There is an ongoing debate in the Indian real estate market—is renting a house better than buying? An X post by an investor and a CEO’s reply to it has again sparked a discussion on that topic on social media. While the investor spoke about the benefits of renting a house, the CEO slammed him by saying that buying is always a better option.
It all started with an X post by Kiran Rajput, whose bio says he is an individual investor. He often shares his journey regarding personal finance and wealth creation.
“50 years ago, the aspiration of the middle class was to have their own house. Even today, the aspiration of the middle class is to have a house first. One of the reasons why many middle classes remain middle class,” Rajput wrote.
Reposting Rajput’s post, X user Aman Goel, whose bio says he is co-founder and CEO of GreyLabs AI, slammed the investor. “Nothing is worse than being kicked out by your landlord just because someone else paid them 10% higher rent. Don’t listen to Finfluencers. Being able to live under your roof is a privilege. If you can afford a house, buy one. Just ensure that you don’t get into a debt trap,” Goel wrote.
Later, Rajput defended his opinion in another X post, adding, “Not having your own house is a social stigma, a taboo. Few courageous middle class break those boundaries & elevate their family from middle-class struggle. I get abused when I say: I don’t have a house. Btw I am not an influencer, I am here to share my failures & learnings.”
Take a look at the X posts here:
With over 1.5 lakh views, the share has accumulated nearly 4,000 likes and tons of comments.
What did X users say about this post?
“I wonder how financial influencers get this basic thing wrong. Buying a house is more about reserving a place where your self-esteem is high. In India, where life feels so helpless at times, I think having a home is claiming some of that sanity back. It gives you the feeling of being meditative for a middle-class guy,” posted an X user.
“Isn’t that an outlier event? I have lived in rented houses all my life, and I have never had to experience anything like that. Buying a house only makes sense if you plan to live in it for at least ten years. My career requires me to switch cities, so renting makes more sense for me,” argued another.
A third person added, “One thing that I have learned bitterly and luckily very early – never to believe what the financial advisers and so-called wealth managers and relationship managers recommend – it’s all about their commission and not your interest. Pay a little attention to your own finances.”
A fourth wrote, “Exactly, influencers say stay in a rented place. But what about the year-on-year rental increase plus the number of restrictions by landlords? One fine day, when they decide to sell it, tenants need to look for new accommodation. There will be no ‘my’ feeling in a rented house.”
What are your thoughts on this X exchange about houses?
