Monday 30 December 2013

Are You NRI & Looking For Real Estate Investments In India ? Please Read This Once

Real estate market is a lucrative option for NRIs to invest back in their country. The depreciation of the rupee has also boosted the NRI investment mood for the real estate sector in India. Various builders also have NRI specific projects to increase their overall sales.
However, there are some basic rules all NRIs must keep in mind before investing in any real estate project in India. Let’s have a quick look:
Understand the Nature of Property: Before buying any property in India, it is imperative to understand the kind of properties any Non-Resident Indian or Person of Indian Origin can buy. According to the rules laid down by the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), NRIs can only purchase residential or commercial property in India. Agricultural land, farmland or any kind of plantation property cannot be purchased by an NRI.
If a person owned a farmland or an agricultural land before becoming an NRI, in that case he or she can continue to be the owner of the land. Even if a residential or commercial building is built on a designated agricultural land, the purchase is deemed illegal. There is however no cap on the number of residential or commercial properties NRIs can purchase.
Ensure Clean Purchase: The onus of a clean purchase is the sole imperative of the buyer and it is here that all NRIs need to be absolutely sure of the seller and a clean title. If a seller for example is not able to produce an original title deed and shares a copy, chances are that there is something fishy about the property in question. If you are unsure, it is advisable to hire the services of a lawyer to ensure clean transactions. In case you are purchasing a property from a builder, make sure to ask for all documents to ensure the property is clean.
Understand Stamp Duty and Taxation Details: Before finalizing any real estate deal in India, it is essential to take into account stamp duty and taxation related issues. For any built up property a minimum stamp duty as designated by the respective state government needs to be paid. While a registration fee of 1% is applicable for all property related transactions, the buyer also needs to pay service tax on the transaction.
If you are buying a property from any builder or real estate developer you would have to pay a service tax of 12.36% on quarter or 25% of the total price. For apartments greater than 2000 square feet, the service tax is calculated by taking into account 30% of the total price of the property.
Ensure Adequate Exit Options: Before buying any property in India, NRIs must be aware of the possible exit options in case they want to sell the property in the long run. There are certain caps on possible exit routes for NRIs while selling property in India. While NRIs can sell residential and commercial properties to resident Indians, Indian citizens as well as Persons of Indian Origin, he or she can repatriate a maximum of $1 million per year in case the initial payment was made from a NRO account. There is however no limit if the NRI purchased the property through NRE or FCNR accounts. Depending on the quantum of ownership, property tax must be paid for each sale.  

Saturday 28 December 2013

Make Money From Garbage In Your Apartments !!

Proper solid waste management in apartments can be a source for making money.
Proper disposal of domestic waste has been a talking point for a long time. Projects on solid waste management have been initiated at various corporation levels but poor waste collection practices have halted its significant progress. As the governmental intervention in waste collection is poor, some companies have joined hands with residential societies for waste management and helping them to make money from garbage.

Poor waste management in India

Waste management is serious challenge in India. India has a large number of Rag pickers in each city and town owing to immense poverty and large scale population. Even with such a large quantum of Rag pickers, India dumps majority of its domestic waste without segregating it into types of waste.
All types of waste including paper, metals, plastics and other wet contaminants all have their own waste management yardsticks. The Indian paper industry alone imports more than 4.6 million tons of waste paper from Europe each year costing more than Rs 3750 crores. Considering the fact that over 7 million tons of waste paper in India is wasted due to poor waste disposal techniques underlines the importance of having a solid waste management program that can segregate the waste and send the same for recycling.

How to make money from garbage?

If you are an apartment owner, there is good news for you as you can make some money by selling your domestic waste while doing your bit for the environment. Various non governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector companies like ITC Ltd have initiated various projects where apartment owners are who enroll for the project gets an opportunity to make money from apartment garbage.
They are given dedicated waste bags for different waste products. All paper waste goes into one bag while all metal and plastic waste into their dedicated bags. At the end of each month, the wet contamination bag with non recyclable waste is given to the municipal authorities while the companies purchase the recyclable waste like paper waste and metallic waste at various pre fixed prices.
Housewives are more than happy to sell the waste just by taking some effort to segregate the waste at their end. ITC backed wealth out of waste project (WOW) for example collects the recyclable waste after paying Rs 4 per kg of paper and Rs 2 per kg for plastics and metals.

