Indian Founder Says She Bought Two Houses at 24, Warns Her Children May Struggle to Afford One: ‘Salaries Haven’t Kept Pace’

An Indian entrepreneur’s post about property prices, salaries and wealth creation has sparked a conversation on how difficult homeownership could become for younger generations.

Riya Upreti, founder of Fobet Media, recently shared a post on LinkedIn in which she said she had purchased two houses by the age of 24. She contrasted that personal milestone with her concern that her children might face a much tougher housing market in the future.

Her argument centred on the widening gap she believes exists between property prices and income growth in India.

‘I bought 2 houses at 24, but my kids might never buy one’

Upreti opened her LinkedIn post with a striking statement:

“I bought 2 houses at 24, but my kids might never buy one.”

According to Upreti, the experience made her think about the changing economics of homeownership and the challenges faced by younger Indians.

She argued that residential property prices have increased substantially in many parts of India, while salary growth has not always moved at the same pace.

“In India, home prices have been rising faster than inflation, while salaries haven’t kept pace in many sectors,” she wrote.

The entrepreneur said the situation made her reflect on how the economic environment is becoming increasingly challenging for people trying to build wealth through conventional employment alone.

Why Upreti believes a salary may not be enough

Upreti’s broader argument is that relying exclusively on a conventional 9-to-5 career may make wealth accumulation increasingly difficult.

She pointed to people who are building businesses, equity, intellectual property, assets and personal brands alongside their primary professions.

According to her, these additional sources of value can provide opportunities for wealth creation that are not directly tied to monthly salary increases.

“I’ve never settled on one business model & that’s the secret everyone asks for. That’s exactly why almost every successful person I meet is building something outside their primary profession,” Upreti wrote.

She added:

“Because bare-minimum efforts in your career will only give you bare-minimum results.”

Her comments reflect a broader trend in which professionals are exploring entrepreneurship, freelancing, content creation, investing and other income-generating activities alongside traditional employment.

‘Push yourself out of your comfort zone’

Upreti also encouraged people to move beyond what she described as their professional comfort zones.

She said she knows doctors, founders and content creators who continue to experiment and build beyond their primary occupations.

For her, the objective is not necessarily to abandon a career but to develop additional assets or opportunities that can potentially grow independently of salary income.

Her argument is particularly relevant to discussions around India’s changing housing market, where affordability depends on several factors including income, property prices, mortgage rates, location and household wealth.

Is buying a home actually becoming harder?

The question of housing affordability is more complicated than salary growth alone.

Homebuyers typically have to consider the relationship between property prices and household income, commonly measured through affordability or price-to-income ratios. Mortgage interest rates, down payments, taxation, construction costs and local demand can also have a substantial impact.

India’s housing market also varies considerably between cities. The economics of purchasing a property in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR or Hyderabad can be very different from those in smaller cities and towns.

Consequently, Upreti’s experience of purchasing two properties at 24 is a personal example rather than evidence that every young entrepreneur can—or should—follow the same path.

Her bigger message is about building assets

Upreti ultimately framed her argument around ownership.

She concluded that building wealth requires looking beyond monthly income and developing assets that can potentially appreciate or generate returns over time.

“And the only way to beat inflation is by owning equity, businesses, intellectual property, assets, or a solid personal brand,” she wrote.

The post has tapped into an increasingly common discussion among young professionals: whether a traditional salary-led career can provide the same wealth-building opportunities that previous generations experienced, particularly when major expenses such as housing rise faster than incomes in some markets.

At the same time, entrepreneurship and asset ownership carry their own risks, and additional income streams are not guaranteed to outperform inflation.

For many young Indians, the challenge remains finding a sustainable balance between income growth, savings, investment, housing affordability and long-term financial security.