Good morning, before we get all chatty, let us closely examine the recipe of a pickle we could all be in someday.
Britain's hospitals are close to be being overwhelmed by a new wave of COVID-19 infections, calling for tougher restrictions, but the government, pushed to the wall trying to revive the economy, said now was not the time for a new lockdown.
Let's all do our bit to keep COVID from making an ugly comeback to India.
Alright, on with today's blurbs then…
Coming Back To Co-Life
With the worst of the pandemic seemingly out of sight and with social activities finding footing, students and young professionals are migrating back to metro cities again.
While that might mean lesser vacancy at park benches, it also means that the days of co-living and student housing are making a comeback.
The Backstory
Student Housing and Co-Living shot to limelight over the last few years as generations Y and Z embraced the shared economy and commerce concepts.
This warm hug gave rise to several co-living operators like Zolo Stays, OYO Life, NestAway, Hoolive, Stanza Living, Olive Living, and others.
However, once the lockdowns began, co-living operators were left with beer bottle openers in each hand, with no beer around.
As offices and educational institutions shuttered down, the entire user base of the co living and student housing system reached a sum total of 0.
Current Day
Per Colliers, the shared economy scene was improving between December 2020 and March 2021, when occupancy was up to about 50% in major co-living facilities again but then wave #2 happened.
However, with the start of Q3, 2021, the sector is looking far more optimistic than before. Primary reasons include vaccination and a reduction in the unemployment rate to 6.8% from the previous high.
Presently, big hiring by healthcare and IT companies and most organizations recalling their employees back to the office, are the other tailwinds for co living.
Future?
Student housing and co-living provide value for money solutions to young migrants and this will ensure that the models thrive across Indian metros, where renting individually is an unaffordable option.
Experts believe that the segment will also witness an increasing adoption of technology, better pricing, and an improved staying experience in times to come.
Interest Rate 🔼 Housing Price 🔽 Whew!
Mortgage rates and home prices are quite inversely related and down under, that's the basis of a recent housing forecast.
What's That Mate?
Per Westpac's Chief Economist Bill Evans, Australia's property prices could retract by as much as 5% (thankfully) if interest rates were to be raised.
The red hot property market could finally enter a correction phase in 2023, in sync with the fact that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is mulling an increase in interest rates.
Zooming In
As on date, Australia's cash rate is at a historic low level of 0.1%, with the RBA indicating it would not raise rates until there was a measurable increase in inflation. In 2011, the cash rate was 5%.
FYI, cash rate is the interest rate that banks pay to borrow funds from other banks in the money market on an overnight basis.
Local experts believe that a big factor that could change the price forecast was the affordability of property, which is so out of control that regulators may have to intervene.
Despite some record-length lockdowns, the Australian housing market has weathered the latest COVID disruptions very well and price momentum has held, prompting economists to jack up the near-term outlook for housing prices, before a correction phase begins in 2023 and likely extends into 2024.
Zooming Out
Australia's home valuations are currently rising at the fastest annual pace since June 1989, having gone up by 17.6% over the first nine months of 2021 alone.
And with home prices increasing much faster than household incomes, paying a deposit/down payment has become tough, more so for first home buyers, who are left sucking their thumbs instead of using them to sign ownership papers.
Half A Cup Extra
- GRAP measures come into force in NCR as pollution level likely to spike after October 21.
- 📈 The Nashik Municipal Corporation has received 1,485 building plan proposals so far this year since April, with 871 proposals in August-September alone.
- 😳 Major economies will produce more than double the amount of coal, oil and gas in 2030 than is consistent with meeting climate goals set in the 2015 Paris accord to curb global warming.
Getting An ESG
We could have started this ESG blurb sounding all knowledgeable but the truth is that this is new to us as well. So let's try and understand this together because we must.
For starters, ESG stands for “Environmental, Social and Governance”, and has become an important business consideration all around the world.
In real estate, it is a set of criteria for evaluating stocks used by investors who want to keep their portfolios as socially responsible as possible.
Meaning that if your real estate organisation does not care for the environment, you will find lesser investors for your assets as time progresses.
Why?
Per UN reports, though global temperatures will increase by 1.5 degrees by 2030, we are still in time to avoid a catastrophic 3 degree increase if we reduce global emissions at lightning speed, on the broadest scale possible.
Buildings, during construction and operation, emit 40% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and this mega contribution towards oblivion has hammered in the importance of ESGs in real estate.
This is also having a positive effect on proptech solutions in the sector.
What's Changing?
Per inputs from proptech VC Camber Creek, there are three big changes taking place.
First, major financial investors globally are getting increasingly interested in sustainability and carbon footprints. To keep investors happy, real estate builders et al, are transforming their core strategies to become more eco friendly.
Second, corporate tenants and residents are becoming more caring towards the environment and climate change than before, making builders and operators take the greener path.
Third, governments across the world are taking this seriously and policy measures globally will act like carrots (and sticks) to encourage real estate owners and operators to improve on ESG measures.
In One Sip?
A decade back, some leading companies were deploying ESG measures out of selfless reasons.
But today, with the consequence of not acting so-out-in-the-open, real forces are coming into play, pushing the real estate sector to act more responsibly towards the environment.
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Google aims to be net-zero by 2030 as it plans to rely entirely on clean energy by then. Other biggies will also follow soon.
We can also switch off electricals when leaving a room, turn off the tap while shaving, and pray that we succeed in halting climate change.
Together, we can will. 💚
☕ The Crew@Ginger Chai