What is the common thread between Shieanne D’souza, Runima Biswas and Akhila Shrerawat? Apart from the fact that all three of them are independent and successful professionals in their careers, driving teams and fancy cars there’s one thing that ties them together to the same cornerstone. The capacity to invest in a property lies in all three of them but while they are taking exotic vacations and living life ‘queen-size’, somehow the topic of realty investment is not seen eye to eye.

Why? On probing we found that there is an entire spectrum of reasons which stop women from thinking seriously on this matter. Shieanne, a marketing and communication professional who is employed with one of the leading job portals of the country says, “I am living with my mom, brother and sister-in-law and though I share house running expenses, I end up saving a good amount of money in comparison to my friends living alone in Gurgaon. I did think of buying a house here but then decided against it. My reason? It might sound a bit selfish but I would like to invest in a property together with my husband instead of doing it alone.” Shieanne’s reason has been voiced by few others as well.

On exploring this reason with the same respondents, a rather psychological thought-process surfaced. The reason why real estate investment is not considered is because they think that in India somewhere down the line it collides with their marriage prospects. “When my parents were scouting for grooms for my sister, I noticed that her success was not taken in a positive stride by the ‘prospective’ grooms. Most of them wanted someone who was doing well but not more than their son,” says Shieanne. Power play comes into picture in a traditional arranged marriage set up. Therefore, women tend to take a step back in this regard. It buys them some more time before getting involved in the serious decisions of life.

Runima Biswas, Marketing Head of a trending hair salon chain, has a very different take. She says, “I have been brought up in Bengaluru city and have been living with my parents. Being a single child, I have been pampered and have had an easy way in life. My sole reason for not investing in a property is the fact I know I will inherit my parent’s properties. There is a sense of security already. When I further progress in career, I will think of buying a house or commercial space. Till then, I can be a free bird.”

For women like Runima, the presence of a security blanket gives them the freedom to ward off realty thoughts. On the contrary, if Runima was not staying with her parents and living in a city which has become home, things could have been different. Hundreds of the female gentry who migrate to metropolitan cities for higher education or better job opportunities tend to stay back. A rented accommodation might be a home but not for long. So, it is quite natural for a high paying professional to think of buying a space for herself provided she is not haunted by the previous mentioned hassles.

Then there are women who are strongly motivated to buy properties early in life but are restrained for completely different set of reasons. Meet Akhila Sherawat, employed with a media company, who has been living with her folks. Akhila says, “I always wanted to invest but my father deterred me from it. He used to say that do not get entangled with EMIs, you will have enough time later. My income was limited but the saving grace was that I did not have to fend for myself. Though I had savings, they were not much. I wanted a 3BHK house which my savings did not permit. Also, I used to think that since I do not have good real estate knowledge and the market is not performing well, should I be investing in it at all? The risk of losing all my savings also stopped me.”

If you too are hesitant in investing in a property for reasons like Akhila then help is at hand. Magicbricks brings you loan calculators to plan your finances, PropIndex report which details the market conditions, residential supply and price trends of the last quarter to give you an in-depth knowledge of the market.

If your reasons match that of Shieanne then the good news is that not all grooms prefer a wife not at par with them. When we asked the male gentry at office, about 62 per cent of them asserted that they would love a partner earning more than them or even owning a house or some fancy car. A financially sound partner helps in planning the future better. In today’s time, there is no place for prejudices. Women empowerment is a welcome change.

Have we covered your hesitation of buying a house? If not, please share with us your reason. Reasons for refraining can be varied and moot. What is important is the fact that irrespective of being a man or a woman, real estate investment is a big decision and the early you start thinking about it, the better.

Yes, we cannot side-step the unspoken restrictions that come along with it in India. But things are changing and we have to secure our future better through investments. Take counselling from industry experts or seek help in real estate portals to know where, what and how to invest but only after you decide why do you want to invest.

Namrata Ekka,