During the monsoon, construction activity slows down and very few projects are launched. Every year, between March and September, builders find themselves in a situation when buyers are few.

Servicing two EMIs will substantially reduce tax benefits on second flat.

In deciding to upgrade to a bigger home, don't allow optimism to cloud economic calculation.

The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) gathers mountains of data to track income distribution. A shortcut: buy something in the Rs 30-50 range (soap, toothpaste) at a kirana store and hand over a high-denomination note.

The hike in key policy rates announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) yesterday is unlikely to have an immediate impact on demand for homes unless loan rates rise, say industry officials and analysts.

The issue of the imposition of service tax on construction and sale of residential property has long been a matter of concern for the real estate and construction industry as well as for buyers of such residential property.

Last year, the finance minister had given 1 per cent subsidy on purchase of such houses with the loan amount capped at Rs 10 lakh. The subsidy was to expire at the end of the current financial year.

Apartment prices at Planet Godrej, a premium residential property developed by Godrej Properties in the tony Mahalaxmi area of Mumbai, had come down to as low as Rs 17,000 to Rs 18,000 a sq ft in the property market slowdown last year.

Most people build a nest egg for their retirement by investing a regular sum of money into a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) of a mutual fund or buy a pension plan from an insurance company or regularly invest in a bank recurring deposit or government

If banks offer a higher loan-to-value ratio, reverse mortgage will become more attractive.

While the government is offering subsidy and builders are constructing affordable houses, one should still wait.