Australian real estate consultancy franchise LJ Hooker is set to enter the Indian market, with a franchisee signed up to open in Bangalore. The company, which offers consultancy, rent-management and portfolio management, has over 730 franchisees established across South East Asia, including in New Zealand, Indonesia and China.

"We've been looking at the India market for a while now," says LJ Hooker India principal Ramneek Bakshi. "But we believe that this is the right time for a branded player like us to enter because we're catering to a sophisticated Indian population. Apart from finding a tenant for vacant commercial/residential space, we undertake property management activities like collecting rent on behalf of a landlord, paying his taxes for him, renewing leases, carrying out maintenance work on the property among others."