Tips to start and make money from garbage

  • A team of like minded: Discuss your idea with like minded neighbors and make a team of like minded people. Let your apartment owners associations informed or involved in it.
  • Awareness: Create awareness about the waste segregation at source and the concept of ‘Reduce-Reuse-Recycle’. Train all the maids and cooks and do Door-to-Door campaigning.
  • Case study of Successful apartments: Visit nearby apartments and study the working of their waste management and how they make money from garbage.
  • Categorize waste: Categorize the waste into two -wet and dry waste and run the pilot project for a month.
  • Start earning: While there are various NGOs and private firms to buy recycle or dry wastes, similarly there are many nurseries and farmers who are ready to pay for the compost manure generated from the wet waste compost. Once the project is successfully implemented and your apartment started making money from garbage, introduce incentive schemes for the housekeepers and residents.
  • Blogged about it: Share your apartment success story of making money from garbage in blogs and even a dedicated page in facebook to generate the public interest.

RWA’s Initiate Self Segregation

Considering the successful model of private companies in the waste management business, various residential societies and RWA’s have joined hands to make a foray into the same thereby earning money as well as cleaning up the environment. The housing societies are now collecting waste from each resident and segregating the wasteat their end and selling it directly to recycling agencies.
The wet non recyclable contaminants are sent to the municipal corporation waste disposal plants. On the other hand all recyclable waste like medical waste is collected and then sold to a company dealing in recycling of such medical waste. The RWA’s have made sure that they are earning good profits by smartly segregating the waste at their end as well as doing their bit for a cleaner world.
Along with the money they earn by selling the waste, RWA’s are spreading awareness for a greener world. Considering that each ton of recycled paper prevents 17 trees from being felled along with over 7,000 gallons of water, selling waste is not able a good for finances but the environment too.

Thursday 26 December 2013

With the influx of numerous IT/ITes companies to Pune, experts believe that the city would turn into an affluent real estate market like Bangalore, since the latter has witnessed a similar trend in the past. The dynamics of Pune real estate market is more broadly based and meets the growing aspiration of the buyers.
Presence of small and medium enterprises, renowned educational centres, manufacturing units and influence of the financial capital of the nation-Mumbai has what set apart Pune from other Indian cities.

Growth of the realty sector

Properties, which are adjacent to the IT/ITes hubs have witnessed a decent capital appreciation, since a big portion of the investors and homebuyers are from the IT sector. The city has emerged as a magnet for IT firms, thereby contributing significantly to speedy growth of IT parks and Special Economic Zones in the city.
Areas such as AundhHinjewadi, Hadapur and Wakad are renowned for ITes, Sezs and IT firms. The city bore witness to a huge inflow of IT professionals in such areas. Employment triggers the demand in realty sector, and Pune’s urban growth has been quite rapid in comparison to other metropolitan cities. In addition to it, increasing migration to Pune has contributed significantly in strengthening it’s real estate market.

Key drivers

At present, Pune’s real estate growth is being driven by three sectors, other than IT. The education, manufacturing and auto sector in the city makes sure that Pune hovers on as a magnet for working professional across the nation. With the inflow of professionals around the country, the demand for residential projects has hit the roof. Increased affordability, inflow of immigrants, a huge working professionals and rising income levels have all contributed to the growth of Pune’s real estate.
According to property analysts, pleasant climate and proximity to the Mumbai city have acted in favor of Pune, making it one of the preferred choices of buyers. In addition to it, Pune real estate is much more affordable in comparison to other cities. This stands out as one of the foremost reasons why Pune’s real estate market has not witnessed a major slowdown like other markets in the nation.

