Indian real estate has always been an attractive investment option, even more so for non-resident Indians (NRI’s). The escalation of real estate prices has always been higher than in most other countries and the growth prospects in the long term is high. NRI’s world over are investing heavily in the real estate market, both for investment purposes as well as residential. Most NRI’s prefer to retire to their hometown in India, surrounding themselves with friends and relatives – primarily Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Delhi NCR.

Most NRI’s are spread across the globe, but there is a huge concentration of them in the Gulf. The advantage that they have is that they earn in currencies that have traded strongly against the Indian National Rupee coupled with the fact that their earnings are not taxed off-sets a part of the house cost already. The Kerala Gulf diaspora in 2008, was numbered to be more than 2.5 million and this number has only gone up since. Most malayalees invest in residential real estate and they expect the best for the substantial amounts that they spend.

Developers in Trivandrum (capital of Kerala) have started capitalizing on these investments by building more apartment in Trivandrum. They have noticed a few trends that are fast becoming prevalent and driving demand. Most clients want luxury projects, which has seen a rise in luxury flats for sale in Trivandrum, Cochin and Kozhikode. Real estate developers are becoming very careful about the ideal size to pricing ratio. We have seen that these Developers in Trivandrum are always constructing apartment in Trivandrum for people of all classes. Townships arealso becoming a lot more prevalent, with customers demanding accessibility to all amenities and a better, more affluent lifestyle.

For most NRI’s who are retiring to Kerala, investment in one of the cities seem a good option. With a massive renovation in the infrastructure both civic and social, accessibility and connectivity to all basic necessities as well as a better quality of life is possible.

As is with all other investments, investors should be careful as to who they are investing with. Real estate developers who have been in the industry for several years or have been researched thoroughly are your best bet. Better discounts can be availed by pre-booking, several luxury flats for sale in Trivandrum which are ongoing are sought out by investors mainly because of their longstanding reputation as on-time builders, trustworthiness and quality.

There are also several avenues for real estate as a rental income source, once the primary residence is bought. However there are several laws and tax regulations with regard to rental income and double taxation. These need to be thoroughly examined, usually a good real estate developer should be able to throw light on the same.