Checklist before Leasing Commercial Property in India

When you lease a commercial space, it is not the same process as renting a residential home. Be it the monthly payments or the security amount and the tenure, commercial leasing in India differs significantly from residential renting. CRE Matrix is a real estate data analytics firm that lets stakeholders take a look at the many commercial spaces that have been leased and compare it with others in the market. 

When you’re leasing commercial property, do keep in mind that residential rentals are lesser as compared to commercial ones. Moreover, commercial leases are for a longer time period that can range up to five years or more. However, residential rentals are typically for 11 months. While in both the scenarios, the tenant or the lessee rents a property and pays monthly rentals, you will find that the terms and conditions are quite different. Therefore, the relevant question here is how one should go about leasing a commercial property in India. 

Pointers to Consider before Leasing Commercial Properties 

Property Ownership: The first step includes inspecting if the project is legally owned by the lessor and has a clear title.Moreover, you need to check if there is a ‘no rent or sublet’ connected to the property before signing the leasing agreement. Make sure you also look for the Occupancy Certificate (OC) and the Power of Attorney (PoA). 

Rent Agreement: The next step is to examine whether the leasing agreement is suitable for you or not.Make sure that all the terms and conditions that were discussed verbally are laid out in the contract.Every single significant detail such as lease duration, security deposit, etc. needs to be declared in the agreement. Furthermore, the lease agreement needs to be duly signed by all the parties. 

Mortgage & Taxes: In the subsequent step, you need to authenticate the income tax status of the lessor. When you look at a commercial property for lease, make sure to confirm if there are any dues unpaid or legal encumbrances. Moreover, it is important to verify the category of the property under the Income Tax Act. It is critical to know whether it is a commercial or residential property according to the Development Control Regulations. The penalty could be levied in case you operate commercial procedures in a residential space. 

Agents: It is vital to carry out background checks on property agents and dealers before you appoint them. Take to the preceding clients about their work experience with the broker, the duration is taken to close the deal, and the charges levied. If the agents are apprehensive about letting you contact their ex-clients, it clearly suggests that they are hiding something. Therefore, it would be wise to avoid such types of agents. 

To sum up, this is the checklist that needs to be followed before you look at leasing some of the best commercial properties India

CRE Matrix is a premier real estate data analytics company India that allows stakeholders across various industries to compare commercial leasing data with other companies in the market.

For more such exciting analysis and details on real estate, visit CRE Matrix.

Should You Purchase or Lease Commercial Space in India?

If you’re planning to move from your existing property and conduct your business in a new space, you may be plagued with the dilemma of whether to purchase or rent out the new place. The estimated development, income, and legal needs of your business ought to be considered when you take this decision.

Buying a property will help you in saving on the rental charges over a timespan and also gain from any rise in property prices but the initial financial need will be a lot more when compared to renting a unit.

When you look at the best commercial properties India, take the time out to compare the benefits of leasing a commercial space vs. buying a property: 

Advantages of leasing a commercial space

Cash Flow: If you look at it completely from the outlook of cash flow, acquiring commercial space for rent is better when compared to buying it. If you’re relatively new to doing business then you might want to opt for leasing space as opposed to purchasing it. In the case of rental, your initial monetary outgo will be restricted to the security deposit and the first month’s rent. When it comes to purchasing, you will have to pay the entire price of the property, or at least, the down payment needed for a loan, which is usually quite high. 

Maintenance of the Property: In numerous scenarios, the duty of maintaining the property falls on the landlord. If you don’t want to spend your time and money on periodic maintenance and wish to focus on your main business, then leasing may be a better choice. The costs connected to maintenance are lesser when it comes to Commercial space for lease India. If you buy the property, there could be expenditures related to taking care of the structural soundness of the building, apart from the day-to-day maintenance to repairs. 

Pros of Buying a Commercial Property 

Control over the Property: If you plan on revamping the property, then it’s necessary to have control over it. When you buy commercial space, it can help you to have flexible business hours or allow you to conduct your business in some other way as compared to how you were working on it initially. 

