingly-high-levels/articleshow/94550429.cms"> announced</a> by the <keyword id="6354335" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="reserve-bank-of-india" source="Orion">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> (RBI) until September 2022. Overall, the gap between the average cost of debt and RBI’s repo rate has also come down drastically – from nearly 550 basis points in Q4 FY20, to 224 basis points at the end of Q2 FY23, reflecting the improved credit profile of realty companies even though interest rates have spiked. Robust topline performance was a key driver for pushing down the average cost of debt for these eight listed companies, namely – <keyword id="139366" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sobha" source="Orion">Sobha</keyword>, Puravankara, Prestige Estates, Brigade Enterprises, Mahindra Lifespace Developers, Godrej Properties, DLF, and <keyword id="6473062" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="lodha-developers" source="Orion">Lodha Developers</keyword> (Macrotech). Their strong revenue growth during these ten quarters, and the low interest rates – between Q4 FY20 to Q2 FY23 – allowed these firms to obtain new debt and refinance existing debt at lower rates, the report added. “These [measures] included a reduction in repo rate, loan restructuring, stamp duty cuts, and a relief package to boost the economy. Housing sales gathered momentum on the back of record low home loan rates and stamp duty reductions in some states,” said <keyword id="6420759" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="anuj-puri" source="Orion">Anuj Puri</keyword>, chairman, Anarock Group. The net debt of the aforementioned eight listed companies has come down to ₹20,800 crore at the end of Q2 FY23, from ₹24,500 crore at the end of Q4 FY20, and ₹42,900 crore at the end of Q3 FY21. The increase in revenue of these listed realty companies is a reflection of their rising market share in real estate sales – which went from 16% in FY20 to 23% as of FY21. Overall, these companies sold properties totalling 37 million square feet in FY20, which went up to 41 million square feet in FY21, and 57 million square feet in FY22. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Rate hikes could create upward pressure on cost of debt" comment="subhead" text="Rate hikes could create upward pressure on cost of debt">Rate hikes could create upward pressure on cost of debt</cmsannotation> As the RBI fights to control inflation through interest rate hikes, it could create an upward pressure on the cost of debt. So far in 2022, RBI has raised the repo rate by 225 basis points in total through five rate hikes. More rate increases from here on, in addition to an increase in capital requirements, could create an upward pressure on the cost of debt, the Anarock report says. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/private-equity-investments-in-indias-real-estate-sector-witnessed-a-17-decline-in-2022/articleshow/96338847.cms">PE investments in real estate decline 17% in 2022 due to inflation, rising interest rates – Knight Frank India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-gainers-and-losers-stocks-of-2022-in-india/articleshow/96332417.cms">Best and worst performing stocks of 2022</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/ice-cubes-to-gulab-jamuns-and-50-lakh-kilos-of-organic-fruits-and-veggies-how-india-swiggyd-in-2022/articleshow/96275305.cms">Ice cubes to gulab jamuns and 50 lakh kilos of organic fruits and veggies – how India Swiggy’d in 2022</a>

Average debt cost for top eight listed realty players lowest since pandemic, says Anarock