Monday 23 December 2013

Feng Shui Tips For Christmas

Christmas decoration and Feng shui element will invite good energy and attract harmony in your home.
A good holiday season is all about spending some time with the family to rejuvenate one’s mind, body and soul. Christmas celebrations that are full of fun and festivity can also be made more Feng Shui compliant to attract peace, bliss and good luck. Here are top ten tips to celebrate Christmas which is in perfect communion with Feng Shui principles.
Use Garlands: Garlands are considered to bring in a sense of positivity and luck. Garlands can be natural using flowers or can be artificially done using creative tools and smiley's. Decorating the Christmas tree with garlands is also a way to show your welcoming appreciation to all the guests. Feng Shui recommends to always hang garland at a “smiling” angle.
Keep it Simple and Subtle: Too much colour and sound can look too brash and energies can conflict with each other resulting in a rugged feeling. Simple and subtle decorations including lighting effects and other festive celebrations bring in a sense of positive energy enhancing the overall energy quotient of one’s home.
When decorating with Overhead Lights: A lot of people use strong overhead lights to highlight their decorations and the Christmas tree. According to Feng Shui principles over head light is a prime source of negativity and can create anxious situations leading to health troubles like strain and headaches. You can balance them with upward lighting by using the natural candles of various flavors and scents to offer a perfect holiday decor which is bright as well as rejuvenating the body, mind and soul.
Christmas decor and greenery: Too much of red can cause high levels of stress as red represents anger and war. The best way to compensate for all the red is to use green color abundantly. Decorate with pine or evergreen branches on the Christmas tree. Green garlands can be decorated at the home entrance to bring in a sense of calm and serene energy quotient to balance the vibrant energy of the red.
Plants for cash and luck: Placement of green plants in corners of the room help cut out the static negative energy prevalent in the corners. Plants like Poinsettia, a semi-tropical plant and mistletoe a plant often associated with the Christmas holiday are used to create a positive atmosphere. Using the plant mistletoe is also recommended as it attracts luck and money in the house.
Embrace Positivity: Keeping a positive frame of mind is one of the intrinsic factors that trigger all other positive Feng Shui tips. Embrace positivity this festive season by cutting out all thoughts and worries and feel the light of peace and bliss shine on your being.
Wood Feng Shui: Use wooden frames to post pictures of guests in the guest room. These may help relive the festive moments but such memorabilia along with a wooden frame tagged in a guest room increases the overall quotient of the guest room exponentially as per Feng Shui principles.
Use natural Herbs: Feasting on good food is part of all festive celebrations. To make your Christmas celebrations more Feng Shui friendly use natural herbs like olives, cloves and cinnamon in your Christmas recopies to have a serene and calming effect on your guests and friends.
Decorate Collectively: One of the best Feng Shui tips to attract bliss and happiness is to invite guests to decorate the Christmas festivities together. There is nothing better than sharing and decorating along with the guests help increase the unconscious bond between the two resulting in enhanced peace and domestic bliss. All residents of the family can also add up the Christmas decorations collectively for best results.
Indulge: Indulge in festive celebrations including a glass of wine to bring out the communion between your body, mind and soul. A famous Feng Shui recipe is to add ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg to mulled wine restores your spirit and enhances the positive energy flow.

Thursday 19 December 2013

Easy Ways To Decorate Your Home This Christmas

Christmas decorations are typically put up in early December. Christmas decoration is a combination of creativity and tradition. Buying Christmas decorations every year will turn out to be very expensive, so it is sensible to preserve the decorations of this year to be used in the next year. You can buy inexpensive decorations, from the stores where they sell it on discount.

