How digital real estate is making property investment accessible to Indians

For decades, buying real estate in India was a dream that often demanded years—if not decades—of savings, or taking on massive home loans that tied families to long-term debt.

High entry barriers, endless paperwork, and the need for substantial capital meant property ownership remained out of reach for many, especially young or first-time investors.

However, the rise of digital real estate is rewriting the rules. By leveraging technology, platforms now enable investors to complete what was once a manual, paper-heavy process entirely online—often at far smaller ticket sizes.

The idea is simple but powerful: make property investment as seamless as buying a mutual fund or stock.

The Traditional Roadblocks

The challenges in traditional real estate investing are well known:

High entry costs: Typically ₹50 lakh and above, even in smaller cities.

Complex legal processes: Heavy paperwork, due diligence, and reliance on middlemen.

Illiquidity: Selling property can take months, sometimes years.

Limited accessibility: Mostly metro-centric opportunities, with rural and tier-2 markets underrepresented.

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The Digital Shift

Digital real estate platforms are addressing these pain points by introducing models like tokenized ownership, fractional real estate, and even blockchain-powered transactions.

For example, Alt DRX enables investors to buy and sell tokenized residential properties one square foot at a time—bringing the entry point down from lakhs to just a few thousand rupees.

This fractional ownership not only makes the asset class more accessible but also adds much-needed liquidity.

Changing Investor Profiles

India’s high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) are already refining their real estate strategies, favoring risk-managed, income-generating assets. But the real game-changer lies with younger, tech-savvy investors.

With wealth increasingly passing into the hands of a new generation—self-made entrepreneurs and professionals in their 20s and 30s—demand for digital-first investment solutions is rising.

Experts believe that the growth potential for digital real estate is significant, whether through fractional ownership platforms, Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), or direct exposure via Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).

In a country where property has long been seen as the ultimate wealth-builder, digital real estate is democratizing access—allowing more Indians to participate in an asset class once reserved for the wealthy. The shift could mark the beginning of a more inclusive and liquid real estate market for the future.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)