<ul><li>Shares of some <keyword id="6354553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate" source="Orion">real estate</keyword> developers like <keyword id="6362997" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dlf" source="Orion">DLF</keyword>, <keyword id="139366" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sobha" source="Orion">Sobha</keyword>, Prestige Estate Projects have gained 13-33% in the last 30 days.</li><li>Home loans segment is witnessing strong demand with lowest mortgage loan rates since 2005.</li><li>Analysts believe the real estate sector is set for an upcycle with the coming festive season, low home loan rates, stable property prices and robust hiring by IT companies are expected to support housing demand.</li></ul>Real estate company stocks are back in action with shares of such companies buzzing since the last few weeks. Analysts believe that the fact that we are heading into the festive season with low home loan rates, stable property prices and robust hiring by information technology (IT) companies are expected to support housing demand. Shares of some real estate developers like DLF, Sobha, Prestige Estate Projects have gained 13-33% in the last 30 days. Nifty Realty index has gained close to 5% in the last 30 days while BSE Realty index has gained over 7% during the period. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Real estate company stocks </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Year-to-date change </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sobha </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">101% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Prestige Estate Projects </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">83% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Brigade Enterprises </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">57% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Oberoi Realty </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">38% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sunteck Realty </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">8% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Mahindra Lifespace Developers </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">123% </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Analysts believe that the real estate residential segment is set for an upcycle. “Heading into the festive season in India in H2 [second half] FY22, listed developers have lined up a number of launches across tier I cities. Low mortgage rates, stable property prices and robust hiring outlook for IT/ITeS [IT-enabled services] and financial services, especially in south India and continued work-from-home is expected to support residential housing demand,” said a report by ICICI Securities, dated September 4. The report says DLF, Oberoi Realty, Brigade Enterprises, Sunteck Realty and Mahindra Lifespaces are some preferred stocks by the broking firm in the realty segment. The report shows that the home loan rates offered by most large lenders range in the 7-7.5% range for 20-year housing loans and is the lowest ever since 2005. The Indian real estate performance has been affected for many years owing to demonetisation, real estate regulatory authority (RERA)/goods and services tax (GST) implementation, NBFC funding crisis and the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. “However, heading into FY22 and beyond, we believe that the sector is set for an upcycle,” said analysts at ICICI Securities. RERA came into action in 2017 to ensure transparency in the real estate segment thereby tightening rules, which made it difficult for developers to launch new projects without approvals. And in the last few years, non-banking financial companies have seen a <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/all-you-want-to-know-about-the-nbfc-crisis-3966551.html">liquidity crisis led by IL&amp;FS group. </a> Gagan Banga, managing director of Indiabulls Housing Finance, in an interview with CNBC-TV18 said that they are seeing strong demand in home loans. “Mid-income group is showing a lot of demand, the best in 15 years,” he said. “The Indian real estate sector is at a crossroads. After a gap of almost eight years, demand seems to be picking up in the residential segment aided by improved affordability, COVID-19 induced factors and government measures to boost housing absorption,” said a report by Edelweiss Securities. Further, analysts feel the residential market will do well in the near future. Listed players have gained market share with new launches in the last 2-3 years and they expect it to continue. Yash Gupta, equity research analyst at Angel Broking, says he expects the residential market to do well in the near future. Also, expect new hiring by [the] IT industry to increase residential demand in Bangalore, Pune and Chennai. “We have seen a strong consolidation in the top 10 cities in India towards organised players post Demon [demonetisation], RERA, IL&amp;FS crisis. Listed players have gained market share in new launches in the last 2-3 years, we expect this to continue,” he said. 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Sobha, Mahindra Lifespace become multibaggers in 2021 as analysts see strong upside in realty space

