《The Economist》《经济学人》中文版

India's cheap housing boom
印度廉价房热销

The nano home
“nano”房

Jun 11th 2009
From The Economist print edition

Indian property developers cater to the masses with low-cost housing
印度的房地产商建造平价屋迎合大众需求

LAST month ten-year-old Azharuddin Ismail was woken in the middle of the night by the sound of bulldozers. As policemen beat him with a bamboo stick to shoo him and his family away, his home in Mumbai’s slums was swiftly demolished. Azhar, a celebrity since appearing in the film “Slumdog Millionaire”, has since been given a new home by the filmmakers. But other residents were not so fortunate.

上个月，10岁的阿扎鲁丁·伊斯梅尔（Azharuddin Ismail）午夜被清拆人员吵醒。警察用竹棍打他，把他和她的家人赶走，他在孟买贫民窟的家就这样轻易的被毁了。阿扎（Azhar）在电影《贫民富翁》 演出成名，电影制作人曾因此给了他一个新住处。但是其他本地居民可没这么幸运。

                     Tata Housing
                      塔塔房产

Small flats, big profits
小公寓，大利润

India’s cities need at least 25m more homes, according to report from McKinsey, a consultancy, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce. In Mumbai, the commercial capital, more than 8m people now live in shantytowns, often paying substantial rent for the privilege. But buying a home of their own is way out of reach for most of them: a 70-square-metre flat in the centre of the city costs $500,000 or so.

根据印度商会联盟的麦肯锡咨询公司的一份报告来看，印度至少需要2500万房屋。在孟买商业中心，8百多万人住在贫民窟，经常要支付大量的租金。但是买一间自己的房子是他们大部分人力所不能及的，因为在市中心一个70平米的房子大约就要50万美元。

Matheran Realty is one of several firms that think they have a solution: ultra-low-cost housing. In Karjat, 90km east of Mumbai, Matheran Realty is in the process of building 15,000 flats with prices starting at just 210,000 rupees ($4,500) for 19-square-metre units. Tata, the firm that makes the $2,500 “Nano” car, is building 1,300 basic units at Boisar, about 100km north of the city, and may add more. Priced at 390,000-670,000 rupees each, they are already oversubscribed. Other firms are planning similar developments elsewhere in India.

其中的一家公司Matheran Realty认为他们有解决办法：超低价房屋。在孟买东部90km的Karjat，Matheran Realty正在建15000间价格在210000卢比（4500美元）的19平米的公寓。曾经推出2500美元最便宜汽车的塔塔集团，正在市中心以北 100km的博伊萨(Boisar)建1300间基础公寓，并且可能再增建一些。价格在390,000-670,000卢比的房屋已经被超额预定了。其他 的公司也正计谟《绕渌胤浇ㄕ庵址课荨?

The cost is being kept low chiefly because the flats are being built outside big cities, where land is much cheaper. Owners are expected to commute. The units are also very small and spartan. The simplest consist of a single room with a sink in the corner and a toilet behind a partition. They are in buildings of no more than three storeys, so there is no need for expensive structural works. Instead of bricks, lightweight moulded concrete blocks are used for the walls. The concrete is often made with foam, fly-ash or other waste materials to make it lighter as well as cheaper. There are no lifts and just one staircase per block. All this means that the homes can be built very quickly and with unskilled labour.

价格之所以保持如此之低，是因为这些房子建在城市外，那里的土地价格更便宜。房主们需要通勤。 房子十分狭小。最简单的户型只有一间屋子，角落有一张床，一个隔墙后边是厕所。整栋楼只有三种户型，所以基本不需要昂贵的结构设计工作。墙不是用砖砌的， 而是用轻质混合物块做成。混合物通常是泡沫、粉煤灰和其他废弃材料做成，这样使他既轻便又便宜。楼里没有电梯，每层只有一个楼梯。所以这些意味着这样的房 屋能很快建好，并且不需要技术性很高的工人。

The developers say the potential for very cheap housing in India is huge. Many of those living in slums today are employed as drivers, factory workers or tailors, with incomes of around 90,000 rupees a year—easily enough to afford a flat which costs 200,000-400,000 rupees. According to Ashish Karamchandani of Monitor Group, another consulting firm, India has 23m urban families with incomes of 60,000-130,000 rupees a year. Including rural areas, Tata Housing sees an even larger market of 180m households earning between 90,000 and 200,000 rupees.

发展商门说印度廉价房租的潜在市场是很大的。很多住在贫民窟的人们现在都被雇佣做司机，工厂工人或者裁缝，人均收入大约90000卢比，足可以支付一个价 格在200,000-400,000卢比的公寓。另一个咨询公司监测组的Ashish Karamchandani说，印度有2300万城市居民年收入达到60,000-130,000卢比。算上农村地区，Tata Housing已经看到了一个拥有18000万个收入在90,000-200,000卢比的家庭的更庞大的市场。

Until very recently one of the biggest hurdles was finance. Banks were unwilling to lend money to people without credit histories or proof of permanent residence. But two government-owned banks—the National Housing Bank and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development—have agreed to provide funds to finance companies so that they can offer mortgages to such buyers. To reduce risk, buyers must put down at least a quarter of the purchase price and employers must confirm their income. Borrowers are then charged little more interest than those with an established credit history.

直到最近，出现的最大的困难是财政。银行不想把钱借给那些没有信用记录或者没有长期居住证明的人。但是两家国有银行—国家住房银行和国家农业发展银行，已 经同意给这些财政公司提供资金，这样他们就能给这样购房者提供贷款。为了降低风险，购房者至少必须支付公寓全款1/4，并且需要雇主为他们的收入提供证 明。贷款者会只需要比那些已经建立信用记录的人多交一些利息。

Lenders and developers are convinced that they have struck gold. Who would have guessed that the combination of subprime loans and a building boom would have become attractive again so soon?

贷款方和开发商都确信他们挖到了金矿。谁能想到抵押贷款和建筑热潮的结合这么快又能变得如此有吸引力呢？