Indians have been splurging huge money on securing their houses and new-found wealth, pushing demand for security gadgets by over 50% to Rs1,200 crore.

Burglar alarm systems, video surveillance and doorphones, access control, wall mount air sensors, motion detectors, two- way key fobs, Wi-Fi camera, wireless external siren and wristband transmitters are some of the ultra-smart devices that are in demand with increasingly affluent Indians.

“While the total security market is growing at the rate of 25-26%, the real estate and residential security market is almost double at almost 52% annually,” Honeywell director, security, South Asia, Deepak Thakur said.

The real estate security market is worth Rs1,200 crore and the security gadgets industry is expecting to piggy back on this growth, Thakur said.

Manufacturers unveiled nearly 25 new products at a security fair - IFSEC India-2008 - that underlines the demand for home security and automation devices. “Also, 30% of the stalls at the fair were visited by real estate developers and individual end users who wanted security and home automation devices,” IFSEC India-2008 project coordinator Anindiya Sarangi said.

The crisis in the international economic scene is bound to have its repercussions in the State economy as well. The NRIs, the export and import-based companies and the real estate sector may suffer if the global economic meltdown continues. The NRIs will have to share the burden of measures being implemented by their host countries to ward off the crisis. The result will be a slowdown in the remittances from abroad which is likely to affect a spectrum of activities in the State. The boom in the real estate sector was driven by the money supply in the market.

The soaring prices in the real estate and the rise in construction activity had been supported by the steady arrival of foreign remittances. The real estate sector grew to new heights as cities like Kochi started implementing infrastructure projects like the Vallarpadom transhipment terminal and LNG terminal. It was the NRI segment that sustained this growth. A meltdown in the real estate sector would mean that the sale of the building materials would decline, resulting in a fall in the tax revenues to the government.

The large number of migrant labourers currently employed by the construction sector would become redundant and they would be forced to return to their native States, according to real estate managers. The global crisis might affect the lives of Keralites too, said State Planning Board Vice-Chairman Prabhat Patnaik at a recent meeting in Kochi. The recession could affect the farmers of Wayanad if they do not get remunerative prices. The slowdown in the U.S. economy had hit several financial and IT companies with business links in the State.

Film actor, Mr. Shah Rukh Khan has announced the launch of his real estate development, Shah Rukh Khan Boulevard, which is to be located in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 8-billion Dirham ($2.2-billion) development will come up on Dana Island off the Ras Al Khaimah coast and will comprise studio and one and two-bedroom apartments. "I have a strange fetish for home. It's close to my heart," Mr. Shah Rukh Khan said. The project will be designed by a well-known architect, Mr. Toni Ashai and it will also comprise an underwater discotheque, a public square on the beach and a theatre. The development will cover three million square feet. The film star has associated himself with the project through TSA International Investments, a leading real estate financial consultancy in the UAE.

Realtors are now taking a more efficient and cost cutting route in the development of their projects. They are trying out new strategies to improve margins. While some are procuring expensive capital goods directly from manufacturers, others are going to China to get high quality yet cheaper material. In the last one year, developers have seen their margins shrink progressively with input costs going up tremendously. Margins for developers were high in the 60-70% range for most projects (and over 100% in some) a couple of years back. Today, they are down to about 30-40% across India, says Mr. Anuj Puri, chairman and country head, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj (JLLM).

A United Arab Emirates real estate developer will develop houses for the homeless in India and three other countries during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. For this purpose, the Dubai-based ETA Star signed an agreement with US-based not-for-profit organisation, Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI). The company is being partnered by its new development Dubai Lifestyle City, home furnishing chain Homes and cement manufacturer Star Cement. It will donate one percent of its total earnings during Ramadan towards building homes for the destitute in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ethiopia, according to the agreement.

The green buildings movement is gaining popularity in India. The green footprint in the urban landscape is growing and currently, about 220 million sq ft of green buildings are under construction. Mr. S. Srinivas, principal counselor, CII Godrej Green Building Council, said from one building in 2001, there are now 254 green buildings with 150 million sq ft registered for certification in India. Further, with green homes rating being launched, 68 green homes of 88 million sq ft have registered. Mr Srinivas added, "Today 60% of these projects are being driven by builders and developers, as marketability of the green buildings are higher. And customers are demanding more green buildings."

