Chirag Rao Revolutionizes Luxury Housing in Ahmedabad with Innovative Features

Ahmedabad’s development continues at a rapid pace. The city’s future skyline, dominated by high-rise buildings, is expected to rival those of many international cities. Once known for its pols (traditional housing clusters), Ahmedabad later moved towards bungalows and is now witnessing a growing preference for luxury apartments. Alongside this shift, studio apartments, common in global cities, are also becoming part of Ahmedabad’s housing landscape.

In the fifth and final episode of Skyliners, the focus is on developer Chirag Rao, who is bringing unconventional ideas to Ahmedabad’s real estate sector. In one of his farmhouse projects, he replaced traditional car parking with a private boating area and a boat for each owner. He has also introduced, for the first time in Ahmedabad, the concept of a private swimming pool for every home.

Chirag Rao’s journey into real estate is a testament to his innovative spirit and strategic thinking. His early life was shaped by a disciplined upbringing. His father worked in a government job, both sisters are doctors, and his mother is a homemaker. He completed an MBA in Finance in Ahmedabad, followed by an LLB. Discipline at home was reinforced by his father’s profession.

During his student years, he dreamt of running a hotel or restaurant. However, after completing his MBA, he joined the family textile business in Surat in 2005. At the time, the business operated 48 power looms, which he expanded to 200.

The turning point in Chirag’s career came after his marriage. About a year later, on his wife’s birthday, he asked what gift she wanted. Instead of jewelry, a car, or a holiday, she asked for a ground-floor shop. Despite having no prior real estate investments, he agreed. He contacted a channel partner, who brought freshly printed project documents from a newly launched scheme. On impulse, Chirag asked whether a discount would be offered if he bought all the shops. Encouraged by the assurance that they would sell, he purchased all 12 shops in a project on Surat’s Bhatar side in 2010.

Chirag bought the 12 shops for ₹30 lakh and eventually earned a profit of ₹1.5 crore. This experience made him realize the potential of real estate compared to textiles. From that point, he decided to focus entirely on property development.

Later, while planning to set up a factory in Surat, Chirag faced difficulties obtaining Non-Agriculture (NA) status for industrial land. After coordinating with farmers and resolving documentation issues, an architect noticed his interest in real estate and invited him to partner in a residential project. At the age of 26–27, he agreed and co-launched an affordable housing project named Arcade in Pandesara, Surat.

Initially, Chirag relied on a partner who promised to sell all flats without investing money, in exchange for a 35% share. When sales stalled, Chirag took charge himself, learning real estate basics from scratch. In 2013, he offered 5% brokerage to channel partners and introduced a scheme allowing flats and offices to be booked without any token amount for 10 days. With prices between ₹5 and ₹10 lakh, the entire project of 260 flats sold out within seven days.

Opposite this project was Om Project, owned by Bakulbhai Kothiya. Despite lacking funds, Chirag’s sales success led Bakulbhai to offer him a partnership—without requiring any capital. This reinforced Chirag’s belief in collaboration and the importance of channel partners.

Chirag credits his father-in-law, Advocate Janakbhai, as his mentor. On his advice, he shifted to Ahmedabad around 2013. He was tasked with selling an unsold project in East Ahmedabad and introduced a novel scheme: booking a flat with a token of just ₹21. Middle-class families responded positively. Chirag spent around ₹500 per booking on ice cream and photographs for families. The strategy worked, and all flats were sold. After this success, he decided to focus exclusively on West Ahmedabad.

His first West Ahmedabad project was Shreya Antilia 4 BHK, designed by renowned architect Apurva Amin. Named after Mukesh Ambani’s residence, the branding slogan welcomed “Aspiring Ambanis of Ahmedabad.” The Antilia brand gained recognition, leading to further projects such as Amalga on Sindhu Bhavan Road, Shreya Antilia Commercial, and plotting and farmhouse developments in Ahmedabad’s R3 zone.

In the commercial project Amalga, 86 showrooms remained unsold for two months. Despite limited experience in commercial sales, Chirag relied on channel partners, who sold 60% of the project within 60 days. Chirag emphasizes that he never wanted to develop ordinary projects. In Antilia, he introduced Ahmedabad’s first vertical garden concept. In commercial buildings, all offices were designed to face the road. In farmhouse developments, instead of car parking, each owner was given a private boating area and a boat.

In Shilaj, Chirag is developing a 22-storey 4 BHK project where each flat includes a private swimming pool on the balcony. Using swim spa technology, residents can swim in place. The building has two flats per floor, resulting in 44 private pools, an Ahmedabad first. Similarly, in Gandhinagar, a 3 BHK project offers five balconies per home.

The name Chrome Group combines astrology and emotion. Chirag wanted a name linked to his son Om, while the letter ‘K’ has always held a special significance for him. This name reflects his commitment to innovation and luxury in real estate development.

Chirag Rao’s innovative projects are setting new standards in Ahmedabad’s real estate market, making luxury living accessible and exciting for the city’s residents.