Sujimoto Group, a relatively new entrant into the Nigerian property market, is getting set to excite property buyers by blending the 16th century architectural ingenuity, inspired by the great works of the Medici family, with the functionality of 21st century lifestyle in its new project.
The new project, known as GiulianoBySujimoto, is located in Banana Island, Lagos and comprises 10 units of luxury houses with two penthouses. It was presented to brokers and agents in the housing industry recently.
‘‘In designing the Giuliano, we understood that, to be needed, we needed to be loaded. We went round Ikoyi and Banana Island; we toured the best terraces and apartments, looking for standards to set and records to beat; we also visited a couple of terrace houses, villas in different parts of the world; we wanted to give Nigerians value for money or even above that,’’ said Sijibomi Ogundele, CEO, Sujimoto Group, at the presentation.
Ogundele explained that the project was presented to the agents and brokers because they wanted them to understand the idea behind the strategy of the project, the reason for the project, the luxury aspect of it and story behind it.
“In order to develop this, we made sure that we were able to develop very strong competitive advantages over existing projects. We saw the best projects around here and we designed something that we believe will be better than any other thing around us in terms of size, finishing and luxury experience.
“It was very important that whatever we were designing could stand the test of time and, most importantly, could compete with international standards’’, he assured.
According to him, the Giuliano is very affordable compared to other properties in Banana Island, adding that it has flexible payment plan and 40 percent off the price before the project is completed.
“Giuliano offers 19 percent return on investment (RoI) and 9 percent RoI on annual rent. We developed 10-units and in less than three or four months, we have sold them all and have only two units left; they are only residential units; most of our clients are people that bought to lease out for investment purposes” , he said.
Some of the project’s unique features include fully automated building with 21st century Building Management System (BMS), 80 percent external cladding with special Spanish marble stone, five years warranty programme, two kitchens in each apartment, three parking lots per apartment and a walk-in closet in all bedrooms.
Other features include private elevator for each unit, sanitary ware (Zaha Hadid by Porcelanosa), 42-inch television set in bathrooms and kitchen, two maids-rooms, among other materials all of which were imported from Spain and Italy.
‘‘Aside from the exceptional quality of features and facilities, no drop of paint will be on the Giuliano. The whole exterior will be clad in a special Spanish stone, the same façade that was used for Baba Ijebu’s house, which is regarded as the most expensive house in Nigeria,’’ he said.
Ogundele revealed that the Nigerian property market has been good to them as a company, pointed out however that “it’s very difficult to have a dream in a very difficult economy and watch your dreams snatched from you. You wake up in the morning and hear negative reports on how the economy is not doing well and people are not buying”.
He advised that investors should ‘‘believe in what they do and develop an extraordinary passion for what they do. “Without passion, nothing will work, especially in this difficult time because passion is what keeps me going,’’ he said.
He assured that going forward, Nigerians should expect ‘‘nothing but the best” from the company. “Nigerians should expect extraordinary buildings. We are also trying to build hotels that will set us apart from the crowd. We are looking at affordable hotels. If the best hotel is selling its rooms for N100,000, we are ready to sell ours for N50,000 and we are able to deliver better room size, quality, experience and quality of service. We are also trying to do six housing units in Banana Island and other six units on Queen’s Drive. So, it’s going to be a busy year for Sujimoto.’’
CHUKA UROKO