Increasing interest rates and rising construction costs are changing the mood of many aspiring homebuyers, because of which real estate developers are changing their strategy to keep their business going. They are now switching either to so-called affordable housing projects or high-end customers, who mostly buy cash down or with limited amount of borrowing. Many developers are opting for low-cost housing - the latest to come on board is Bangalore-based Puravankara Projects, which is planning to build 65,500 low-cost flats in five southern cities over the next five years. Realty major, Omaxe is building 1 lakh houses across cities in northern India - the flats would be priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,100 per square foot. "Most large developers have now woken up to the fact that affordable housing projects have the fastest absorption rates and are focusing on this," said Mr. Anuj Puri, chairman of realty consultancy company, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj.

Property companies are rushing projects or cutting down on project completion time, by nearly 20 per cent in an attempt to overcome the liquidity crunch. Companies that took 3 years (36 months) on housing projects are now completing them in around 30 months by boosting efficiencies and using modern technology. One of the most significant reasons for the faster turnaround of projects is the decline in property sales by over 30 per cent in the last six months in Mumbai, national capital region (NCR) and other regions, which were the main revenue streams for developers. To add to their woes, the prices of cement, steel and labour, which account for more than half of the input costs, have risen 50 per cent over the last one year, putting pressure on developers' margins. Construction costs, which vary from city to city, are growing 20-25 per cent every year, said industry experts.

After living in crumling old structures for about 55 years, the residents of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) colony in Chembur have realized the benefits of redevelopment. Subhash Nagar is undergoing redevelopment as 65 per cent of the 2, 000 residents have opted for redevelopment by a single developer. The colony is spread over 38 acres and houses 57 buildings. "So far, we have built 744 flats for the residents and have finalized plans to build eight more buildings for 546 families who have signed for redevelopment," said Mr. Manoj John, spokesman of RNA Corp, which is undertaking the project through its group company GA Builders. The company aims to create residential and commercial zones for maximum utilization of available space. "It is a win-win situation for the tenants and the developer," said Mr. Anuj Puri, Chairman, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj (JLLM), a global real estate consultancy while commenting on the project.

Akruti City is planning to use pre-fabricated slabs in its buildings, which will help the company in saving 15 to 20 per cent cost over manually-laid slabs. The company is also exploring new techniques to build walls and pillars that could save up to 20 per cent over conventional techniques. However, Akruti is not the only developer trying to cut costs due to the realty slump caused by higher interest rates and capital curbs by the government. All across India, realty companies are sourcing cheaper materials, using more advanced technology and new techniques to reduce construction time even as overheads are being slashed. The drive to cut costs is becoming critical as key input costs - steel, cement and labour - that account for 40 per cent of project costs have escalated 50 per cent over the past year. Mahindra Lifespace Developers has recently set up an innovation cell to explore the use of new construction materials such as fly ash instead of cement, using better mechanisation and technology to cut costs. Now, the company has reduced the time taken to lay slabs from one month to 21 days and plans to cut it to a fortnight. Besides this, there is a buzz is that real estate companies are retrenching staff and cutting salaries but Parsvnath Chairman, Mr. Pradeep Jain said such moves would not serve any purpose. "When you set up a company, employees become part of your growth. You cannot penalise staff in bad times. But we can certainly cut overheads," he said.

As foreign architecture firms set up more offices in India, they are also bringing back Indian architects who left the country many years back for better opportunities abroad. After designing for Indian real estate developers for the past few years, some marquee names in the world of architecture—such as Burt Hill, Bregman+Hamann Architects and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Llp., or SOM—have now started expanding their front offices across India to be more accessible and do more work.The trend is accelerating in recent months as both commercial and residential construction slumps in countries such as the US, where a slowing economy is taking a heavy toll on new projects. This has left many firms, including some white-shoe ones, scrambling to find work for their roster of architects, with West Asia and Asia offering new hope.Fuelling demand has been the rush of construction in India, with big builders falling over each other to tout the design and architectural help they are getting from firms based outside the country. A perceived shortage of domestic talent has also helped foreign firms find projects within India in the past couple of years.