<ul><li>The pandemic has revolutionized the way <keyword id="6354553" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate">real estate</keyword> functions, markets and communicates.</li><li><keyword id="222141" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Viral-Oza">Viral Oza</keyword>, Chief <keyword id="6354839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing">Marketing</keyword> Officer, <keyword id="174745" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahindra-Lifespaces">Mahindra Lifespaces</keyword> walks us through the smaller and larger changes in the organization and how they are adapting to the rapidly evolving ecosystem and changing <keyword id="774347" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Consumer-expectations">consumer expectations</keyword>.</li></ul> It’s been a little more than a year since the word ‘lockdown’ entered our lives and seems like it is here to stay for some more time. In this last year, businesses have undergone massive transformation, they have had to reinvent themselves, rethink the way they function, sell and communicate. Many industries like real estate, which had already been facing a slowdown due to factors like demonetization, the GST implementation and RERA, 2020 had been expected to be a year of recovery. However, with the pandemic, a lot of things came to a screeching stop. While things started opening up from June, with the labor away from cities, it was still some time before the real estate sector could find stability. However, the positive outcome of this entire experience was of the sector realizing the importance of digital as a medium, not just for communicating with its consumers but also how properties are being sold in the country. We recently caught up with Viral Oza, CMO, Mahindra Lifespaces who spoke to us about some of the profound changes that were brought about in the real estate segment in the last one year, how that is transforming the how and what of their products and services. He also spoke to us about how marketing for the sector is evolving and how traditional mediums need to innovate to make sure it continues to add value to the industry in the future, which is now seeing massive digital adoption. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The changes in consumer behavior and its impact on real estate" text="The changes in consumer behavior and its impact on real estate">The changes in consumer behavior and its impact on real estate</cmsannotation> House-buying is a very physical experience but with people stuck at their homes, real estate players adopted digital and there were quite a few virtual launches. While many had thought people would become more careful about their spending, the pent up demand after the first few months of the lockdown meant good enquiries and sales once things started opening up. For people, their priorities changed. Health and wellness of their own and of their loved ones became top-of-mind for most people. “With this consciousness, people also became more conscious of the spaces they wanted to buy. Today consumers are not just thinking about the size of the house, it is just as much about how the spaces are being utilized. People are thinking of whether developers are providing enough open, outdoor space, considering in this new world, being in a closed area is not as safe,” explained Oza. With lots of people having to work from home, how the homes are more conducive to this new lifestyle has also become an important part of people’s considerations and the player has been listening to its consumers and innovating accordingly. For example, in its Happinest project in Tathawade (Pune), they have added outdoor, secluded working pods to make the overall experience of working from home more comfortable. People are also becoming more conscious about the locality they choose and also giving more importance to sustainability. “The lockdown created appreciation in all of us for nature, when you could hear the chirping of birds during the start of the lockdown. This consciousness is great for us as a brand because we've been very conscious of the environment and are probably one of the few brands that has a 100% green portfolio. We are extremely conscious, not just of the end game but even in how we construct. Our construction processes are environment-friendly and we try and source raw materials within a certain catchment area to reduce our carbon footprint. This becomes extremely important for us because it is one of the pillars that we have been building our business on,” he added. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The post-lockdown revival" text="The post-lockdown revival">The post-lockdown <keyword id="6367707" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="revival">revival</keyword></cmsannotation> While Mumbai is again witnessing weekend lockdowns and increasing restrictions currently, the industry did witness the start of revival after things started opening up last year. “We've seen a fairly good comeback, if I might call it that, to our projects. In fact, we've seen it across the few launches we've made and also across some of our existing properties. Some of it has been pent-up demand but the next few months will really tell us if this is a long-term sustained change coming back to the category or not. We have also realized that challenging or questioning the status quo is more an issue with brands than with consumers,” he said. Explaining how consumers are open to these changes, he said that their launch of Happinest, Palghar was done completely virtually and in a contactless manner. “It was a risk and we were not sure how it would pan out. But we actually got over 300 bookings in four weeks,” he shared. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Marketing mediums and Mahindra Lifespaces" text="Marketing mediums and Mahindra Lifespaces">Marketing mediums and Mahindra Lifespaces </cmsannotation> For real estate, till before the pandemic hit, traditional mediums like Print, OOH and Radio accounted for their highest media spends. All of that has changed in the last one year. “Last year, it was all apart finding the right way of communicating with our consumers. There has been an obvious shift to digital. We had to get used to the fact that for those months, social media and digital platforms were our only modes of communication. Fortunately, we were already present on digital so it wasn’t a very big move for us. Also, real estate as a category hasn't had the advantage of TV. Print is to real estate what TV is to FMCG, that's our large scale imagery-building medium. While that has its advantages, it also has its limitations when it comes to manifesting your brand. And what's been a big blessing of the last one year is that we have realized the power of digital and therefore the ability to use the audio visual mode of communication on digital,” said Oza. Giving us a sense of what its marketing pie looks like, Oza said, "If we were spending Rs 100 on print earlier, we now might be spending between Rs 20-40, depending on the project and segment. So we've started coming back, but not too much. Similar with outdoor. Digital which was between Rs 20-40, has now gone up significantly." So will real estate ever invest as much on traditional mediums as they used to pre-pandemic? “To be honest, the jury's out on that. We've started using outdoors selectively and have some print, but that has been a very small part of our overall spends. We are still largely focused on digital and I think in the future too, our focus will be skewed a little more towards digital. This will also force the traditional mediums to re-evaluate the role they play in our lives and innovate. And that's good for everyone because it helps sharpen and clarify the thinking and also helps increase efficiencies,” concluded Oza.

