Without any sense of contradiction, I enjoy marketing as much as I enjoy Legal Practice and Journalism. I actually had my first degree in Marketing and relished its practice. So, this season brings to memory, those great days I worked as a sales man with one of the foremost brands manufacturer of Air conditioner and Home Appliances. We looked forward to the zest and thrill of this season. Now, I can feel the charged environment for every one that has one thing or the other to offer including the Real Estate subsector. I wrote on Housing and Season. The readers’ feedback was overwhelming. Some readers asked if I knew where they could buy one house and get one free! Well; I couldn’t really answer that since I was not too sure. Now, I can boldly tell you that you can even have a better deal than ‘buy-one-get-one-free’. This is not a fairy tale. I have been on the road for weeks, detailing activities from major players and what they have for Nigerians this season. I must say, my search is paying up sumptuously. There are unbelievable offers thrown up by major players in the industry to encourage Nigerians into house ownership. If you have not seen any, you have not looked careful enough. Or better still; you are probably carried away by the hard biting effect of the scarce petroleum motor spirit popularly known as fuel. A lot is happening. Do not be distracted. Be focused so that you can reap from the bounty of the season.
Like I said, ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ may not be the best offer you can get in the season. Some Property developers, mostly those that partner with Mortgage institutions seem to be at the forefront of this ‘bumpa’ period. Last week, I ran into Professor Ahonsi Simeon, the Chairman/CEO of SIM Group. SIM Group is a major player in the Housing subsector of the seconomy; it is the parent of SIM Property & Homes Limited, owners of one of the largest Mortgage Estates in the country; probably next to Gwarimpa Estate which is located in the suburb of the Federal Capital Territory. I jokingly asked him if he had a ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ offer for my teaming readers who are asking for season’s bounty this year. The Prof. told me SIM Property has a better offer. First, it sounded exaggerated till he challenged me to attend one of the Meet-the-clients occasion that came up a few days latter in the flourishing estate occupying an unbelievable 567 Acres of land in the suburb of Ogun state. What was so fascinating was the various types and quality of houses the company has to offer to the public. I have been involved in various Mortgage packages, but, I must say, without sounding immodest that this is one great offer that the buying public will find unbelievable. For instance, the company has what they call One-Bedroom Apartment. This is actually a 2-Bedroom flat generally speaking. This apartment comprises of a Terrace, a standard sitting room, a standard bedroom and a support room all ensuite with a continental kitchen to go with it. This apartment is conveniently suitable for a family of four without any level of inconvenience. Wait for the shocker; this house has a packaging space for up to four cars, a spacious rare space very convenient to undertake in-house chores; a water reservoir up to 1000 liters that backs up water supply from the general water system. The finishing is exquisite. The floor is polished vitrified tiles and the ceiling finished with suspended, with a compliment of PVC Ceiling for the outside surroundings. These houses are ready-to-pack-in. what amazed me most is that this apartment goes for Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira only. Now, this; all you need to take your keys into this ready-to-pack-in apartment is just a down payment of TEN PERCENT of this value and spread the rest for as long as TWENTY-FIVE YEARS on a Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria’s package. Does this not sound unbelievable? But it is real. When I went into the Estate to see for myself, I saw the place bubbling with life as families of both low and middle income classes have already settled down; savoring the serenity of the cozy environment with state-of-the-art security arrangement. In fact, gaining entrance into the Estate a few days latter, even in my capacity was almost as difficult as biblical head of camel and needle analogy.
For you to buy one and get one free would actually require you to pay fully for one. For this, you just require ten or twenty percent of the value of your choice apartment to take possession for immediate occupation. A resident in this same estate relayed his unsavory experience in the hands of the notorious ‘omon-onile’ to me. He recounted with nostalgia how his land with a partly completed three bedrooms apartment was sold to a willing buyer who built a six-bedroom duplex on it in less than three months. He said the SIM Package took him away from the humiliation that horrible experience had catapulted him into. ‘Now, I pay only a paltry Twenty-five Thousand Naira to service this palatial apartment monthly and in just about ten years, I would have finished paying. I never believed it when I first of all saw their advert on Silverbird television till a colleague who accessed a three-bedroom bungalow here practically forced me into it. Am forever grateful to this company and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN’, he remarked. He was the one that now conveyed us round the huge estate that is expected to house about five thousand housing units when finally done. Another resident told me how he had to ploy his almost life savings back into business after paying just twenty percent for a three bedroom full detached apartment from the savings he was actually hoping to expend in building a three bedroom flat in a less prestigious and less secured neighborhood. In the words of Mr. Ahonsi Simeon, a Professor of Housing and Urban development who is the CEO of SIM Group, every Nigerian can afford a house in our Estate no matter how little he earns. I can say, by what I have seen, It is true. Is this not a better package than ‘buy-one-get-one-free’?
I have to dwell extensively on this to satisfy the curiosity of my teaming readers who are desirous of various housing offers. Now, we are in a season when accessing Housing is not through tears again. In fact, the CEO of SIM Group told me that this offer is not limited to the season alone. The company has actually decided to adopt it as an ongoing concern. So, while the wait, take a dash and be a proud house-owner now through Mortgage. He also told me in confidence that the requirements in addition to the meager deposit are as simple as A,B,C. He said the company also goes out of her way to give administrative support to those who may not be qualified at the spot without keeping them on the waiting list once they meet the affordability test. This is a great time for Nigerians.
For those that are interested in lands to develop on their own, there are also those companies that have great offers on this. Just take a look at property magazines and other sources of information including PropertyLogic Inc., we will be glad to be of help in this direction. We are aware of what Nigerians go through in real estate and property acquisition; we are positioned to make a difference through public awareness media, seminars, workshops and symposia. Just hang on with us here on Businessday Sunday, Nigeria’s foremost Business & Financial daily; you won’t miss out of any valuable news and information. Till we come your way again next week, keep up with us on this platform.
Akhigbe Dominic