u/Fabulous-Challenge13

My wife (29) and I (31)together make around ₹2.8L/month take-home

Current situation:

• Monthly expenses: ~₹1L (includes ₹20k rent)
• Existing equity investments: ₹40L
• Additional cash available now: ₹20L
• We also keep part of monthly savings in safer instruments like RD/emergency funds
• Annual vacation budget: ~₹3L
• Career growth expected: ~15% annual salary growth over next few years
• Both of our EPF is untouched.

Now confused between 3 options:

Option 1 — Buy land now

• ₹40L plot in outskirts of Chennai
• ₹20L down payment with cash available in hand
• ₹20L personal loan
• EMI ~₹95k for 2 years

Pros:

• Land prices in outskirts Chennai have appreciated aggressively
• Family strongly pushing for land
• Fear of “missing the bus”

Cons:

• Personal loan feels risky
• No cash flow from land
• Black money / cash component reality in many land transactions honestly makes me uncomfortable as a salaried white-money buyer

Option 2 — Book apartment

• ₹20L down payment with cash available in hand
• ₹70L home loan
• EMI ~₹65k for 15 years
• Possession only after ~3 years, so rent continues meanwhile

Pros:

• More structured/legal compared to land
• Emotional stability

Cons:

• Rent + EMI overlap
• Slows investing during peak earning years

Option 3 — Continue renting + invest aggressively
Plan:

• Invest ₹20L cash in hand as lump sum into equity
• Continue monthly investing (equity + RD mix)
• Avoid large EMI for next 5 years

At 12–15% CAGR, projections roughly show:

• ₹20L lump sum becoming ~₹35–40L in 5 years
• Overall portfolio potentially crossing ₹1.5–2Cr+ range in next 5–6 years with salary growth

The logical side of me says:
“Delay property, maximize compounding while income is growing.”

But emotionally:

• Parents feel land is becoming unaffordable forever
• Chennai outskirts appreciation stories create FOMO

For people who’ve been through this:
Would you prioritize:

1. Land now?
2. Apartment now?
3. Continue compounding investments for 5 years first?

Would especially appreciate opinions from:

• Chennai outskirts buyers
• Salaried professionals
• Anyone who chose equity over early real estate
• Anyone who regrets rushing into land due to family pressure/FOMO