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'Worst mistake': Financial advisor warns against buying homes in Indian metros, sparks debate
Akshat Shrivastava claimed that buying property in an Indian metro city could be one of the “worst mistakes” people make.
Akshat Shrivastava, founder of the investment community Wisdom Hatch, has sparked a discussion online after warning his followers against purchasing homes in India’s metro cities. Taking to X, Shrivastava claimed that buying property in an Indian metro city could be one of the “worst mistakes” people make.
“Buying a property in an Indian Metro is going to be one of your worst mistakes," Shrivastava wrote on X. He listed three reasons: “1) Entire market is builder controlled (so you buy very expensive), 2) Overdevelopment is causing infrastructure issues (so the cities are becoming unlivable), 3) With constant new developments, selling your property becomes a challenge. Simply rent, live peacefully.”
“If you wish to own a home, buy something that will survive for the next 30 years. With Gurgaon properties, you can't really even say that,” he said.
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Social media reactions
The post quickly went viral, triggering a wave of responses. Many users agreed with the finance advisor, saying that property prices in metros like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are inflated and don’t justify the cost when compared to rental rates.
“Ownership gives stability, but in metros the costs and infrastructure trade-offs are hard to ignore,” one user wrote.
“True, metro real estate often feels like buying stress at 2x price. Rent keeps you flexible, liquid, and mobile — no EMIs chaining you to crumbling infrastructure. Owning only makes sense if it’s genuinely long-term and livable,” commented another.
“Absolutely. The rent is not even 3% of the value of the flat and rather than blocking your money in buying a flat, same can be invested to get better returns. My friend wanted to buy a 2 bed flat for 1 crore and after my advice has invested in a FD which now takes care of his rent and earns him more! All metro flats like Delhi are over expensive and Gurgaon is the worst of the lot in inflated prices!” said a third user.
However, not everyone was on board. Some countered that buying property is still considered a long-term security.
“The flat I bought 12 years back is now 5x. It gave me a 15% CAGR return. No landlord can harass me or unilaterally increase rent steeply. Gave me a peace of mind that helped me to grow exponentially. One home is a must; after that, keep playing the rent vs SIP arbitrage game,” wrote one user.
“And yet property prices have gone up multifold. If something you feel is very expensive, and yet it has stayed that way for way too long, probably ur theory is wrong,” said another.
