Ajit John
PANJIM: The reality market in the state has seen a decade of high growth and generous profits for the myriad builders in the state. The customers have been willing to buy apartments in the state due to the rapid increase in the land rates thus ensuring they book a health profit if they sell it. It has also meant that builders have to build housing complexes with all the benefits of modern life.
The swimming pool is now a constant in various complexes around the state. Builders provide gyms, pool tables etc to ensure that the buyer who walks through the door leaves after signing on the dotted line. In Goa there are several consultants who build and install pools. Diana Braganza of Alpha Aqua Pools and Spa a local company which has been in the business for fourteen years said that having pools in housing complexes was something taht was not new to the state.
She said “When we started fourteen years ago we believe there were approximately four hundred pools in the state. It is not a luxury anymore but a requirement for anyone who is interested in maintaining his or her health. A pool I feel is more important than a gym.”
Asked how much a pool would cost she said from five lakh to 18-20 lakh depending on the size, shape and other requirements of the customer.
In her estimation there were atleast a 1000 pools in the state given the rush by various builders to provide customers will the modern amenities. Asked how many calls her company answered every month from interested parties she said the numbers were health and there was work for her company that kept them busy.
As a goan company she said they were aware of the requirements of the state and the fact that it was a made of fibre glass ensured that they did not violate any environmental norms.
Desh Prabhudessai Head of Credai Goa unit said it was a trend that had commenced some time back and was required in an age where the market was so competitive. He said “usually now when a family decides to buy a house it is no longer the man in the house who makes the final decision. The children usually have a say too. They are very keen on properties which have all the amenities. A pool for them is a basic requirement, it helps them maintain their physical fitness”.
The cost of a pool he said was not substantial in the overall cost and could be easily passed on to the customer. Shekhar of the French company Desjoyaux pools said the market was very open to the idea of having a pool in their complex or in their bungalow. In the six years they had commenced operations in Goa, they had he said installed approximately hundred pools.
He said the company entertained six to ten enquiries every month. There was he said enough work in Goa to keep them very busy. Asked how much it cost to install a pool he said it difficult to give you a cost but a 6 by 3 pool could cost approximately Rs 7.5 lakh and a 12 by 6 around Rs 15 lakh”.
The company he said provided after sales service and ensured the pool was kept clean.
The demand for pools it seems is expected to remain constant for the next couple of years.
Sudhir Singh of APS Water Industries , pool builders who have a office in Miramar and a factory in Verna Industrial Estate said they were receiving a good two to four enquiries a month for new pools.
The company has it own brand as well as represents international brands like Pentair / Hayward/ Certkins.
Sudhir said the company was receiving enquiries from builders and bungalow owners and the cost could vary anywhere between Rs 3 lakh to 20 lakh. He said he had received calls from small time builders who had construction projects.
A point also made by Desh Prabhudessai when he said “ Having a pool is not a big thing, it is a necessity. Any builder if he has space will provide it”.
As a realty consultant who did not want to be named said “Given the state of the business in the state, if customers want a helicopter base the builder will provide that if it helps sell all his units. At the end of the day it about selling those units.” How true that.