Rise in Land Value: If you wish to shift to a location where land rates are surging and property prices are heading towards an upwards trajectory, then purchasing commercial property makes more sense. The worth of a property may go higher thanks to the improving physical and social infrastructure in the region, or better demographics. 

Regardless of the reason, it would work better for you if you detect such trends early when the rates are not that high. If you buy a property in such a place, you can gain from any escalation in the value of the property, apart from saving on rental outgo. 

In a nutshell, whether you choose to lease or buy commercial space, both the options have their pros and cons. At CRE Matrix, you will be able to take a look at several commercial properties and in-depth leasing data that can help you make a decision. 

For more such exciting analysis and details on real estate, visit CRE Matrix.

5 Ways to Apply Data Science to Commercial Real Estate in India

The commercial real estate sector in India is on its way to slowly bounce back and recovering in a post-pandemic world. The start of 2022 has unlocked many potentials and scopes of the commercial real estate industry in this country. Increasing demand for appropriate workspaces, commercial properties, and creative concepts in this industry will aid in powerful development. 

With the commercial real estate sector almost returning to its pre-Covid levels, data has become an extremely vital ‘raw material’ of the industry today. Data science has evolved into a separate study thanks to its importance in contributing to the growth of the real estate market. 

Real estate data analytics companies make use of advanced-level analytics and machine learning models to assess information that helps in making better decisions. With its assistance, you can understand consumer behavior, business strategies can be improved, promising market trends can be weighed and any predicted risks can be tactfully averted and dealt with. 

Let’s take a look at how data science can bring about major changes in the commercial real estate sector by helping professionals make well-informed decisions. 

  • Evaluating Data to Estimate Market Trends

Commercial real estate data analytics can assist in predicting property market trends and any risks that might come up in the investment. By using data that comprises a combination of various variables and predictive analysis; it can assess how consumer groups have been behaving over the years, what kind of properties are in demand, the type of leisure activities that consumers like, and how the rent charges have evolved over time. These factors play a huge role in deciding how well or poorly an investment would be able to perform. 

  • Creating the Property Price Indices 

One of the most vital applications of data for commercial real estate is to gather and leverage details connected to the adjoining local areas. Qualitative and quantitative variables play a role in influencing the pricing of commercial properties. Moreover, these elements also work to provide us with a fair idea of which areas might emerge as popular in the future. 

  • Comprehending Performance of Investments 

In the real estate sector, no two properties can be similar. Variables are different even with properties that exist in the same building, not to mention the fluctuating value of properties over time. The evolving rate of an asset, pertaining to the lifecycle and current/future infrastructure, can be traced over the years by making use of data science in this field. 

  • Recognizing & Segregating Leads 

A great way to leverage the power of data science in commercial real estate is to nurture leads. Generally, it is tough for agents to follow up on all the leads that are generated from the many online and offline marketing campaigns. Nevertheless, real estate data providers who have relevant applications and software can provide a ‘seller or buyer score’ to leads that are more likely to sell or purchase properties. This evaluation is made by assessing elements such as demographics, income changes, and buying behavior. 

  • Gauging Profitability of Investment & Construction 

If you’re planning to invest in a commercial real estate space, location intelligence is an extremely significant feature to measure whether the investment would be able to deliver the anticipated profits in the future. Data science in real estate can also prove to be useful to assess environmental conditions so as to finalize a suitable time for the commencement of the construction activities. 

CRE Matrix is India’s best real estate data analytics company that uses data science to help stakeholders across various sectors to assess and compare leasing data and more. 

For more such exciting analysis and details on real estate, visit CRE Matrix.

What are the Different Types of Commercial Leases in India?

When you think about leasing a big commercial space, you should be fully prepared mentally as it’s a huge undertaking that requires massive monetary investments. When you rent a business space for the first time; it is not only essential to research the market well but also to have relatively good knowledge about the types of commercial leases that can be availed in India. 

