'India's rich don't buy houses': Advisor reveals real estate playbook middle class rarely uses

Most people buy property. The wealthy position it. That’s the core message from real estate advisor Aishwarya Shri Kapoor, whose recent post on Threads breaks down how smart money treats real estate—not as an asset class, but as a wealth architecture strategy.

In her post, Kapoor contrasts average property buyers with seasoned wealth strategists, highlighting the mindset gap that separates the two. “The average buyer asks, ‘Will this price double in five years?’ The wealthy ask, ‘What will this asset unlock in five years?’” she writes.

According to Kapoor, real estate for the rich is not just about ROI—it's about leverage, cash flow, hedging, and control. Wealth builders don’t chase price dips. They chase supply control, targeting corner plots, wide frontages, and zoning-leveraged assets like TOD parcels.

“The value isn’t in the land—it’s in what you can do with it,” she says.

Timing is another differentiator. While typical buyers wait for market hype or completed infrastructure, smart investors buy during early inflection points—when infrastructure is announced, not built; when CLU is pending, not granted; and when policies are drafted, not enacted. They don’t follow trends—they front-run them.

Kapoor emphasizes portfolio hedging as a key tactic. “Own residential? Lease commercial. Own Tier 1? Lock Tier 2 land.” Rental income, she notes, isn’t just passive cash—it’s a hedge against vacancy, inflation, and timing risk.

Stacking value is another principle. A single high-rise, Kapoor explains, can offer five layers of wealth: rental income, tax shield via depreciation, refinancing leverage, buyback or strata exit potential, and underlying land appreciation.

Risk, not price, drives their decision-making. Smart money evaluates entry risk, liquidity pressure, zoning evolution, time-to-value, and builder financials—walking away if alignment isn’t perfect.

The most underrated lever? Land-backing. “In real estate, land is the scriptwriter. It controls what’s built, when, and by whom,” Kapoor notes. For the wealthy, land isn’t just held—it’s wielded.