How Mahindra Lifespaces is innovating on its products and communication to make way for new consumer expectations

<ul><li><keyword id="46013" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kotak-Mahindra-Bank">Kotak Mahindra Bank</keyword> reported a 10% decline in net profits in its fourth-quarter earnings.</li><li>Uday Kotak, CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank, said the private sector entity will 'need to be clear on lending'.</li><li>He emphasised how the stagnation in the real estate sector is likely to have a heavy impact on banks.</li></ul>Kotak Mahindra Bank reported a 10% decline in consolidated net profit at ₹1,951.82 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 2020 compared to the same time last year. The bank had to provide 167% more provisions for possible bad loans after the COVID-19 outbreak. <div type="image" title="Kotak net profits" msid="75728576" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Kotak Mahindra Bank&amp;#39;s net profits over the last five quarters&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Uday Kotak, the CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank, struck a note of caution soon after the earnings. "The real estate sector is obviously going through a pain, which will have an impact on the financial sector," he said during the fourth-quarter earnings call. "We need to be clear on lending to the sector, focus on companies’ fixed costs and the level of leverage it is carrying," he added. The prudence in Kotak’s voice struck a chord with analysts. For instance, despite the rising risk for India’s banking sector as a whole, broking firm Motilal Oswal set a target price of ₹1,350 ⁠— implying gains of 13% from the closing on May 13 ⁠— with a ‘neutral’ rating on Kotak Bank. <div type="image" title="Kotak Mahindra (4)" msid="75732362" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Kotak Mahindra Bank&amp;#39;s share price since the nationwide coronavirus lockdown was announced&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Kotak Mahindra Bank Q4 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Growth </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Deposits </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">15.58% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Advances </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2.64% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Provision for bad loans (QoQ) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">167% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Gross NPA (QoQ) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">7.14% </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Kotak Mahindra Bank fourth-quarter earnings. All growth is year-on-year unless otherwise specified. Analysts have pointed out that the bank's asset quality could be at risk with its exposure to loans in vulnerable sectors like auto and unsecured personal loans, which are some of the worst affected in the current situation with factories closed and unemployment on the rise. Together, they account for nearly 24% of Kotak’s total loans, according to a UBS report dated 13 April. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75707938" title="Kotak Mahindra Bank's earnings may reflect the pain in India’s auto sector as well as the rising job losses and pay cuts" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/havells-shares-are-riding-the-stimulus-but-the-lockdown-has-brought-down-to-nearly-a-third/articleshow/75713528.cms">Havells shares are riding the stimulus wave but the lockdown has brought down to nearly a third</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/maruti-suzuki-share-price-as-q4-profit-falls-28/articleshow/75715791.cms">As expected, Maruti Suzuki’s profit falls 28% as slow sales hit productivity while costs remained steady</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/top-highlights-of-finance-minister-nirmala-sitharaman-speech-on-modi-20-lakh-crore-covid-19-stimulus/articleshow/75714287.cms">Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reveals the details of Modi's ₹20 lakh crore stimulus package</a>

Uday Kotak says Kotak Mahindra Bank 'needs to be clear on lending' as profits dip by 10% in Q4