Christmas Decoration Ideas

When it comes to Christmas decorating items, there are plenty of them. There are many traditionally used decoration items, but you can always come up with something new. Get your family together and let them help you, with whatever decorating ideas you have in mind. Here are a few easy Christmas decorations to bring in the festive cheer and delight everyone.
Christmas Wreath Decoration: One of the most common Christmas traditions is hanging a Christmas wreath on the front door. Christmas Wreath is hung on doors to welcome visitors during the season. Therefore an attractive wreath is just the touch you’ll need to impress your guests. You may add some vibrancy to a plain artificial wreath made of Garland. All you will need to do is add a few ornaments that you have made or bought. You can also spray lightly a bit of white spray paint on the edges of the wreath to give it a snow effect. You can make the base of conifer leaves or green garlands and then add the decorations of your choice. You can also make a wreath from candy. To do this you will need a bit of wire to make the circular base, ribbons to attach your candy to the base and of course candy. You may use a variety of sweets to do this however, sticking with those that are red striped like the candy cane will give it more of Christmas flair.
Christmas Home Decoration: While there are lot of interesting Christmas decorative readily available in the market. You may utilize your own creativity and present an innovative look to your home. Make attempts to impress your visitors just with the look of your house. Place flowers-natural or artificial and display teddies, dolls all around your house. This will make your home more vibrant and lively. While decorating a full house for Christmas, start with the indoor decorations first and then go for the outdoor decorations. As you start decorating the halls, do not forget to decor windows. The best thing about the decorated windows is that they add Christmas ambiance both inside and outside the house.
Christmas tree decoration: Christmas tree is one of the most important decorative for the Christmas. First of all decide whether your tree is going to be live or artificial. Artificial trees are said to be more practical and convenient and can last for several seasons. Christmas tree decorations are readily available in the market. If you wish to give your tree a unique and different look, look for decorative at unusual places. Illuminate your tree using light and glow stars. A good idea would be to scale your decorations to the size of your tree. Mix special and more expensive ornaments with cheaper ones to make a greater impact.
Christmas Crib decoration: Christmas Crib or nativity scene is a depiction of the birth of Jesus. Figures like Joseph, Maria, Infant Jesus resting in a manger, the three kings or wise men (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar), sheep, camels, and an angel are necessary in a Christmas crib. Distinctive Christmas Crib is created around the world and they are displayed during the Christmas season in churches, homes, shopping malls and in public buildings. You can make a hanging crib decoration but most people prefer to put one before or next to the Christmas tree.
Christmas Star: Christmas Star is not just an ornament for decoration, but also a symbol for hope, happiness and joy. You can never think of a Christmas celebration without Christmas Trees, Jingle Bells and Stars. The multi-colored stars give a nice dazzling look to your decorations. The star is a very popular symbol, with Christians all over the world. Whether you need Christmas decorations to embellish your home or a party location, create your own star embellishments as a festive touch for the holidays. Enlist kids to help you make colorful and creative star crafts to distribute as inexpensive winter gifts for friends and family members.
It is important that you do not overdo the decorations, just keep it simple and make spread the festive mood. The traditional colors of Christmas are pine green (evergreen), snow white, and heart red. Blue and white are often used to represent winter. Use room fresheners, aroma candles and flowers for fragrance. Christmas centerpieces can be made using floating candles, jars containing green and red (the colors of Christmas) glass balls or yarn balls placed in a basket, sprayed with glitter.
Illuminate your Christmas tree using light and glow stars. On your houseplants you may hang small Christmas ornaments to make them appear more interesting. You can simply hang Christmas cards from the Christmas tree or you can make a collage of these cards. Homemade Christmas decorations will help you get truly involved in the festival. Add to that the immense joy of creating your own decorations and personalizing them.

