‘I made ₹21 lakh in 13 years’: Pune entrepreneur’s flat vs fund story has a twist
Had he put that ₹29 lakhs into an SWP in 2010, withdrawing ₹15,000 every month, he would’ve received ₹23.4 lakhs over 13 years — and still had ₹82 lakhs left in the fund by 2023. Total value? ₹105.4 lakhs.
- Aug 25, 2025,
- Updated Aug 25, 2025 3:49 PM IST
In 2010, Pune-based financial entrepreneur Ravi Nagrani invested ₹29 lakhs in a flat, lured by promises of booming infrastructure and soaring property prices. Thirteen years later, he sold it for ₹50 lakhs — a profit that, on paper, looked solid.
But when he did the math, what seemed like a smart bet turned into a cautionary tale.
“₹21 lakh profit over 13 years,” Nagrani writes on LinkedIn. “But that’s a 4.28% annual return — less than a fixed deposit.”
The bigger shock came when he compared the same investment against a simple, balanced mutual fund with a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP). “Not crypto. Not some shady chit fund. Just a boring mutual fund,” he notes.
Had he put that ₹29 lakhs into an SWP in 2010, withdrawing ₹15,000 every month, he would’ve received ₹23.4 lakhs over 13 years — and still had ₹82 lakhs left in the fund by 2023. Total value? ₹105.4 lakhs.
That’s a full ₹40.9 lakh gap compared to the ₹64.5 lakhs he earned from the property, including rent.
“But you earned rent!” he anticipates. True — but not as much as most assume. “No income for 2 years due to possession delays. Then ₹6,000/month in 2012, gradually rising to ₹16,000/month by 2023. Eleven years of rent averaged ₹11,000/month — that’s about ₹14.5 lakhs.”
Factor in maintenance, repairs, leakages, vacancies, and tenant disputes, and the picture gets murkier. “Meanwhile, that ₹15k SWP would have hit my account every month like clockwork,” he says.
Still, Nagrani resists the temptation to villainize property. “Real estate isn’t bad. It has its place — to live in, to diversify, even for emotional satisfaction.” But as an investment? “Only one grows quietly in the background — without calls about leaking pipes or months of no rent.”
His final takeaway? Don’t confuse emotional security with financial performance. “Back in 2010, holding keys to a flat felt more real than holding a fund statement in my inbox. But the returns told a different story.”
In 2010, Pune-based financial entrepreneur Ravi Nagrani invested ₹29 lakhs in a flat, lured by promises of booming infrastructure and soaring property prices. Thirteen years later, he sold it for ₹50 lakhs — a profit that, on paper, looked solid.
But when he did the math, what seemed like a smart bet turned into a cautionary tale.
“₹21 lakh profit over 13 years,” Nagrani writes on LinkedIn. “But that’s a 4.28% annual return — less than a fixed deposit.”
The bigger shock came when he compared the same investment against a simple, balanced mutual fund with a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP). “Not crypto. Not some shady chit fund. Just a boring mutual fund,” he notes.
Had he put that ₹29 lakhs into an SWP in 2010, withdrawing ₹15,000 every month, he would’ve received ₹23.4 lakhs over 13 years — and still had ₹82 lakhs left in the fund by 2023. Total value? ₹105.4 lakhs.
That’s a full ₹40.9 lakh gap compared to the ₹64.5 lakhs he earned from the property, including rent.
“But you earned rent!” he anticipates. True — but not as much as most assume. “No income for 2 years due to possession delays. Then ₹6,000/month in 2012, gradually rising to ₹16,000/month by 2023. Eleven years of rent averaged ₹11,000/month — that’s about ₹14.5 lakhs.”
Factor in maintenance, repairs, leakages, vacancies, and tenant disputes, and the picture gets murkier. “Meanwhile, that ₹15k SWP would have hit my account every month like clockwork,” he says.
Still, Nagrani resists the temptation to villainize property. “Real estate isn’t bad. It has its place — to live in, to diversify, even for emotional satisfaction.” But as an investment? “Only one grows quietly in the background — without calls about leaking pipes or months of no rent.”
His final takeaway? Don’t confuse emotional security with financial performance. “Back in 2010, holding keys to a flat felt more real than holding a fund statement in my inbox. But the returns told a different story.”