In this country, commercial real estate leases are typically term-based. The contract expires after a specific amount of time. In older days, the leases used to be permanent and ever-lasting. Nevertheless, given the current market scenario, and the steep rise in property rates, the picture is not quite the same anymore. 

In India, you will find three basic kinds of commercial real estate leases. While the terminologies may change from place to place, having a fair idea about the concepts could help you to negotiate the best possible deal. 

Here are the three types of commercial leases India:

Gross Lease

Also referred to as a full-service lease, it is the kind of lease where the landlord is required to pay for all the property-related expenses out of the rent given by the tenant. The list of such expenditures comprises insurance, maintenance, and taxes. 

While the landlord is fully accountable for the building, the tenant’s job is to fully focus on the business. It is mostly used for multi-tenant buildings. 

The biggest benefit is that tenants don’t have to be concerned about paying for taxes, insurance, or maintenance. The lease contract states the entire expenses of leasing the commercial space and also the conditions under which the prices may increase in the future. 

Net Lease 

A net lease is a commercial real estate lease wherein tenants not only have to pay for the space they have occupied but also have a contractual agreement where the lessee has to pay a part or all of the taxes, insurance fees, and maintenance expenses for a property apart from the basic rent.  

The net lease comprises of single net lease, double net lease, and triple net lease. One of the main benefits of the net lease is that tenants can regulate their expenses in a better manner by monitoring how utilities are used. They are required to only pay for the actual property tax and the amount for maintenance. If there is no need for extensive maintenance or if the property taxes fall, they may be able to save some money. 

Modified Gross Lease 

Even though it bears resemblance to gross lease, there are some differences. Although the rent is given in a lump sum, there is still some compromise that can happen between the parties. The parties to the agreement can negotiate the expenses which can be integrated into the base rental price. 

Additionally, the costs like the janitorial services and electricity are not included in this list. Since the modified gross lease is tenant-friendly, it seems to be the most popular among tenants. Corporates largely favor modified gross leases over others since they are not accountable for the maintenance of office buildings. 

In a nutshell, when it comes to commercial real estate leasing, each type has its pros and cons. You need to decide on what is the most suitable for your business based on your budget. 

CRE Matrix is India’s preferred real estate data analytics provider. It allows stakeholders across an array of sectors to have the opportunity to see the commercial leasing data of various companies. 

For more such exciting analysis and details on real estate, visit CRE Matrix.

Grading Office Buildings in India – Our 4 Parameters

How does India grade it’s office buildings? Is there a formula to this? Why one office building may be A+ in grading and still command a rental lower than a grade A building? All this and a lowdown on how CRE Matrix grades office buildings across India.

Office space is crucial for any firm’s development as the workspace environment plays a vital role in the employee’s mental health and wellbeing. The quality of the physical workplace setting has a powerful sway on the company’s capability to both recruits as well as retail employees. 

Since the work environment is extremely important, companies are now looking out for appropriate and best office spaces in India that can keep their employees satisfied. Happy employees can help reap profits for the business. It is observed that more and more companies in India are becoming very particular about the kind of office space they want in a specific type of commercial building. 

India is filled with different kinds of commercial buildings in any city. If you’re considering taking up office space for your company, you would have many options to consider based on your preferences and budget. The location is one of the many factors that need to be kept in mind before taking up office space in a building. 

Some of the other parameters are the age of the building, amenities offered, parking, design of the building, and so forth. It is based on these criteria that commercial buildings in this country may be categorized as Grade A building, Grade B building, and Grade C building. These classifications may help to determine the rents of the buildings. 

Let us look at the various parameters that help classify the office buildings India:

Amenities 

Grade A buildings are bestowed with the specific grade because they come with a lot of high-quality amenities. They feature facilities such as fire prevention systems, fire-management systems, earthquake-resistant structures, and so forth. Grade A office building Mumbai will have a cutting-edge HVAC (Heating Ventilation, Air Conditioning), extremely safe elevators, and state-of-the-art concierge services. The utilities such as water and electricity are exceptionally effective. These buildings usually house a cafeteria, food court, restaurants, ATMs, coffee shops, and so forth. 

