Property, Stocks or Gold…?

This is an eternal question that haunts all investors, and people with disposable incomes or deep pockets, in India. In 2005, the Indian Government removed restrictions on foreign investment in Real Estate. This led to a flood of investments from foreign institutional investors, and foreign Realty companies who started investing in partner companies in India. But over the next three years, many of these partnerships dissolved, IPOs did not take off, and litigations became common, leading to a bust in the Indian realty market.

 

However, all that has changed now. The new Government led by Prime Minister Modi has brought in reforms in the Realty sector, leading to an increase in demand for both commercial and residential space. Further, the drop in the Indian rupee vis-à-vis the dollar has made property cheaper for NRIs and PIOs who are investing again in a big way. Industry analysts like Cushman and Wakefield are bullish on India and expect a turnaround in the near future.

 

This can be seen in the number of foreign private equity investors who are making a beeline for India's realty market: Morgan Stanley, Blackstone Group, Canada Pension Plan Investment, APG Asset Management NV in collaboration with Xander Group Inc, Brookfield Asset Management Inc, Walton Street India Real Estate Advisors Pvt and Hines, among others. Nearly USD 675 million has been pumped into Indian realty, in just the first half of 2014 alone.

 

The turnaround in the investor sentiment is obvious. According to a survey conducted by realty portal India Property, out of a total of 2583 respondents, 67 percent of people wanted to invest in real estate, 18 percent in stocks, and 15 percent in gold. But as much as 79 percent of the entire group felt realty was the best long-term investment option. (Source: Financial Times, Indian Realty News).

The upsurge in Indian realty has benefited Realty majors like Mahaveer Group. In the last year or so, the group, which is committed to trust and transparency as its core values, has added several high quality homes, across various price points, to Bangalore’s realty landscape.

 

Low VOC paints a better option for home owners

Low VOC paints a better option for home owners

Volatile Organic Compounds (‘VOC’ for short) are a primary ingredient in many industrial chemicals. Unfortunately, they have also been an integral components of paints used to beautify homes, offices and a whole lot of commercial spaces.

VOCs are associated with various environmental and health issues. In air, they react with other compounds to create ozone that traps heat and accelerates global warming. In human beings and domestic pets, they are known to cause headache, burning sensation, liver damage, kidney failure, cancer in different parts of the body, and a host of mental disabilities.

VOC levels in the air are immense in the days immediately after painting. Does it mean, one can avoid living in the house while it is being painted? That may seem like an obvious solution but it doesn’t help. Because, only 50% of the VOC from paints are released in the initial days after painting. The remaining 50% is released over the next couple of years, causing slow damage to residents.

If VOCs are so harmful, why use them in the first place is the obvious question. The answer lies in: convenience, effectiveness, and economy, which is why they have been used for decades. Paints are primarily composed of pigments, binders, solvents and various other additives required to keep the paint resistant from climatic impact.

Among these, solvents are VOC based, and are designed to evaporate quickly so that the pigment and binders bind together effectively. Or, in short, the paint dries quickly. Restricting the use of VOCs can increase the drying time and the overall duration of the painting process.

However, with increasing consumer vigilance, paints which use water-based solvents are becoming popular. Called low-VOC or no-VOC paints, these are harmless to residents while offering an optimum mix of longevity and drying time.

 

At Mahaveer, we only use low-VOC or no-VOC paints in all our projects. As one of the top Realty Houses in Bangalore, we stand for ‘responsible housing’ and are equally committed to the health and safety of our customers, as well as the environment. 

Sustaining healthy and happy families

‘Eco-friendly’, ‘sustainable’, ‘go green’ and ‘environment-friendly’ are phrases that come up frequently in most conversations online, and offline today. Although not everyone is aware of the difference between these terms, nevertheless, it’s a good thing that 

property buyers are demanding more of these from the Real Estate sector. Greenhouse emissions and global warming aside, increasing the urban green cover and adopting eco-friendly measures in construction, are known to improve health, reduce ambient temperatures, reduce the need for air-conditioning (and hence utility bills) and improve the quality of air we breathe.

Innumerable studies have revealed the true nature of how increasing the number of trees around our home and workplace can benefit our health. Trees act as nature’s filters trapping noxious fumes, particulate matter in the air, and ambient sound, making for a more stress free life. By reducing the ambient temperature, the need for air conditioning is reduced which reduces utility bills and lead to increased savings over time. This goes a long way in improving the standard of living. 

An interesting study conducted by Secon in Bangalore showed the difference that a relatively higher tree cover can make to ambient temperatures and particulate matter suspended in air. Researchers chose two locations in the centre of the city (Nrupathunga Rd and Rani Chennamma circle) as well as two locations in the outskirts (Sarjapur Rd and Bellandur Gate) within short distances of each other (less than 5 kms). The study showed that, the location with more tree cover recorded a lower ambient temperature and toxic gas levels than the one with a lower tree density.

As a Realty major that believes in ‘Finest Homes and Honest Practices’, Mahaveer strives to incorporate more eco-friendly measures in all its projects. This includes the kind of construction materials used and implementation of recycling measures, etc. But most important of all, Mahaveer strives to increase green cover in all its projects.

On an average, most of Mahaveer’s projects have a built up area between 38-52% of the total area of the project. All these practices have paid off, and have gone a long way in making Mahaveer one of the top five builders in the city. This inspires us in our drive towards sustainability and building healthier, happier homes. (more details visit http://www.mahaveergroup.in/)