<ul><li>The real estate sector has shown signs of recovery in 2021 as it reached nearly 90% of pre-COVID numbers.</li><li>It is expected to contribute 13% to the country’s GDP by 2025 as per IBEF’s report.</li><li>Focusing on real estate and textiles will create a lot of opportunities for the bottom of the pyramid people, Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund’s CEO said.</li></ul>India has been eagerly waiting for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to open up her bhai-khata (ledger) and announce this year’s union budget. Like always, industry experts and market enthusiasts have already started speculating on major announcements that may come up this year. While the investment bankers are hoping for pro-market policies, health experts are speaking on incentivising preventive healthcare. Amidst all this, Nilesh Shah, the managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund, is pitching for better policies for two sectors that are among the highest employers in the country— real estate and construction, and textile industry. Shah, in a conversation with Business Insider, highlighted, “This budget has to focus on consumption, which is necessary for reviving or accelerating the growth today.” Focusing on these two sectors can make all the difference, he added. ‘Real Estate is revving, but more needs to be done to reach its potential’ The real estate sector has shown signs of recovery in 2021 as it reached <a href="https://m.economictimes.com/industry/services/property-/-cstruction/residential-real-estate-market-beats-pandemic-blues-sales-in-top-7-housing-markets-grow-71-yoy/articleshow/88641967.cms">nearly 90%</a> of pre-COVID numbers. This was possible due to Sitharaman's proactive <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/budget-2021-real-estate-stocks-climb-up-to-7-on-fms-affordable-housing-push/articleshow/80628893.cms">approach</a> to reduce stamp duty tax and the extended tax benefits on affordable housing in the last budget. Shah, however, feels that the number can get even higher if focus is more aligned towards the housing as well as construction sub sectors. “Real estate and construction stars are aligned for rapid growth. House prices have remained consistent or fallen in the last 2-3 years. Affordability for one section of the society has improved,” he notes. The government of India can now consider arming up its last year’s approach with three new policies. First, providing tax incentives for people buying their first house. Second, getting higher concessions on your interest on housing loans or principal repayment. Third, giving stamp duty concessions so that people prepone their purchases. “Whichever way you think appropriate if housing, real estate is supported further we will see improvement in housing and construction, and a lot bottom of the pyramid people will get employment in this sector,” he said, emphasising that it’s time to bring housing to 12.5-13% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP). The real estate sector in India <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/real-estate-a-significant-contributor-to-the-indian-economy/articleshow/82548514.cms">contributes 6-7% to the country’s total GDP</a> in 2020. It is expected to reach a market size of $1 trillion by 2030 and contribute 13% to the country’s GDP by 2025, according to a India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) report. ‘The transition from supplier to manufacturer is an important one for the textile industry’ India is among the largest cotton producers in the world, one of the largest yarn spinners and big in fabric weaving. Yet, it has no ranking in the biggest value generator of the textile industry — garmenting. “We grow cotton, spin yarn, weave fabric and then pass it onto someone else to make garments,” Shah added. He further added that the government of India should focus on ramping up garmeting in India. China is the largest textile manufacturer and exporter in the world. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Country </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Share in world export in 2020 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">China </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">43.5% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">European Union </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">18.1% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">India </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4.2% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Turkey </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.3% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">USA </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.2% </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1094515/share-of-the-leading-global-textile-clothing-by-country/">Statista</a> Meanwhile, the Apparel Export Promotion Council (APEC) has urged the government of India to remove import duty on cotton for boosting apparel exports. The association’s chairperson Narendra Goenka also believes that the government could remove the 11% import duty on cotton to boost the domestic industry. “It is our major demand because raw material prices in India are very high. So that the mills can import cotton at lower prices. Cotton and yarn prices have gone up by 70-80% [in the last one year] and that is creating hurdles for garment exports,” he was <a href="https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/apparel-export-promotion-council-urges-government-to-remove-import-duty-on-cotton-to-boost-exports20220128215406/">quoted</a> as saying, by ANI. “If we focus on real estate, construction and textiles sectors we will create a lot of opportunities for the bottom-of-the-pyramid people,” Shah concluded. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/from-tax-structure-rationalisation-to-expanding-ev-charging-infrastructure-heres-what-the-industry-wants-from-budget-2022/articleshow/89162814.cms">From tax structure rationalisation to expanding EV charging infrastructure, here’s what the industry wants from Budget 2022</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/these-were-the-5-worst-performing-cryptos-over-the-past-week-amid-the-bitcoin-bear-market/articleshow/89187450.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">These were the 5 worst performing cryptos over the past week amid the bitcoin bear market</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/apple-jumps-5-after-smashing-revenue-forecasts-and-teasing-metaverse-plans-giving-tech-stock-futures-a-boost/articleshow/89178278.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Apple rallies 3% after smashing revenue forecasts and teasing metaverse plans</a>

A market guru explains why real estate, housing and textiles should get some budget boost

