‘Land is no longer a dead asset’: Financial advisor warns home ownership is slipping away
Drawing parallels with Hong Kong, Shrivastava highlighted how tight land control has resulted in severe housing constraints, with nearly 20% of residents living in apartments smaller than a parking space.
- Jan 23, 2026,
- Updated Jan 23, 2026 10:40 PM IST
Owning a home could become increasingly unattainable for future generations as land shifts from being a basic necessity to a sophisticated financial asset, financial educator and Founder of Wisdom Hatch Akshat Shrivastava has warned.
In a LinkedIn post that has sparked wide discussion, Shrivastava, founder of Wisdom Hatch, said earlier generations were able to buy homes on modest, single incomes — a reality that no longer exists for many families today. He cautioned that the situation may worsen for today’s children as land ownership becomes more concentrated and financially engineered.
“Land is no longer a dead asset,” Shrivastava wrote, pointing to the rise of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), fractional ownership models and similar financial structures. These mechanisms allow large landowners to generate steady cash flows without selling their assets, removing any incentive to release land into the market.
Using Mumbai as an example, Shrivastava claimed that just six major landlords control nearly 20% of the city’s land. Such concentration, he argued, enables powerful players to retain ownership while earning consistent income streams.
He described the emerging ownership model as a self-reinforcing cycle:
Own land → create a REIT → allow investor participation → earn regular cash flow → retain majority profits.
According to Shrivastava, REIT units can also be pledged as collateral to raise loans or unlock additional capital. As valuations rise, this increases purchasing power, allowing large owners to acquire even more land — further consolidating ownership.
He warned that land, a finite and essential resource, is increasingly being treated like a leveraged financial derivative. This financialisation, he said, distorts supply dynamics and pushes home ownership further out of reach for ordinary buyers.
Drawing parallels with Hong Kong, Shrivastava highlighted how tight land control has resulted in severe housing constraints, with nearly 20% of residents living in apartments smaller than a parking space. While governments have the authority to release more land, he suggested this often does not happen due to entrenched vested interests.
Shrivastava also criticised conventional personal finance debates around “rent versus buy,” arguing that such discussions overlook deeper structural issues within modern housing markets.
“If you can buy a good home today, do it,” he wrote, urging people to view home ownership as long-term security rather than an investment — especially in a future where owning a home may no longer be a realistic option for many.
Owning a home could become increasingly unattainable for future generations as land shifts from being a basic necessity to a sophisticated financial asset, financial educator and Founder of Wisdom Hatch Akshat Shrivastava has warned.
In a LinkedIn post that has sparked wide discussion, Shrivastava, founder of Wisdom Hatch, said earlier generations were able to buy homes on modest, single incomes — a reality that no longer exists for many families today. He cautioned that the situation may worsen for today’s children as land ownership becomes more concentrated and financially engineered.
“Land is no longer a dead asset,” Shrivastava wrote, pointing to the rise of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), fractional ownership models and similar financial structures. These mechanisms allow large landowners to generate steady cash flows without selling their assets, removing any incentive to release land into the market.
Using Mumbai as an example, Shrivastava claimed that just six major landlords control nearly 20% of the city’s land. Such concentration, he argued, enables powerful players to retain ownership while earning consistent income streams.
He described the emerging ownership model as a self-reinforcing cycle:
Own land → create a REIT → allow investor participation → earn regular cash flow → retain majority profits.
According to Shrivastava, REIT units can also be pledged as collateral to raise loans or unlock additional capital. As valuations rise, this increases purchasing power, allowing large owners to acquire even more land — further consolidating ownership.
He warned that land, a finite and essential resource, is increasingly being treated like a leveraged financial derivative. This financialisation, he said, distorts supply dynamics and pushes home ownership further out of reach for ordinary buyers.
Drawing parallels with Hong Kong, Shrivastava highlighted how tight land control has resulted in severe housing constraints, with nearly 20% of residents living in apartments smaller than a parking space. While governments have the authority to release more land, he suggested this often does not happen due to entrenched vested interests.
Shrivastava also criticised conventional personal finance debates around “rent versus buy,” arguing that such discussions overlook deeper structural issues within modern housing markets.
“If you can buy a good home today, do it,” he wrote, urging people to view home ownership as long-term security rather than an investment — especially in a future where owning a home may no longer be a realistic option for many.