Mumbai property prices: A post by a Mumbai-based chartered accountant has started a big online discussion about property prices and what real profit really means. The CA said his father bought a 2BHK flat in Mumbai for Rs 5 crore in 2019 and then sold it in 2026 for the same Rs 5 crore. At first, this sounds like nothing was gained at all. The price did not go up even after seven years.
Still, the CA called it “crazy returns”, and that one line got a lot of people talking online. Recent reports on the viral post say the story quickly spread because many people were surprised that a property sold at the same price could still be called a good deal.
Many people online began trying to guess what the CA meant. Some said the answer was not in the final selling price. They felt the real benefit may have come from what the family saved or earned while they held the flat. That is why the debate became bigger than just one Mumbai home sale. It turned into a wider question about whether property always needs to rise in price to be called a good investment. The post also pushed people to think about how returns can look very different depending on what someone compares them with.
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Dad bought a 2BHK in Mumbai for 5cr in 2019,
Dad sold it for 5cr in 2026He actually made crazy returns
Few understand this.
— Dhanesh Gianani (@dhanesh500) April 3, 2026
Why Some People Still Called It a ‘Good Deal’?
A lot of users said one possible gain was rent saved. If the family lived in the flat, they may have avoided paying a huge amount in rent for seven years in Mumbai. Some people online estimated that this could be around Rs 12 lakh to Rs 18 lakh per year.
Over seven years, that could become roughly Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1.2 crore. So even if the flat was sold at the same price, they may still have got value from living there without paying rent somewhere else. One person put it this way: “He lived in Mumbai for seven years, saved rent, and held a prime asset. Returns aren’t always just about profit — sometimes it’s stability and utility,” one user wrote.
Tax
Some users said that if the selling price was the same as the buying price, there may have been no capital gains tax to pay. Another user felt the flat may have been rented out during those years and may have earned income regularly.
One comment said, “Total returns aren’t just about price appreciation — they include rental yield and cash flow,” the comment noted. Fresh reporting from Economic Times said rental income was one of the key reasons behind the claim of “crazy returns”. That means the money made during ownership may have mattered more than the final sale price itself.
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There was also a tax-loss theory in the discussion, but that part became more complicated once current tax rules were considered. Some online comments suggested that after indexation, the cost could rise on paper and create a long-term capital loss.
But public tax explainers say that for many property sales after July 23, 2024, the standard long-term capital gains regime moved to 12.5% without indexation, while certain older properties may still have options depending on the case. So the tax outcome can depend on the exact facts and the rules that apply to that property sale.
Loss in Real Terms
Not everyone agreed that this was a great result. Some people pushed back very strongly and said selling a home at the same price after seven years is not really a win once inflation is added. They said money loses value over time, so Rs 5 crore in 2026 is not the same as Rs 5 crore in 2019. On top of that, there are other costs that come with buying and keeping a home. People mentioned maintenance charges, stamp duty, and registration costs. When those are added, many felt the family may actually have lost money in real terms.
Some users also compared the deal with the stock market. They said that if the same Rs 5 crore had been invested in major market indices during those seven years, the final value could have been much higher. So from that angle, the flat may not look like a strong investment at all. One user summed up that side of the debate in a sharp way. “He didn’t make a profit — he preserved capital,” one user summed up. “In real estate, sometimes ‘no loss’ is seen as a win. But that depends on what you compare it against.”
