A man who bought a ₹1.5 crore apartment has sparked a discussion online after admitting that he regrets the purchase, as a slowdown in his income has left him struggling to keep up with his home loan EMI and other expenses.The man said that to cope with the financial strain, he plans to start a side gig. (Representational image/Gemini AI generated)In a Reddit post titled "Bought an apartment and completely regret it," the man shared that he purchased the property about a year ago when his finances appeared stable. "I closed on a ₹1.5 Crore apartment about a year ago. My income was around ₹25 Lakhs in 2024 and climbed to ₹32 Lakhs in 2025. However, over the past two quarters, business has taken a massive hit and my monthly earnings are down since my pay is heavily incentive/commission-based," he wrote.The user shared that his take-home salary now barely covers his monthly home loan EMI and fixed expenses. He said that to cope with the financial strain, he plans to start a side gig.Looking back, the man said that delaying the home purchase would have been a better decision. "Holding off on buying a house would have been the smart move, but there is nothing I can do about it now," he wrote.The man's troubles did not end there. He said that after moving into the apartment, he had to spend around ₹2.5 lakh on unexpected society maintenance charges and structural repairs. He also revealed that plumbing issues are likely to cost him another ₹50,000.The man added that his liquid emergency fund has dwindled to ₹5 lakh, while another ₹10 lakh remains invested in mutual funds and PPF, which he is reluctant to withdraw."My liquid emergency fund in my savings account is down to just ₹5 Lakhs. I do have ₹10 Lakhs parked in mutual funds/PPF that could be a last resort, but I really don't want to break those investments," he wrote."I'm very overwhelmed and I feel like I've bad a bad decision, not sure where to go from here though, it seems tough to sell the apartment I just got," he concluded.(Also Read: Why this Indian techie with 15 yrs of experience returning home from US? Reddit post sparks debate: 'Made peace with...')What did social media say?The post drew a flood of responses, with many urging him to sell the property despite the challenges."Try to sell it. It is tough to sell resale appt. Take the loss, even if you have to sell at breakeven. Move on," one user advised."all youngsters DO NOT fall for FOMO of buying big houses with fancy amenities. Ultimately you have to manage your finances and your family expenses. For OP, selling the house makes sense but easier said than done. If you already got possesion of your house it will be easier to sell the house or you can work with builder to cancel the booking and take whatever money you have paid," commented another."Sell the apartment and close the loan. This will take the load off you. If money is left after closing everything, it will add to your emergency fund," suggested a third user."I have met only few people who repent their decision of buying a property. See if you can sail through it but try keeping it. Such a huge society maintenance is a bummer but you can limit all other spends on the property. Worst, you can shift to a rented property while giving this on rent," wrote one user."I can understand your stress, having a large EMI and variable income can be tough. Considering your side gig and current expenses, try to prioritize needs over wants and see where you can cut back. Maybe revisit your budget and allocate 50% of your side gig income towards debt repayment or building an emergency fund, that should help ease some pressure," said another.(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)