Decoding Real Estate:
To the layperson, the term real estate brings to mind anything from house hunting, brokers and housing loans, to the rapacious builder lobby and massive corruption. Obviously, to a real estate professional, there is more to it than that. Deepesh Salgia is that rare person who is a writer besides working as a Director with an eminent firm of builders, so he has the ability and skill to put forth his perspective in a lucid style. Those who have read his writings in business publications and on his blog are already aware of the originality of his ideas, clarity of his expression and the way he often gives an unexpected twist to topics of his choice.
With the erudition acquired by an enviably high education (IIT Madras, SPJIMR, UCLA) and experience of 28 years in various areas of real estate (from Design to Dispute Management, Liaisoning to Land Transactions and Sales to Strategic Planning, reads his author bio) and eclectic taste in literature and cinema, Salgia has been able to combine the observations from his career and interests to write a book that is a blend of fiction and factual analysis.
His handsomely produced hardcover book, Real Estate: The Good, The Bad & The Unanswered would appeal to those in the field of property and urban development, but also to those who had questions to ask about real estate and did not know where to get detailed and knowledgeable answers.
Set in the fictional Pinnacle Institute of Management, a B-school in Mumbai, with K.Kumar serving as Salgia’s alter ego, the writer takes on the daunting task of guiding the reader through the minutiae of a business that is more lucrative than many others, yet involves both a murky, ruthless side and the emotional aspects of what it all ultimately leads to – a home. A consumer may buy, use and discard other products, but a home is somewhere to settle in, build a family and life. And for most middle-class home buyers, it is their biggest financial outlay, and in population dense cities with super-expensive property rates, it is likely to be forever.
In well-thought out, meticulously researched chapters, Salgia covers every issue to do with the history and evolution of real estate in India–from the exponential rise in urban development, to cost of housing, laws, reforms, problem areas, social changes dictating housing decisions, the future particularly in the WFH home era—a mind-boggling array of topics to cover in a single book. The text is interspersed with charts, easy-to-understand references, questions answered in ‘corridor conversations,’ proper footnotes and an index to facilitate searches. If there is anything left out, then only someone with more expertise than Salgia would be able to spot it. For an ordinary reader with an interest in the subject, it is an illuminating read.
Real Estate: The Good, The Bad & The Unanswered
By Deepesh Salgia
Published: Twagaa
Pages: 251