Tractors and better cars drive M&M’s Q1 net profit but the future is electric

<ul><li>The cumulative sales of top realty players like DLF, Godrej, <keyword id="210357" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oberoi-Realty">Oberoi Realty</keyword> and others raked in $228 billion in FY19 sales. </li><li>The developers saw a 159% jump in housing sales from FY17. </li><li>In Q2 FY20, <keyword id="703971" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate-sales">real estate sales</keyword> declined again by 9.5%.</li></ul>Indian listed <keyword id="6354553" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-estate">real estate</keyword> players had a good run but in FY19 as they sold stock worth $228 billion, according to property consultant firm Anarock. Players like DLF, Sobha, Puravankara, Prestige Estates, Brigade Enterprises, Mahindra Lifespace Developers, <keyword id="45432" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Godrej-Properties">Godrej Properties</keyword>, Oberoi Realty and <keyword id="215249" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolte-Patil">Kolte Patil</keyword> Developers, saw an uptick in sales for the fiscal— which rose after FY17 slowdown caused by demonetization. The developers saw a 159% jump in housing sales from FY17 and a 63% jump from the market’s peak in FY15. “ANAROCK research reveals that these companies together sold approximately 4 million sqft. of housing in FY 2019 as against approximately 17 million sqft. in FY17 and 27 million sqft. in FY15,” said the report. But the elation might be short-lived. In the last two quarters, slowdown has hit the economy fast and hard— tipping housing sales out of balance, yet again. In the second quarter of FY20, real estate players’ sales <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/housing-sales-drops-9-5-pc-in-july-sep-across-9-cities-report-119110400173_1.html">saw </a>a 9.5% decline across nine major cities. According to a report by PropEquity, new housing unit launches too fell by 24%. In its second quarter earnings, <a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/real-estate/slowdown-hits-real-estate-major-oberoi-realtys-second-quarter-4564091.htm">Oberoi Realty</a> reported a 39% fall in sales volume. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-cm/godrej-properties-slips-as-q2-net-sales-declines-119110500841_1.html">Godrej Properties</a>’ sales also fell by 33.9%.

Top realty players sold properties worth $228 billion last year – but the pain is back

New Delhi, Jun 12 () COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital tools in Indian real estate, and the process of search as well as shortlisting of properties will largely shift to online platforms, according to industry experts. Participating in a webinar, Arvind Subramanian, MD and CEO designate of Mahindra Lifespaces, said the technology would play an important role in the real estate sector, not only in sales and marketing but in construction and design as well. He described residential property as a 30-years consumer product and said it should not be treated as any other financial products. The webinar was organised by BW Businessworld and WHub. Dhruv Agarwala, the CEO of Housing Proptiger and Makaan.com, said there has been tremendous acceleration in digital adoption since the lockdown, which was imposed on march 25 to curb coronavirus spread. He mentioned that the total traffic at its three platforms fell 40 per cent during the first week of the lockdown compared with the pre-COVID level. However, Agarwala said, the traffic has now bounced back and is 20 per cent more than pre-COVID level. Although traffic on its sites has come back, he said, buyers will be cautious due to salary cuts, lay-offs and economic downturn, but investors are looking to purchase because of attractive prices and payment plans. Square Yards CEO Tanuj Shori said his company has been able to sell 3,000 properties during this period, thanks to fast adoption of digital tools like virtual walk through and payment gateways by developers as well as customers. He said the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the speed of adoption of digital although there will be some element. NoBroker co-founder Amit Agarwal said around 2,000 properties have been transacted on its websites during this period. The process of search, shortlisting and walk-throughs of properties have shifted to online. He highlighted that even the rental deals are taking place without physical visits. MyGate founder Vijay Kumar said the technology will play a big role in making real estate market more efficient. SAI Estate Consultants MD Amit Bhagwan Wadhwani, however, said that human interference will be required to complete the real estate transactions, although digital tools are being helpful in lead generations. Awfis founder and CEO Amit Ramani said the technology is enabling coworking operators in providing services more efficiently. Agarwala of Housing.com said that the PropTech companies have not been able to attract huge investment in the last ten years but the scenario could change in the next decade. "We are just seeing the emergence of PropTech in India," he added. MJH BAL

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