Ali Kochra, Chairman and Managing Director, Kochra Realty Discusses Mumbai's Real Estate Industry and What it Takes to Fill the Market Gap

How can I lead effectively? Am I solving the right problem? What will improve the team’s performance? Entrepreneurs are often engulfed with major pensive questions like these – because, needless to say, they are busy navigating uncharted territory to address the market gap and present the perfect solutions. Similar such is the journey of the Mumbai’s emerging real estate entrepreneur, Ali Kochra, the Chairman and Managing Director of Kochra Realty.

Based in Mumbai, Ali established Kochra Realty in 2020 and worked his way up amid a highly-competitive and saturated industry. In less than three years, the realtor has managed to set a strong foothold in the market and formed its uniqueness with distressed property development.

Ali’s key role in the development of eminent projects like Estado and Aadhayay, among others, has been a game-changer for Kochra Realty. Here, the real estate entrepreneur shares how Kochra Realty came to be, how the company is currently positioned, and offers advice to new-age realtors looking to venture into this industry.

The Emergence of Kochra Realty

Though the company was formed amid the early start of the pandemic, the idea of venturing into real estate was born way before that. Having spent most of his formative years in Mumbai’s plush residential locality of Bandra, coupled with experience from family’s involvement in the real estate segment, Ali was well-versed with the buyer profiles and their preferences with respect to residential and commercial requirements. With an understanding of dwellers’ strong ambitions for having an owned premium property, residence in particular, in India’s commercial hub, Ali laid the foundation with a vision to fulfill buyers’ requirements on time.

Despite stringent competition in the industry, Ali’s leadership practices have helped the company carve a niche for itself by being one of the very few realtors to specialize in distressed property development or redevelopment of stuck or delayed projects. What has further reinforced the company’s reputation is the values on which they are built, such as superior construction quality, on-time delivery, and good customer experience. These are the three most important elements one cannot do without, believes Ali.

Predominantly with projects across Andheri, Juhu, Bandra, and other parts of Mumbai. Ali affirms that maintaining a strong professional network and going the extra mile to deliver what the customers expect is essential for the success of any business. In his words, “At Kochra Realty, I emphasize building new and strong relationships with not just customers but vendors, investors, and colleagues. Good relations and experience helps in real estate business and brand development. The biggest credit goes to my team and their hard work, dedication, and perseverance to make sure our knowledge bank is intact and we are able to give equal time to all our stakeholders.”

The Way Forward

Currently, besides overlooking the operations of the ongoing projects in Mumbai, Ali is heavily invested in exploring the scope of other markets for Kochra Realty’s expansion. When asked about his dream and mission for the real estate industry in Mumbai, he shared that he intends to bring a considerable shift in the industry, with a core focus on organizing the highly-unorganized market. One of the reasons for the realtor to stick to the domestic market is to support the aspirations of existing and potential homeowners by giving a makeover to properties that remain stressed. “My experience and Kochra Realty’s learning in the past few years in the Indian market will pave way for innovation and good practices,” he added.

In conclusion, Ali Kochra shares a piece of advice. “We all love the idea and outcome, but very few of us like the journey. Let it be in any area of life; business, sports, or art, it is important to put in your all without losing hope. Just know what you want to know and work in that direction. Along the way, keep looking for opportunities and grab the right ones. Soon, you will conquer your desires. Most importantly, in the midst of this all, stay grounded!”