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‘ We want to create in-road for young investors and home-owners’

The real estate sector in Nigeria is enjoying dynamic changes that have been yielding positive results, such that investors, partners, and experts are proud to talk about and are enthusiastic about its future.

Ibhakhomu

The real estate sector in Nigeria is enjoying dynamic changes that have been yielding positive results, such that investors, partners, and experts are proud to talk about and are enthusiastic about its future. Ofure Ibhakhomu, an alumnus of the prestigious Lagos Business School, Owner’s Management Programme (OMP24) set, has been in the real estate sector for over a decade. She shares her views with THE GUARDIAN on how the industry could be more beneficial to Nigeria and Nigerians.

How long have you been into the real estate sector?
I have been into the real estate sector for more than a decade.

What keyword drives your real estate brand to be an outstanding one in Nigeria?
LifeCard as a real estate brand is driven on 3 key values which are; insights, foresight, and exceptionalism. We create a lasting impression on our investors, giving them smiling faces on their investments and making our young home seekers happy with the assets they acquire from us.

What can you say about the real estate sector in Nigeria?
The recent progress recorded in the Nigerian real estate sector has been encouraging. The index is growing and the market value is also on the rise. Though there have been tough challenges in the area of policy, and many stakeholders in the real estate has been voicing this out. Hopefully, we can have a drastic change in the policy-making aspect that will strongly support the growth we’ve been experiencing and also help stakeholders and investors achieve permanent solutions to challenges encountered in the sector.

How has LifeCard as a leading real estate company been able to cope despite these challenges?
What has kept us afloat and ahead of the competition has been our unique selling proposition? We sell clear cut real estate solution to a distinct customer segment. The vibrant young population who seeks happiness in the acquisition of their homes, and the investors who seek a higher return on their investments.

With your clear vision in the real estate sector, how have you been able to solve the challenges of funding?
Due to the kind of reputation we’ve built over the years, we are opportune to have a pool of phenomenal investors who are driven by solving fundamental problems like providing homes for home seekers, with an option that allows them to make a greater profit on their investments.

You were quoted in one of your interviews that, every living person on earth is entitled to a certain portion of land. Can you elaborate on this?
According to statistics, there are about 15.77 billion acres of habitable land in the world and the current world population currently stands at about 7.8 billion people. If you do the maths, we are saying each living person is entitled to approximately 2 acres of land each. So our company is bringing the rare opportunity that serves both market segments (young home seekers and investors) to key into and meets their needs.

What strategies are in place to help young people key into this great opportunity your company is offering?
Young people can plan their acquisition strategies based on their earnings. Our company has an existing structure that accommodates and meets their needs as regards this. We offer them the opportunity to open up their asset portfolios on a “pay as you go” basis that won’t push their finances over the edge. We have a lot of land and everybody is entitled to a portion of land in Lagos. You can invest in as low as 100sqm, 300sqm and 400sqm and choose to resell your assets in one or two years when the prices appreciate. This means interested investors can buy in bulk below market value and later resell in bits and pieces. They have opportunity to key into the apartment units by investing in it for monthly rental premium payments; this also has helped to address the vast gap in housing deficit currently been experienced in Nigeria.

How do investors benefit from this opportunity?
The value we offer to the young population of home seekers presents an opportunity for investors to come in. How? We are currently constructing and managing some project The spring apartment. Spring Apartments are blocks of hotel-style first class luxury residential apartment. It is uniquely designed for resident-client and smart investors like you. These are multi family units which are been built and will be managed using a formulated strategic business model proven to guarantee 100% annual occupancy. Hitherto with carefully planned end to end, location to construction cost, with a delivery time frame to final consumers leaving investors with steady and massive cash flow.

How it works:
Purchasing a unit of spring apartment, investors can earn 10-30% rental inflow on their unit with additional 35% capital appreciation yearly. That is over 200% of what you can earn from bank or any financial instrument globally. We assist in generating monthly and yearly rental payment from tenant and pay out cash distribution monthly or yearly.

What can you say about your company’s client base and some of the unique approach that has distinguished you?
We have quite a burgeoning list of reputable investors that believe in our capacity to deliver on profitable real estate portfolios. We’ve been able to meet and exceed their expectations and needs and this has immensely contributed to the increase of our client base. We discovered that while young people are interested in investing in real estate, the prices of genuine titled real estate investments are expensive, so we have decided to introduce something different called Land Banking. Land banking is buying land to sell in the future. We have a lot of land and everybody is entitled to a portion of land in Lagos. You can invest in as low as 100sqm, 300sqm and 400sqm and choose to resell your assets in one or two years when the prices appreciate. Our motivation is to create an inroad for intending young investors and home owners to have access to the vast opportunities that abound in this sector.

What word of advice would you offer to investors, young home seekers and budding real estate entrepreneurs?
My candid word of advice to investors is to key into a fertile value system with a real estate company that has a reputation for delivering a great return on investment on their assets. For the young home seekers, find the real estate firm that has your interest at heart. Your happiness is non-negotiable and to budding real estate entrepreneurs, stay focused, keep growing and keep serving values.

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