Monday 16 December 2013

10 Tips For Best Use Of Small Balcony

In this day and age of compact homes, it is not always possible to have wide open spaces adjoining the house. The case is even more so for people living in high-rise apartments. With a large number of India’s population moving away from the independent housing schemes to community living, lack of open spaces have been increasingly being compensated by having intelligently done balcony designs.
Balcony offers the incentive to moving away from the monotonous indoors into the open air overlooking the apartment. With apartments getting smaller and compact, the lack of a bigger size balcony should not affect crating a wonderful cozy space in the balcony design. Here are top 10 balcony design and beautification ideas that can be embedded into apartments or houses with small sized balconies.
Cozy Reading Chair: If you are an avid reader, there is nothing better than placing a small cozy set of reading chairs in the balcony to make up for the perfect evening along with a hot cup of your favourite tea or coffee. Reading chair can be reclining and comforting adding to the leisure quotient of the balcony.
Aesthetic Green Belt: There is no better sight than a soothing green belt in the balcony that can be easily viewed from the room. A good idea to add a dash of green in your balcony is to compliment the balcony with flower pots and creepers sliding down from the roof. You can complement the green look by having wooden flooring in the balcony to give it the perfect earthen look.
Balcony Bed: Having a small balcony bed is one of the most popular add-ons. Balcony bed unlike bedroom beds are come in various shapes and sizes and can be customized according to the design and width of your balcony.
Floor Accommodation Design: A floor accommodation design in balcony can complement the modern lifestyle of an apartment with its subtle and traditional look. A warm colourful rug can be used with soft cushions offering the perfect backdrop of a floor accommodation design.
Balcony Garden: If you always wanted a garden but are cramped for space, you can always create a lovely small garden in the balcony. Garden can be complimented with wooden panels or wood based tiles to make it equally chick and élan.
Glass Panels: There is nothing more beautiful than having a long glass panel fixed on all sides of the balcony. A glass panel allows the sunlight to seep through while offering the balcony the privacy it deserves. A glass panel also highlights the subtle interior décors of any balcony design.
Privacy: Lining balconies with fabric or bamboo blind enhances a sense of privacy in closely knitted apartment communities. You can keep it open whenever required.
AstroTurf: If you are worried about having a real garden in the balcony but still want a dash of green, you can use AstroTurf on the balcony floor. AstroTurf offers a modern surreal look and can complement the balcony furniture giving it an exotic flavour.
Balcony Living Space: If you cannot bring open space to your living room, one can always bring the living room out in the balcony. Having customized furniture like sofa cum beds and a set of reclining chairs can make the balcony give a perfect look of a leisured living room ambiance.
Lamp Designed Balcony: Having lamps in the corners in the balcony is a simple and subtle way to enhance the beauty quotient of your balcony. Irrespective of the size of the balcony, a set of lamp shades along the corners bring a sense of zeal and positively enhancing the overall beauty quotient of the balcony immensely.

Thursday 5 December 2013

5 Tips To Buy Luxury Furniture On Budget

Most of us are tempted to own a piece of luxury furniture but not many are able to afford the exorbitant prices.
One doesn’t need to spend a fortune of possessing a piece of luxury furniture as there are far more cost effective ways to get your hands on the exotic furniture you always desired. Here are five basic steps that one must take into account before embarking on a journey to buy luxury furniture on a budget.
Clearance Sales: Rather than spending more than your budget for a piece of luxury furniture, it is recommended that one waits for the seasonal clearance sales. Most furniture companies phase out the older stock not because it has lost its sheen or value but just to keep adding in new products that can be sold at greater margins. Keep yourself updated on the clearance sales for all luxury furniture stores to get the best deal before others. Some luxury stores can offer heavy discounts of luxury furniture than can go as far as 70 to 80% of the regular price.
Scratched and Dented Furniture: If you want to have luxury furniture on a budget a good idea is to consider all furniture which has a slight deformity. Small scratches and dents can be a no-no for the ultra rich but for people on a conservative budget, the scratches and dents can be intelligently hidden using various furniture draping and upholstery. What’s more these second furniture’s that have some small deformity are usually available at far cheaper prices. Do not forget to bargain with the vendor while buying a deformed product as you are doing a small favor by considering the damaged furniture. Effective bargaining can make you bag a steal at times so it is definitely worth a try.
Research the brands: Before embarking on any luxury furniture sales, it is imperative to do a complete research on the various luxury brands and their product base. Once you have shortlisted your requirement, then do a small research on the average prices of the same furniture from rival brands. The research can help you get the best deal for your money and not over spend of a piece of furniture that could have been so much cheaper when compared to a different furniture brand.
Have a fixed budget: Once you have decided to buy luxury furniture on a budget, it is important to have a fixed budget. Once you start going overboard with your budget, it may soon turn spiral and you may end up buying things you never really wanted. In the luxury furniture segment going overboard with your budget is very common. Controlling your impulsive shopping decisions is a key when buying any kind of luxury furniture set.
Avoid discount stores: Discount stores offering luxury furniture have been coming up like mushrooms in the recent past. Most of these so called discount stores’ are better avoided since they lack any credibility. They may sell you a cheap replica of exotic furniture in the name of its original luxury piece. If you ever find yourself tempted to buy from these discount stores, focus on getting a guarantee card. Of course always make sure that you read all the fine print to avoid being conned by such discount stores.