Seema Harsha is the COO and Co-founder of Indiassetz. She is responsible for driving company strategy and overall business operations, thereby delivering the best experience to both customers and employees. Seema also heads the structured transaction division within the company. She completed her executive management program from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore and holds an MBA degree from Bangalore University. Seema is passionate about mentoring women who want to enter the corporate world, advocating financial independence and leadership.
“From a homemaker to a CEO of a company, women leaders are everywhere you look around.”
A family is often considered incomplete without a woman and so is a company. That is because what women can bring to the table, nobody else can. Having all the positive qualities of a good leader, women exude confidence, have the willingness to learn, display massive growth potential, possess management skills, and often have the ability to bring about a change. But the corporate world needs to wake up to this fact and be more open to accepting women in leadership roles.
Real Estate is no different. If given the right opportunities and guidance, women can make a mark in the field too. Their emotional intelligence, coupled with exceptional communication skills, trustworthiness, problem-solving abilities, and limitless creativity is enough to turn their vision into reality. In addition to this, women are great with networking and this quality can be well utilized in the Real Estate sector which requires one to build contacts and maintain relationships.
However, there is a common perception that women aren’t good with finances. Such misconceptions need to change to bring about a massive transformation in unequal participation in the real estate industry. This, coupled with opportunities for women to independently manage their wealth can certainly be the silver lining in dark clouds.
Moreover, most people believe that the Real Estate industry is a rigid and stern arena often compromising on freedom and personal space. Whereas, it is very women-friendly, often encouraging work-from-home with the benefit of flexible timings, which promotes work-life balance while recognizing the business acumen of women. One such example is Indiasettz’s Women in Real Estate (W.I.R.E.) initiative that encourages and motivates women to enter the Real Estate industry and gain financial independence. The initiative augments personal growth and gives wings to career-oriented women who are passionate about success.
Even Real Estate Asset/Wealth Management, which implies broadening the worth and ROI of a property, is an area where women can flourish and shine. The process includes finding the highest and most stable sources of revenue, mitigating expenses, and risk management. While traditionally women have always been a part of the home buying process, their shift as independent investors is a recent trend that is catching up, especially post-Covid. This is because women across the globe realized the importance of being financially secure and remaining an active contributor to a family’s income rather than just being homemakers. The uprising is deeply credited to the crisis that thousands of households faced during the lockdown periods when businesses were affected and people lost jobs across the globe.
On the brighter side, statistics suggest that women are keenly interested in real estate investment too. Nearly 62% of women desire investment in real estate whereas just about 54% of men opt for it over other investments such as gold, FDs, and stocks. The sentiment drivers could be many ranging from financial independence to the desire of diversifying their investment portfolios. The transition can also be credited to our Government’s several initiatives for encouraging women homebuyers including incentives, easy loans, low stamp duty and interest rates, tax benefits, and schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). Additionally, Real Estate Wealth Management is now highly simple, transparent, and technology-driven, thanks to Real Estate Banking Platforms like Indiassetz that enable buyers across the globe with their digital solutions that allow remote monitoring of their portfolios. These developmental changes are paving a way for women as leaders, both as buyers and as Real Estate management heads.
While women in the West are already thriving as leaders in the field, India is also gradually opening its doors to women leadership in Real Estate Wealth Management. They are finally waking up to the fact that they are no less than men who are currently dominating the Indian Real Estate Industry.