Homesacrosstheworld: Property Search | Property Site | Property in India

Homesacrosstheworld: Property Search | Property Site | Property in India

Indian cities -- an interesting study

It is indeed true, what social experts say, that India is a land of paradox. Interestingly, even the economic development that is growing in an accelerating pace, has done nothing to change this astounding truth!

Recently, a survey put forth the findings that Gurgaon, that tops the list of most preferred cities in India to earn a living, is not actually among the best places to live. What a paradox!

Here are some more interesting facts from the data compiled by an Economics Research firm, on residences, earnings and investments.

1.The four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai are not really among the ten best cities to reside in, earn in or invest.

2.  Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are cities preferred by millionaires to spend their life in.

3.  Gurgaon, Silvaasa, Noida, Faridabad, Rupnagar, Chandigarh, Surat, Bangalore, Gandhinagar and Pune figure in the best 'earn-in' cities.

4.  Among the best cities to reside, five are from Kerala -- Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kannur; while the others are Mysore, Goa, Pondicherry, Shimla and Thiruvalur.

Indicus, the economic research firm, considered the following parameters -- health, education, environment, safety, public facilities and entertainment -- for preparing the 'reside-in' index; and  growth rate of employment, per capita income and listings on popular job websites, for the ‘earn-in’ index.

Purchasing for the future Aussie buyer

Purchasing for the future Aussie buyer

Knowing France... Concluding part

Bonjour! Comment-allez vous?

Learnt some French yet -- Now that you are familiar with almost all regions in France? Here is the last of the series...

Go on -- know France, enjoy the French culture, food and wine...

Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Capital: Lille

a.  Was once France's major industrial region in the 19th century, due to the  coal and textile industries.

b.  Heavily populated.

c.  Promises vast economic potential through the opportunities offered by the Channel tunnel and the TGV-Nord high speed train service.

Lower Normandy

Capital: Caen

a.  Significant coastline, hence great for tourism.

b.  HAs two sea ports, providing regular services with the United Kingdom.

Upper Normandy

Capital: Rouen

a.  Considerable development of the Lower Seine with its two major ports of Le Havre and Rouen (France's 2nd and 5th largest) is a major feature.

b.  Proximity to Paris is a great asset.

Pays de la Loire

Capital: Nantes

a.  Second in France in terms of agricultural production.

b.  Highest livestock breeding.

c.  The Nantes-Saint Nazaire port complex, the fourth largest in France, is the hub of activities.

d.  A striking feature is the high speed train service (TGV) that links Nantes with Paris in two hours, thus furthering development of the economy and of tourism (Atlantic beaches).

Picardy

Capital: Amiens

a.  A very rich agricultural area, leading to the development of the agri-foodstuffs industry.

b.  Has a pivotal geographical position.

Poitou-Charentes

Capital: Poitiers

a.  Mainly rural with farmland used mainly for beef cattle and the vineyards used for the production of Cognac.

b.  A number of agri-foodstuffs industries and light industries are present.

c.  The seaport of La Rochelle and the beaches along the Atlantic are tourist attractions.

Provence-Alpes-Coted’Azur

Capital:Marseille

a.  Fabulous climate, great coastline and natural beauty makes this region very popular and wealthy.

b.  Marseille is France's largest port and the second in Europe and has a industries, from oil refineries to chemicals and foodstuffs.

c.  Nice and the Côte d'Azur are famous tourist resorts.

Rhone-Alpes

Capital: Lyon 

a.  Ranks second in importance among metropolitan France's 22 regions.

b.  Has the second most important manufacturing and services centre in France. 

c.  Lyon is well-known its universities.

d.  The region is also one of France's major tourist areas.

That brings us to the end of discovering France. Hope you had fun touring the state. I sure did!

Knowing France… contd.

Bonjour and welcome back to the second of the three part ‘Knowing France’ series. Get to know seven more provinces of France -- some well known, and some unheard of. Have fun...

Corsica

Capital: Ajjacio

a.  An island by itself.

b.  Excellent coastline and exceptional natural beauty makes for a great tourist destination.

c.  Fabulous, mild climate.

Franche-Comte

Capital: Besancon

a.  This region is the capital of France’s watch and clock-making industry and of high precision engineering.

b.  Montbéliard-Sochaux is home to the Peugeot car firm.

c.  Several traditional activities like cheese-making, woodwork, etc., make this region very popular.

Ile-de-France

Capital: Paris

a.  Includes about 18 per cent of France’s population.

b.  Highest concentration of economic activities, including industry and services. Also, all government departments, national headquarters of public authorities and the head offices of the main companies are located there.

c.  Paris houses a number of international organizations including UNESCO and the OECD.