On the other hand, a Grade B office building will have elevators that work well but are not considered to be superior quality. Water and electricity systems are not deemed to be extremely effective. Many may not even come with features such as earthquake-resistant structures and waste recycling units. As for Grade C office buildings, they barely have any amenities. In India, you will not find any lobby area or even elevators. 

Location

Grade A buildings are typically located in the heart of central business districts. In metropolitan cities such as Mumbai or Bengaluru, they are more likely to have enormous open spaces or some kind of greenery landscape that adds to the beauty of the building. Grade B buildings are not so centrally located but manage to have a decent location. Grade C buildings are not perched in busy commercial hubs and can be located in any lane or road. 

Parking 

Grade A buildings have professional management and have adequate parking for every corporate tenant, their employees, and their guests who could visit occasionally. Grade B buildings generally compromise on factors like security and parking. They will have enough for the employees of the corporate tenants but not extend it to their guests. Grade C office building MMR will not have enough parking spaces to fit vehicles of all employees of their corporate tenants. 

Architecture 

Grade A office buildings are typically architectural marvels and extremely posh and upscale in their looks. These buildings are typically newly built and have the necessary infrastructure in place. Grade B buildings are usually older than Grade A buildings and are not as shiny and glitzy as the former. Grade C buildings are usually the oldest as compared to the other two and typically need a lot of repair work. 

We deploy 5 other parameters which form our secret sauce to grade buildings. To know more, sign up with us and we’ll take you through how we grade buildings using artificial intelligence, machine learning and a lot of human intelligence.

CRE Matrix is India’s preferred real estate data analytics platform. We can provide stakeholders with every minute detail about a commercial building including its grading. 

For more such exciting analysis and details on real estate, visit CRE Matrix.

A 10-Step Guide to Becoming a Superstar Commercial Real Estate Broker in India

The Indian real estate market is quite diverse yet dynamic and competitive in nature, especially for real estate brokers. To carve a niche of success, it is quite imperative for brokers to understand the changing promotional scenarios of the developers and the preferences of clients. Having a knack to innovate and being open to new marketing ideas helps one to stay relevant and afloat in the market.

If you are looking forward to becoming a superstar commercial real estate broker, here is a 10-step guide:

1.   Network to increase your net worth:

Even though commercial real estate broking is a traditional profession, if you want to tap more opportunities and convert them into success, networking is the key. Be in constant touch with your fellow real estate agents inquiring them about the latest market updates along with some tips and tricks.

If you do not specialize in a certain kind of segment, pass on the lead to them asking for the commission percentage that can be mutually agreed upon. Attend project launches and events, meet new people and stay in touch with your old clients who have deep pockets to invest in real estate properties.

2.   Embrace digital technology:

As we mentioned earlier, the market is evolving at a very fast pace and you have to march ahead to set your cash registers ringing. Take optimum advantage of digital technology by building and having a constant online presence on various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business and LinkedIn to reach directly to your target market.

Promote your brand along with the projects assigned at the reasonable cost involved with a digital presence.

3.   Be a consultant, not just an agent:

Rather than just weighing your prospect in commercial terms, go the extra mile and suggest to your client the property that will best suit his or her taste and requirement. This will help you build long term relationships and instill trust in the mind of your clients.

4.   Be transparent:

It is very crucial to be transparent in all your dealings with the developer as well as the client to close the deal in an efficient manner. You will have to be very crystal clear in all of your communication with all the parties involved to win their acute level of trust beating the competition in the market.

5.   Gain your expertise:

As we discussed earlier, the market of Indian real estate is quite diverse and versatile having a pie for everyone. But it is necessary for you to find your area of expertise, be it commercial or residential and further segregate it between luxury, mid-segment or affordable segments. This way, you will be renowned within the market and industry as a whole.

6.   Never forget your old clients:

Now, this is very crucial and important as your old clients as your best brand ambassadors. If you have catered for them well, they will surely recommend your name within their social circle making you earn more referrals.

