‘I just sat there speechless’: Woman says house help buys 3BHK apartment in Surat on ₹10 lakh loan

Content creator Nalini Unagar recently shared on social media that her domestic help told her that she bought a 3-bedroom apartment in Surat, Gujarat worth INR 60 lakh, spent only Rs 4 lakh on furniture and took a loan of only Rs 10 lakh. When Nalini asked for more details, she learned that the domestic worker already owned a two-storey house and a shop in a nearby village.

“My home help came today and she looked really happy. She told me that she just bought a 3-bedroom apartment in Surat worth INR 60,000, spent INR 4,000 on furniture and took a loan of only INR 10,000. I was honestly shocked. When I asked more, she mentioned that she already owns a two-storey house and a shop in nearby Velanga village, both For rent. I sat there speechless,” Onagar wrote in a post on X. (formerly Twitter).

The post quickly went viral, sparking discussions about how some low-income workers can save and invest strategically, sometimes bypassing salaried employees.

One user commented: “Salaried employees are taxed heavily, while domestic helpers, street vendors and similar workers often pay zero taxes on their earnings. Over time, this allows them to save more and build assets faster than us.”

The second user wrote: “Our cook in Bengaluru owns a 30 x 40 plot of land nearby and is planning to build a 4-storey house on it, primarily to rent out 3 floors. She is trying to get a bank loan for construction at usurious rates we hear. Her eldest daughter plays for the Karnataka hockey team, and her younger son is preparing for JEE in Narayana. Heartwarming to see real upward mobility.”

A third commentator said: “The middle class is being plundered at every step. Tax income, tax saving, tax spending. The poor are given financial handouts without having to show how many beneficiary schemes they actually have. Their earnings, rental income and interest income will never be audited.”

A fourth user said: “Our cook at Blr owns a 30 x 40 plot of land nearby and is planning to build a 4-storey house on it (primarily to rent out the 3 floors). She is trying to convince the bank to lend to the construction (at some usurious rates we hear). Her eldest daughter plays for the KA hockey team and her younger son is preparing for JEE in Narayana. Sad to see the real upward mobility.”