Days after MAGA celebrated how the real estate prices came down in Texas as Indian H-1Bs started exiting the US, a statement by Indian-American Ravi Vavilala has gone viral. Vavivala said that to get his house sold, he removed Hindu religious symbols, including the Ganesha idol, from his home so that his home looks generic to the prospective buyers. In a Bloomberg interview, he said he rented a place and removed all his personal belongings.Vavilala became a citizen after coming to the US on an H-1B visa two decades ago. He bought the house in late 2023 from Coventry Homes for $895,000. While in treatment for Stage 4 kidney cancer, he was laid off from his IT job in March this year, along with most of his 80-person team, and put the home in Celina up for sale but didn’t initially get much interest.Vavivala’s asking price started at more than $1 million, but after a few months, it was down to $873,000, below what he paid.“The buyers came and left in five minutes. We were really surprised. We contacted the realtor. After their feedback, we felt a little uncomfortable because they were saying that there are so many religious and personal things still there. We realized that we had to make our home very, very generic to attract all kinds of people,” Vavivala said, adding that he is ready to sell the home at a loss.
‘Nobody but another Indian will buy it’
The statement triggered a huge debate as people commented that even when Hindus in Texas are trying to sell their houses, they are being hated. Texas, especially Dallas, has been the epicenter of Hindu hate in the recent past. City council meetings are dominated by discussions of H-1Bs, Indians culturally taking over Texas — instead of their local problems.Vavivala’s statement triggered the same reactions. “Indian man with a house for sale in Frisco Texas removes Ganesha idol from his home to make it “generic.” The house has been sitting for months with no offers. Nobody but another Indian will buy it with the curry smell anyway. North Texas has had enough. This ain’t Mumbai. Keep Texas Texas,” one hate comment read.Many commented that while there are genuine cases of racism against Indians in the US, this one was not one of them and it’s only advisable to remove all personal belogings before showcasing a house to a potential buyer.