Languedoc-Roussillon

Capital: Montpellier

a.  Important University centre.

b.  Currently in a revival mode thanks to the diversification of its agriculture, the expansion of tourism, the establishment of advanced technology industries and research.

Limousin

Capital: Limoges

a.  Main activities are the agri-foodstuffs industry and the production of leather.

b.  Famous for the ‘Porcelaine de Limoges’ which produces luxury wares of world-wide renown.

c.  A special effort is being made to open up the region.

Lorraine

Capital: Metz

a.  This region was once known for the iron and Steel industry as well as the coal mines, on which its wealth was built.

b.  With the dwindling status of the industry, the region has faces a great amount of economic problems, but is now undergoing some far-reaching programs of industrial reconversion and diversification of activities. 

c.  Nancy, in this region is a university centre.

Midi-Pyrenees

Capital: Toulouse

a.  Largest of metropolitan France's 22 regions.

b.  Toulouse is the main centre of France's aerospace industry (the Airbus is assembled there).

c.  It is the second in importance for advanced technological activities in France (research, data-processing, computers, robotics).

Look out for the last part. Watch this space again.

Knowing France

France is a very big, diverse country. Each province is very different from one another. If you ever want to live in France, you have to first understand which province might suit you best.

The best part is that all of France has very good properties to live in. So whichever province/ region you choose, you may find lovely apartments or chateaux!

In all, there are 22 provinces in France.

Here is an interesting run through to pick the right province -- The first of the three part series...

Alsace

Capital:Strasbourg

a.  Links France to Germany.

b.  Highly diversified (engineering, textiles, chemicals, breweries, etc.).

c.  Strasbourg is the home of the European Parliament on whose presence it seeks to increase its development.

Aquatine

Capital: Bordeaux

a.  Famous for the vineyards and pines forests.

b.  Has a varied coastline, therefore a tourist region -- Biarritz, St Jean-de-Luz, Arcachon.

c.  Fresh impetus has been given by the new TGV train.

Auvergne

Capital: Clermont-Ferrand

a.  Heart of France.

b.  Mountainous region, so relatively isolated.

c.  Tourist region, owing to natural spas.

Burgundy

Capital: Dijon

a.  A great thoroughfare on the European north-south axis.

b.  Offers a wide variety of activities in agriculture - wines, beef cattle, etc.

c.  Known for architectural treasures.

Brittany

Capital: Rennes

a.  Well developed road and rail links.

b.  The cities have new industries -- motor vehicle plants, engineering and electronics.

c.  Plays a significant role in France's fishing industry.

Centre-Val-de-Loire

Capital: Orleans

a.  High agricultural potential.

b.  Important tourism region because of historic heritage (Chateaux of the Loire, Chartres cathedral, etc.)

Champagne-Ardenne

Capital: Châlons-sur-Marne

a.  Abundant in cereal crops and vineyards.

b.  Famous for Champagne production

These were just seven of France’s region. Watch this space for the next part! Au Revoir!

Living in Singapore

It’s a dazzling cosmopolitan city that is complete with rich culture, vibrant sights and modern infrastructure blending beautifully with sound educational systems. What would it be to live there? Read on...

It’s true that Singapore is a fascinating mix of the Western and Asian culture. Spread across an area of roughly 700 square kilometers, the city is full of dazzling skyscrapers, Chinese shops, temples and mosques, and chain and chains of upmarket super cool shopping malls.

What’s more, the city is clean and green!

Some Important things:

 Cost of living: In 2011, Mercer’s cost of living index pointed out that Singapore became the 8th most expensive city in the world, for expatriates! And, after Tokyo and Osaka, it s the the third most expensive in Asia. 

 Transport: Singapore has an excellent public transport system, making it easy for people to move around the city.

 Language: There are four official languages -- English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. However, most people speak in and understand English!

 Buying Property: The Residential Property Act (RPA), as amended in the year 2005, allows foreigners to purchaseapartments in non-condominium developments of less than 6 levels without the need to obtain prior approval.

 Vacant land, landed properties such as bungalows, semi-detached and terrace houses, etc., fall under the category of ‘restricted property’ and purchasing such properties require prior approval for foreigners.

 Education: The City is home to some of the best educational establishments offering several courses to encourage creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. The choices are plenty and the entry top notch universities and institutions in the city is only growing.

With an overall development, this city certainly seems to be the perfect choice for students and career driven professionals. Are you planning to move there, yet?