Bangalore-based, In4velocity Systems, India’s leading real estate and property development software firm, announced that QVC Realty, India’s first venture capital funded real estate development company, has selected its market leading ERMS application, In4Suite, for implementation across its various construction projects in India.The overall deal value is expected to be around $90,000 in the first phase of implementation. In4velocity’s unique enterprise resource management system (ERMS) application, In4Suite, is India’s largest selling and the only integrated end-to-end solution for real estate and property development firms.A property developer can automate all key business processes right from land acquisition to engineering, from purchase to sales and from rental to property management. He can further bring all his customers, suppliers, contractors and investors online in a collaborative environment. The application acts as a “business in software” approach for real estate developers and provides web based real time reporting to all key stake holders.

Looking at the slowdown in the realty market, real estate players have increased their advertising budgets. Developers are using many different promotional strategies to be high on recall value. "It's a do or die situation out there due to high recession in the market. Many developers are buying back their projects and re-selling. It is necessary to make a noise at this time to keep the projects on high visibility radar for those who actively trade on the real estate. The print media is taking up the major chunk while the rest goes to the outdoor media. Out of a scale of 10, together, advertising in print and outdoor could be rated as seven," said Noshe Oceanic President, Mr. Asheesh Sethi.

With many buildings facing problems of ageing, there are housing societies and single property owners like clubs and hotels who have started hiring structural architects and consultant on full-time retainership basis. "The trend was earlier restricted to corporate houses and companies. Now, even housing societies and single property owners are hiring structural architects, either at a charge or on case-to-case basis," structural consultant and conservation architect, Mr. Chetan Raikar said. The retainee structural architects do work from periodical inspections, suggesting repairs, and reviewing the repair designs and plans. Structural architects are like the family doctors, who provide solutions for a better position and consistent evaluation.

Competition is growing in the Indian real estate market and to grow up in the ladder, developers are building skyscrapers and partnering with worldwide spas and engineering companies. Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure (SRUI) is planning to partner with worldwide spa companies like Thailand-based Banyan Tree and Madrid of Hong Kong in order to set up a 10, 000 sq ft luxurious spa in its Palais Royale 50-storeyed skyscraper complex in Worli (Mumbai), on the lines of One Brand Square, a super luxurious residential skyscraper. Competitor, Lodha Group's new project, Lodha Bellisimo's (at Mahalaxmi) A and B wing will be ready by 2009-end, and C wing by 2011, where-in the elevator (with finger print access) opens directly into one’s residence. Along with that, there is an exclusive private elevator that connects the two levels of one's duplex home. The company has partnered with Kapadia Associate, Architects, Sitetectonix, Singapore for Landscape and Johnson Controls Inc (JCI), USA for facility management.

If you are single and looking for a house, get married. As after the marriage, the housing finance company will consider the total income of the couple and you will end up getting a bigger loan than that available individually. Given this, you can buy a sea-facing flat in Mumbai. But if you are looking for something like this, take a loan for a lesser term. Usually, individuals take tend to take up loan for tenure of 20 years. And married couples (if both are earning) can take a loan of a lesser term for around 15 years, having a greater equated monthly installment (EMI). Also, under the joint loan scheme, both will be allowed tax deductions for the EMI paid to repay the loan.

World-class infrastructure, coupled with safe living and a facilitated business environment, makes Dubai an ideal place to live and work. Dubai is ranked first in global population and employment growth [National Statistics Office] making the demand for Dubai real estate even more viable. The fact is that Dubai has witnessed 13% growth year-on-year since 2000, which makes for a higher growth rate than both India and China, presently the two most powerful developing countries in the world. Dubai has been growing at a swelling speed. It's no more just a shopping destination. It is emerging as an international destination for property investors. The open nature of the society in Dubai makes it safe for people who want to retire, relocate or simply looking for a secure return on their money. As a good long-term investment, investors are increasingly tending to view housing and real estate in Dubai especially from Asia with a particular focus from India. Real estate in Dubai is expanding at a phenomenal rate in the last five years and continues to do so. Apart from this, the increase in population, flourishing tourism and readily available mortgage facilities from banks and financial institutions gave rise to an extraordinary real estate boom in Dubai. Real estate projects of over $360 billion are currently under development in the UAE. These projects include some of the world's most spectacular and awe-inspiring architectural wonders including the world's tallest building, largest mall, biggest theme park and indoor ski resort, among others. There is a large majority of Indians in the UAE. Due to the close proximity between the two countries there are large numbers of Indians who have bought properties in Dubai. It is extremely easy for Indians to own a property in the UAE. There is no restriction in the kind of properties one can buy - apartment, land or in terms of maximum or minimum size of the property one can hold. One can also sell the property at any time and repatriate the proceeds.

