'90% of buyers lose money in Indian real estate': Advisor explains what the top 1% do instead

India’s real estate dream is leaving 90% of buyers broke and bitter, says Gurugram-based real estate advisor Aishwarya Shri Kapoor — while a quiet elite builds wealth with surgical precision.

In a LinkedIn post, Kapoor dismantled the myths of Indian property investment, claiming most homebuyers are “buying liabilities, not investments.” Her blunt assessment: bad projects, emotional decisions, and zero strategy are costing ordinary Indians their financial futures.

“You visited seven projects in a day, asked only about price per square foot, and picked the broker with the biggest discount,” she wrote. “That’s not investing. That’s gambling.”

Kapoor’s critique focuses on what she calls “India’s biggest real estate problem”: emotion-driven purchases without due diligence. Few buyers ask about title clarity, rental absorption, or exit timelines. Instead, the focus is on launches, discounts, and cosmetic perks.

By contrast, the top 1% of investors operate like institutions. They buy during pre-launch, negotiate hard, and plan exits within 3–5 years — often realizing 2.5x to 4x returns. “That’s not luck. That’s design,” she said.

She outlined a formula the elite follow: “Product + Timing + Zone + Brand + Exit Path = ROI.” If any one of those is missing, buyers are stuck, especially in oversupplied or underdeveloped areas like Tier 2 parts of Gurgaon.

Kapoor also flagged 2025’s hottest segments for capital: SPR plots, branded resale, Dwarka Expressway mid-stage assets, SCOs with strong rental demand, and warehousing near UER-2.

Her advice to buyers? Stop thinking like a customer and start thinking like capital. Ask what’s underpriced with 3x resale potential — not just what’s ready to move in.

“Your first property should make you money,” she wrote. “And your second? Should free you from needing a third job.”