PE Funds Shy away from Real Estate Sector

An apparent slowdown in the real estate sector is forcing PE (private equity) funds to rein in their exposure to the sector, with nearly 30 per cent of the deals now stuck over valuations.
PE funds and analysts have become far more cautious in evaluating real estate investments in India. One of the analysts said that some of the funds are tightening norms for valuations after the slowdown and at least 30 per cent of the deals are taking a much longer time to go through because of valuation issues.

Emerging Markets Invest $1.7 trillion in Real Estate

The most popular targets for real estate investments now are countries in the new economic region stretching from China across India and the Middle East to Africa (CHIMEA), said a report.
The top 50 emerging markets represented in A T Kearney’s recent Real Estate Opportunity Index spent a combined total of $1.7 trillion on construction in 2007, with a five-year CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of up to 6 per cent.

Talent Shortage may Stunt Greenbuilding Movement’s Growth

As the green building movement in India gathers steam with growing numbers of real-estate developers adopting eco-friendly construction methods, it is trying to overcome a huge shortage in green-friendly industry professionals. The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) - the nodal body for eco-friendly construction - has some 190 buildings registered with it for certification and is drawing up plans to try and overcome the shortage, said Dr Prem C Jain, the Council’s Chairman, speaking at a seminar on ‘Green Buildings in India: challenges ahead’, organised by Zicom-CNA Automation Ltd and The Economic Times.

Bank of Baroda, UAE Real Estate Firm Sign MoU

Bank of Baroda, a leading Indian public sector bank, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai-based real estate company Dubai Properties for financing buyers of the latter’s products in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The agreement was signed between Bank of Baroda chief executive for Gulf operations Ashok K. Gupta and Dubai Properties chief executive Mohamed S. Binbrek, according to a Dubai Properties statement.