‘Fortuners, lucky draws & FOMO’: Viral post exposes dark side of property sales in India’s small towns

A widely circulated discussion on Reddit has opened a sharp debate on how real estate hype cycles are engineered — particularly in India’s smaller towns — revealing how investors repeatedly fall into the trap of artificial demand, inflated prices and psychological manipulation. 

The long post narrates a real-life account from a Tier-3 town, offering a rare inside view of how developers and dealers allegedly create, control and cash out market frenzy. 

A dream sold on hype 

According to the Reddit discussion, the story began when a well-known Tier-1 city developer entered a Tier-3 town and purchased 29 acres of land on the outskirts — land that reportedly lacked proper road access and clear regulatory approvals like CLU, RERA registration or even a boundary. 

Despite this, the developer launched residential plots at a hefty ₹17,000 per sq yard, the same price as premium zones inside the city. 

Locals mocked the move at first. But two days later, buzz began to spread: dealers started claiming that “90 plots had already been sold” and bookings were closed. Names of prominent local personalities were floated to intensify curiosity. 

Behind the scenes, however, the developer was quietly offering selected plots at discounted rates — ₹13,000 per sq yard — to create the illusion of movement. Still, demand remained weak and early buyers regretted their decision, desperately asking dealers to help them exit. 

Lucky draws, Fortuners & manufactured frenzy 

A year later, the developer returned with an offer that changed everything. In a meeting with local dealers, he announced a ₹2-crore lucky draw: Toyota Fortuners, Innovas, Swifts, bikes, even Alto cars. 

Only the first 60 buyers would be eligible — and if a buyer won, the dealer who sold the plot would get a reward too. 

The double incentive — high commissions plus the chance of winning a car — sent the town’s dealer network into overdrive. Within a day, more than 40 plots reportedly sold. Soon, eligibility expanded to the “first 90 buyers,” heightening the fear of missing out among locals. 

The Reddit user writes that within days: 

• Prices shot from ₹17,000 to ₹22,000 
• Previous critics became cheerleaders 
• Plots were resold multiple times 
• Rates touched ₹25,000+ per sq yard 

The developer capitalised by acquiring more land and launching new plots at higher rates. Even the lucky-draw entries started trading for ₹2-5 lakh. 

But once the event ended, reality returned. Demand vanished. Prices collapsed back to around ₹20,000. 

How the developer bought back his own hype 

The Reddit post describes one final twist. 

As the market grew cold again, the developer allegedly told dealers to purchase good plots at whatever price investors were willing to accept — because most were desperate to exit. In many cases, the developer reportedly repurchased these plots quietly at low rates through token amounts. 

Once these “buys” were noticed, the town assumed demand was back, triggering another herd-driven buying wave. The developer then resold the same plots at inflated prices — often without spending significant capital. 

This buy-sell cycle, the thread claims, repeated multiple times, pushing rates as high as ₹40,000 per sq yard before they eventually stabilised around ₹23,000-₹28,000. 

Herd behaviour 

The Reddit discussion summarises the takeaway bluntly: “This is how big developers and dealers create the hype… They play with people’s emotions — fear, greed, and the dream of quick money.” 

According to the post, most investors ignore basic due diligence — ROI calculations, regulatory checks, and risk exposure — because the hype makes them believe they are entering a guaranteed-profit game. But once the frenzy dies, they realise there are no real end-buyers, only speculators. 

The viral thread ends with a warning for prospective buyers: 

• Don’t get swayed by “only 5 plots left” claims. 
• Don’t confuse herd movement with market fundamentals. 
• Don’t expect double-digit returns when dealers earn more through commissions than you do through risk. 
• Always calculate Risk : Amount : ROI before committing. 

The final line encapsulates the sentiment of many commenters on the thread: “The hype manipulates you to ignore everything — but the moment you invest, you realise there are no real buyers and the hype was artificial.”