Right time to invest in real estate

If you thought you missed the IT boom, and then the ITES and BT (biotech) industries propelling the real estate market, you've got nothing to worry about. The time to invest appears to be now!

Analysts predicted doomsday in 2002, but the bullish market never looked back. In 2004, speculators turned their backs but the market raced ahead. Now in 2006, they are all back in the race. Some with regret of missing the boom and others who stayed faithful to the market are now celebrating the booty in their bank accounts.

The analysts have pushed the `doomsday prophecy' a few years further. Foreign direct investment is flowing in abundantly; and investment in real estate is at its zenith, the highest in the history of India.

Murlidhar (54) claims he is a conservative investor but says: "I invested all my life's savings into purchasing a plot at Whitefield. An investment that runs upto Rs. 40 lakh is a considerable sum of money for me, but I am confident that the deal is for the best and will bring me good returns."

Dabholkar, who is in his mid-forties, is a small-time investor with a healthy bank balance. "I started off with investments from Rs. 3-10 lakh in the 80s and the 90s. Today I am looking at investing in property worth Rs. 1-2 crores."

If you remember the famous dialogue of Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar "Mere pass gadi hai, bangla hai, bank balance hai," the neo-rich young businessmen of today reflect just that.

The young today own flashy cars and luxury apartments; a sure sign of the changing times. The famous indicators of a flourishing industry, however, are not just sophisticated IT parks or expensive apartments.

Take a stroll through every main street of the city, and you see umpteen number of swanky restaurants and international-standard malls. All of this points to one direction — growth.

With growth being the mantra of the 90s and the millennium speaking of growth to the power of `n', there's nothing stopping India and more specifically, Hyderabad, which is currently in the limelight from riding the real estate growth wave.

This year's budget cast a gloomy picture on the real estate industry. Firstly, increasing the interest rate of home loans and then highly taxing the construction industry. There was huge speculation that the market would fall, but the final outcome was hardly surprising. The bull just stopped for a breather and charged ahead without glancing back!

The time is now, pick up your phone and make your queries. Find out which would be your best bet, a plot or an apartment. Plan out your mode of investment.

If it is an apartment,, you can choose from a wide range of projects spread over different locations and price ranges.

If you are still sitting in your living room, regretting that you might have missed the train, there appears to be one heading your way right now. Get on it today.

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