7.   Gather market insights:

There are new project launches as well as new norms getting framed on a constant basis. It is significant to keep your eyes and ears open to find out what’s happening in and around your domain as developers and clients also look up to you as an industry expert.

8.   Ask for referrals:

Never shy away to ask for referrals from your existing clients. It will help you to network and grow your business within an environment that is ever competitive and dynamic in nature.

9.  Go an extra mile:

Always go the extra mile to offer excellent customer service to your clients. It can be gifting a small present on the occasion of their housewarming or helping with the contact numbers of plumbers and other technicians that will ease out their domestic chores.

10. Build a brilliant team:

With gradual growth and success, you will need more minds and hands to help you. Over a period of time, build a brilliant and efficient team that will help you accomplish your business objectives.

Even though the real estate brokerage business is traditional, it is evolving at a quick pace and is an integral part of the industry. If you think that it is the right match for your professional life, dive into it.

For more CRE industry insights and data research do Contact us.

5 Major Forces that will Drive Commercial Real Estate Industry in India in 2022

In 2021, there has been a tremendous development in residential and commercial real estate in India. The market was already growing as the requirement for residential apartments and plots rose post nationwide lockdown. The property rates observed a huge increase in demand and prices per square foot.

commercial real estate

Apart from commercial areas that tailor to the daily or weekly needs of the residents, the corporate world has started to convey interest in mounting operations, thanks to enhancements in connectivity and anticipated economic development.

We could witness further liquidity transferred into commercial real estate this year. It is believed that the year 2022 will see a growing surge for appropriate workspaces, freehold commercial and residential properties, and new concepts that will increase returns for investors. 

As we go deeper into 2022, here are a couple of forces that will push the commercial real estate industry in India.

Residential Property Market is Expected to Rise

After an extended duration of dropping and then stabilizing, residential property rates are possibly expected to begin rising again. Approximately 5% capital value growth has been estimated for the residential property segment in India in 2022. 

Several of the supply and demand-side factors are taken into consideration and evaluated over the last decade. This drive is projected to continue in 2022 as potential homebuyers’ preferences for larger residences, improved facilities, and lucrative pricing will help seal the deals. 

Foreign Investment is Estimated to Push this Sector

Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) will continue to be a significant development driver, and the same is valid in the case of the real estate players as well. Indian real estate has managed to draw a huge amount of foreign moolah, particularly in the residential market. With RERA assuring transparency and laws permitting 100% FDI in construction, Indian real estate is observing pointed investment infusions from NRIs. 

Property Rates Projected to Rise

In 2020, approximately 1.38 lakh housing units were sold. When you pit it against the previous peak in 2014, this was considered to be a rock bottom of 60%. Nevertheless, between January and September 2021, 1.45 lakh units were sold. There was a 5% surge in sales in 2020. 

Increase in Demand for Co-working Spaces

In 2020, there was significant growth in office closures and a swift shift in ubiquitous remote employment globally. This trend carried on in 2021. However, as the vaccines started rolling out, people slowly returned to their workplaces. Thanks to the pandemic, firms have had to spend time and money investing in digital abilities to let employees work from home. 

Businesses are seeking new working approaches while allowing workplace flexibility to make sure that profitability balances well with employee well-being. The most obvious development has been the surge of a hybrid workforce across an array of workspace choices, including flexible offices. 

Growing Demand for Data Centers

The massive digital push generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has been lucrative for data centers which could still offer an approximate 15% rental yield. Firms started to modify their digital infrastructure to cater to the new work environment instantly after India went into lockdown due to the pandemic, thereby leading to a 25-35% increase in data center capacity. 

The year 2022 is also believed to observe an increase in SCO (shop-cum-office-space) concept development. These SCO plots will assist entrepreneurs to develop their business concepts by owning a commercial space at moderately placed prices with advanced amenities. Sharp investors can witness the benefits of a well-equipped setting that backs retail or office in a favorable market. Mixed-use commercial spaces will help investors in expanding their risk in the investment portfolio by making the most of the new evolving idea. 

For more CRE industry insights and data research do Contact us.