Shilpa Shetty launches own real estate website

Actor-producer Shilpa Shetty has agreed to become the face of her husband Raj Kundra’s innovative real estate venture with a leading construction company. It’s a website called www.grouphomebuyer.com that went live yesterday, which aims to help citizens buy their dream homes in a locality of their choice, and at a discounted cost.

“Having a house of their own is everyone’s wish but given the sky-rocketing costs today, it’s fast becoming a distant dream. Market observers have cautioned that real estate purchases and sales have dipped. So, we thought we could become catalysts for buyers and sellers,” says Shilpa. The company will make bulk purchases in various developing properties, and offer them to buyers at a decent discount. “Bulk purchases are always cost-effective. So, we are using that idea here,” she adds.

The website will also help arrange house insurance, home loans and even furniture at easy rates. Shilpa’s own secretary had been through a nightmarish experience while purchasing a house. She had booked a flat in an under-construction building on the 12th floor. After making the payment, she was informed that the builders couldn’t get construction permission up to the 12th floor, and had to settle for a 10th floor flat in another wing.

The 36-year old actor says, “We even plan to give buyers virtual tours before they purchase, so they don’t feel cheated when seeing the actual property. All they have to tell us is the budget, locality and size of the house.”

Spot the difference
Shilpa’s website will accept online payments for everything from paperwork to home loans. It also offers a virtual tour of the house you plan to buy. Other popular websites like 99 acres.com, magicbrick.com, makaan.com and Indiaproperty.com let you buy, sell and rent spaces for offices and homes, but the websites sometimes are not updated.