NLHDA Real Estate Expo 2014 promises to be a great opportunity for housing developers and potential customers to meet each other directly. Organised by the Nepal Land and Housing Developer’s Association (NLHDA), the fair has as its theme “One Place One Solution”. It is scheduled to open on Thursday and will run for four days

According to Minman Shrestha, coordinator of the expo, it will contain 150 stalls. Housing developers will be showcasing their current and upcoming projects in 25 stalls. The other stalls will show displays by manufacturers of construction materials, mainly cement, steel, pipes and fittings, sanitary ware, plumbing, escalator, window, door, glass, electronic items, paint and furniture. Banks and financial institutions are also taking part as exhibitors with their own stalls.

One of the major attractions of the expo will be Property Clinic that will provide information related to buying property. Visitors can consult with lawyers, architects and other experts about Vastu Shastra, legal matters, investment ideas and environment-friendly and earthquake-resistant homes.

Continuing a past feature of the expo, the expo organizer has arranged Property Tours under which developers will arrange property visits for interested buyers. The organizer expects that the property tour will be helpful in providing factual information to potential customers. Likewise, the organiser will be extending the visiting hours for some invitees to visit the expo from 6 pm to 8 pm which has been called Corporate Hour. 

Shrestha said that they hoped to sell the unsold houses and apartments during the expo. “Out of the 15,000 housing units that have been built, 3,500 units remain unsold, and we hope that this expo will help to attract buyers,” he added.  

Meanwhile, Bhesraj Lohani, secretary of the NLHDA, said that the realty sector was on the road to recovery after having suffered a slowdown during the past three-four years, and that the event would help to boost the real estate sector by increasing customer confidence.

“The expo will be helpful for customers wanting to buy homes, and those who are planning to build homes themselves will also benefit from the expo as they will get all the information and products related to construction,” he said. The NLHDA has been organising the expo every year for the last three years. Realty developers said that the housing industry had rebounded by around 40 percent this year compared to last year.

Lohani also said this year’s expo would be more effective and interactive than last year. “The number of exhibitors is also higher than last year, and we expect the number of visitors to also increase this year,” he said. The organisers expect 50,000 visitors to attend the expo. According to him, the price of a ticket has been fixed at Rs 50. 

For those planning to buy homes or construction materials, the expo will be an opportunity as many companies will be offering various schemes and discounts.

The title sponsor of the expo Green Hill City has launched its “Chhut Chha Hai” scheme under which it will be offering a 10 percent discount on purchase and bookings of houses. According to Managing Director Lohani, customers will be able to get the discount after filling up a form at the expo.

Similarly, Downtown Apartment has announced it will arrange home loans in association with banks to buy its apartments at 7.77 percent interest. Chairman of the company Shrestha said they would also provide a buy-back guarantee for their flats. He added that they would be offering their apartments at prices of three years ago.

Likewise, Brihat Investment Project said that it would be introducing a flexible payment plan for customers at the exhibition. Sabita Joshi, coordinator of the project, said that customers paying in full would get a cash discount.

“Customers can also choose the time limit for making payment,” she said. The company will be highlighting eco-friendly housing, ready to move properties and immediate transfer of the house deed, she added.

source: the kathmandu post,8 may 2014