No parental property. Employee shares pain of saving for home down payment, when colleagues flaunt vacations and SUVs

Buying a home in today’s India can feel like running a marathon with a backpack full of bricks. For many young professionals, the dream of owning a house comes with a hefty price tag, sky-high property rates, and the looming shadow of EMIs. Meanwhile, colleagues flaunt vacations, flashy cars, and gadgets, making it hard not to feel left behind. But what happens when you don’t have parental property to fall back on, and every penny earned goes into saving for a down payment?

A Reddit user shared this struggle, lamenting the challenge of building a home from scratch. A Reddit user shared their frustration about not having an ancestral home and the challenges of buying a property in today’s market with sky-high rates. While colleagues earning similar salaries are enjoying life—buying cars and going on foreign vacations—they feel constrained, as most of their income has to go into saving for a down payment. The prospect of paying hefty EMIs for years ahead, along with the pressures of marriage and relationships, makes them feel stressed and uncertain about the future.


Internet reacts
Responses poured in offering empathy and practical advice. Some shared that they had faced similar struggles and, though paying EMIs is stressful, building a home from scratch is a necessary step in creating wealth. Others emphasised that comparing oneself to those with inherited property only steals joy, and starting from scratch can be empowering. Many pointed out that in tier-1 cities, most people buy apartments independently, and family property often comes with disputes, making the self-built path both practical and rewarding.


Middle class and EMIs
This conversation ties into a larger trend: the middle class living almost entirely on EMIs. From smartphones and bikes to furniture and vacations, monthly instalments have become the silent backbone of modern lifestyles. While this may create an illusion of financial comfort, experts warn it can hollow out stability, leaving little room for savings or emergencies. As many point out, the EMI culture may feel convenient, but it’s also a subtle trap—turning wants into obligations and transferring wealth upward while families silently shoulder the cost.