Should You Buy Property in India, Dubai or the UK? The Global Real Estate Playbook with Dr Rajanya of Adventum on The India Opportunity Show with Shrishti Sahu
Is Indian Real Estate Actually a Bad Investment? The Math of Buying Property in India vs Dubai vs the UK
Hello everyone, welcome to The India Opportunity Show where you get a front-row seat to people building India’s future. We talk about unlocking the potential of the country with founders, investors, creators, and successful leaders from different fields to bring you real-life stories and behind-the-scenes of what it takes to be at the forefront of building the India Story.
Episode 9, Season 4 of The India Opportunity Show is out now! You can watch it on YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
In this episode of The India Opportunity Show, I sit down with Dr. Rajanya Ravasia, Chairman and Managing Director of Adventum, for a deep dive into one of the most important but often misunderstood asset classes: global real estate.
Rajanya’s relationship with real estate began unusually early. Coming from a legacy family that once owned more than 2,000 acres of land in metropolitan Mumbai, he found himself at just 21 years old responsible for unlocking and managing nearly 600 acres of heavily encumbered land. That experience eventually shaped a career spanning complex property transactions, capital deployment and cross-border real estate investing.
In this conversation, we go beyond the usual debate of “India vs Dubai” and look at the actual math of owning property across India, the UK, Dubai, Singapore and Australia.
Why can Indian residential property become a negative-carry asset? Why do secondary UK cities such as Manchester and Birmingham potentially offer better rental economics than London? Is Dubai still attractive after its extraordinary run-up? When does leverage improve returns, and when does it destroy them? And for an Indian investor, does it sometimes make more financial sense to rent your home and invest the capital elsewhere?
Rajanya breaks down rental yields, borrowing costs, leverage, currency appreciation, property cycles, taxation, inheritance rules and the practical challenges of moving capital overseas under India’s LRS framework.
We also unpack his remarkable personal journey: taking control of a complicated 600-acre estate, navigating the 2008 financial crisis, investing internationally long before it became mainstream for Indian investors, exiting Australia, navigating Brexit and eventually building Advent Wealth.
If you’re evaluating whether your next real estate investment should be in India, Dubai, London, Manchester, Birmingham or Singapore, this conversation offers a framework for thinking about property not just as an emotional asset, but as an investment.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Should Indians Invest in Real Estate Outside India?
03:00 Understanding India’s 10-Year Property Cycles
06:04 UK vs India: How Real Estate Cycles Differ
07:14 Is Dubai Real Estate in a Bubble?
08:42 Dubai vs Singapore vs London vs India
10:43 Investing in Dubai: Villas vs Apartments
13:00 Are 1 & 2-Bedroom Dubai Apartments Good Investments?
16:02 The Currency Advantage of Investing Overseas
18:03 Why Indian Real Estate Can Become a Negative-Carry Asset
21:08 India’s Structural Growth vs UK Political Risk
23:39 How UK Property Can Generate Positive Cash Flow
26:47 Is Renting + Investing Better Than Buying a Home in India?
28:09 Residential vs Commercial Real Estate: Understanding Yields
31:16 LRS Limits & Buying a $300K Property in the UK
33:41 Property Taxes: Singapore vs UK
36:26 Why the UK’s Average House Price Can Reduce Investment Risk
39:48 UK Inheritance Tax: What Indian Investors Need to Know
41:50 Rajanya’s Story: Taking Over 600 Acres at Just 21
45:09 Deploying Capital & Surviving the 2008 Financial Crisis
48:22 How He Started Investing Overseas
51:17 Why He Exited Australian Real Estate
56:01 Brexit, London Real Estate & the Birth of Advent Wealth
1:00:13 How Complex Cross-Border Property Deals Are Structured
1:04:00 Final Takeaways
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Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.