Higher rate of returns in real estate investments in India, projects that comply with international standards, greater affordability, apart from emotional reasons like ‘owning a piece of homeland’ were driving the NRI segment growth in the real estate sector in the India. Today with more and more Indians looking at returning home and relocating themselves given better employment opportunities in India, NRIs are now looking at investing in the real estate in the country with a view to make India their future homes. Those who were making the transition from overseas to India, want to ensure that the transition is smooth, especially for their children, many of whom India would be a new living experience. A lifestyle match is what these people are looking for when investing in property here. While some preferred contemporary designs, others were searching for homes that were nostalgic and brought back memories of childhood or times spent in courtyard of a village, where just-rolled out papads lay toasting in the sun, or those ethnic porches where the family sat together enjoying the little ones tumble and roll at play.

Satellier Inc, the global leader in work share solutions and pioneer in Building Information Modeling services (BIM) for the architecture, engineering, construction and building owner (AECO) industry, announced a broad set of Indian-based design management services (DMS). These first-of-kind services are available to domestic and international developers, contractors, and design consultants, and are designed to “fill-the-gap” between international design practices and onshore construction and practice realities for large-scale real estate developments in India. Satellier’s India DMS services are available in four areas critical to project success: design coordination, design localization, design documentation, and BIM management that will eliminate design and construction errors, reduce time-to-market, and increase quality of the building product. The Indian real estate market is experiencing a remarkable boom characterized by over 30 percent annual growth and forecasted to reach $90B by 2015. Primary contributors include recent GDP growth of over 9%, the entry of multinational companies into the country, global expansion of major domestic companies, increased spending power among the middle class, progressive government initiatives, wide acceptance of BPO/outsourcing business models, and strong foreign investments. The world’s top design firms are planning next-generation office campuses, shopping malls, complete new townships and housing complexes, medical centers, and hospitality sites for construction throughout the country. Satelllier is in a unique position to offer design management services for these aspiring new developments

Currently, there is a slowdown in the number of transactions happening within the industry. There is a shortage of funds and thus a lot of developers and buyers are all in the wait and watch mode. The rise in home loan interest rates combined with inflation has caused a slowdown in the middle level demand; however, the luxury level demand has not been as affected. There are some builders who are not yet compromising on their prices, and these builders with greater holding power are expected to hold out for another 6-8 weeks before yielding. Foreign investors too are adopting a cautious approach now and are waiting for developers to improve their own functioning before stepping in. Better locations for malls, high streets, commercial complexes are preferred. Since the traditional commercial mortgage spaces are too costly, alternative locations are being looked at. India tier 1 cities have increased in the transparency index; however there is still a lot to be done before we compete with the international market. Our standard policies need to improve, currently except for SEZs and townships; there is no single window format in place. FSI (floor space index) is also a major problem, coupled with cash transactions and speculators, the real estate sector is seen lacking. Currently, investors are also a lot more intelligent. Also, with the foreign interest Indian property receives, builders are put under more testing conditions. This a clear indication that there is still a lot of hope in the industry, investors are coming in too, but are more careful in terms of proper valuation and appraisals. While currently rentals are up and purchases are going down, things will hopefully turn around in the next few years. The government is planning to start a housing index, and builders are starting to follow international business practices. Even the low transparency in the finances of real estate is being looked into. Transparency was not so important an issue previously, as it is now. Policies regarding FSI are also clearing up and townships and large retrials are becoming more transparent. The markets are adapting to cater to the international investor and smarter buyers. Those companies that do not change will not survive.