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BC BU S I N E S S .C A
J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y
2 0 2 5
b y
F R A N C E S B U L A
i l l u s t r a t i o n b y
R A N D A L L W A T S O N
The term "investor"
has become a dirty
word in the real estate
industry. But if we
expect to build more
homes, investors of
all shapes and sizes
will likely be part of
that equation.
MADHUKAR SHARMA has known for
years that he's not going to climb the lad-
der to the financial heaven he wants if all
he does is stick to collecting his admittedly
very nice computer-science-engineer sal-
ary from his Silicon Valley boss.
"You cannot make millions through
your active career. It's only through invest-
ments that you can do that," says Sharma,
a basketball-player-sized 30-year-old in the
standard-issue uniform of his generation—
jeans, snazzy white runners and a hoodie—
as he goes over his life plans in precise
detail at a coffee shop not far from where
he now rents in New Westminster.
Sharma first moved to Halifax from
India in 2019 to do a master's degree in
engineering, and then bought his first
pre-sale condo (in South Surrey) when he
moved to Vancouver in 2021. He bought his
second in Burquitlam two years later and
plans to move into the first one when it's
ready within the next few months, then
he'll rent out the extra condo (and future
acquisitions) when they are completed,
doing the tenant selection and manage-
ment himself. Using all the analytical skills
that he's been trained in, he studied loca-
tions for school ratings, transit accessibility,
builder reputation, attractive layouts and
more. He bargained to get some freebies
thrown in—a package that included free air
conditioning, a washer and dryer and extra
parking in one; a $6,000 cash discount in
