Buying a home has long been seen as a major milestone. But for many people living in cities like Noida, that dream is starting to feel further out of reach.A Noida resident has gone viral after sharing his frustration over the city’s rising property prices. In a video posted on Instagram by @lifethroughamanseyes, the man said he began looking for a house after realising that the rent he pays every month could instead go towards a home loan. What followed, however, left him stunned.
Even a ₹1 crore budget wasn’t enough
The man said he walked into the property search expecting to find a decent home within his budget. Instead, he was greeted with price tags that were far beyond what he had imagined.According to him, brokers casually quoted figures like ₹1 crore, ₹1.5 crore and ₹2 crore, as though they were standard prices.He added that even after stretching his finances as much as possible, ₹1 crore was the highest he could afford. But that, he claimed, wasn’t enough to buy a home in many of Noida’s newer residential projects.“Most new projects start at around ₹2 crore. Some are ₹2.5 crore, and others go up to ₹4 crore,” he said in the video, before asking the question that has now become the talking point online: “Who is buying these homes?”
‘Has the middle class suddenly become so rich?’
The man said what confused him most wasn’t just the price of the properties but the fact that they were seemingly finding buyers.He wondered how salaried professionals were managing such expensive purchases while also handling everyday expenses, family responsibilities and the occasional weekend outing.“I really don’t understand. Has the middle class suddenly started earning so much?” he asked, echoing a question that many viewers said they had been asking themselves for a while.
The internet had plenty to say
The video quickly found an audience, with many people saying they could relate to the experience.Several users felt the current prices don’t reflect the actual value of the homes and described the market as overheated.One commenter claimed that while constructing a typical two-bedroom apartment may cost a fraction of its selling price, buyers are paying much more, calling it a “property bubble.”Another person said they had noticed something even more surprising – older apartments in established societies are, in some cases, being sold for more than flats in newly launched projects.
But not everyone agreed
Some users argued that people aren’t paying only for the apartment itself.One comment pointed out that premium housing often comes with facilities that many buyers are willing to spend extra on, including better security, landscaped gardens, swimming pools, clubhouses, cleaner surroundings and a community of working professionals.In other words, the price tag reflects the lifestyle as much as the square footage.Others had a simpler piece of advice.Rather than taking on a massive home loan and spending decades repaying it, they suggested continuing to live in a rented house until buying becomes financially comfortable.The viral video has clearly touched a nerve. As home prices continue to climb in several Indian cities, the question raised by the Noida resident is one many aspiring homebuyers are asking today: At these prices, who exactly can afford to buy a home?
