Jason Kothari, CEO, Housing.com, on the impact of withdrawal of the Rs.500 and Rs.1000 notes on the real estate sector.“Housing.com has always batted for increased transparency in the real estate sector and therefore, we welcome prime minister Narendra Modi’s decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. Cash transactions or black money deals have plagued the sector for a long time, sometimes even accounting for up to 50% of transactions. This move, combined with the Benami Property Act which became effective on November 1, will help weed out corruption and black money to a large extent, from the sector. The organised segment of the market shouldn’t be majorly impacted since most homes are now bought by end-users who avail home loans. The unorganised segment which relies mostly on cash transactions, will be impacted significantly however. While this will slow down the market in the short-term, it will make India’s real estate sector more transparent and organised in the long-term, which in turn, will attract more funds, both, domestically and internationally. This is a bold and exciting development for Indian real estate.”