ChangeAgent Property

Let your clients know they're appreciated. You and your client have finally made it — the weekends of open houses, the mounds of paperwork and numerous inspections and negotiations have led to this moment, when you can finally exclaim that this house is “SOLD!” What better way to cap off the experience than to give your sellers something that will keep this milestone, and you, at the forefront of their mind. Here are a 7 memorable gift ideas that say a lot more than “thank you for your business,” courtesy of the creative group members of Lab Coat Agents: 1. Personalized household items Consider giving your seller a set of personalized knives, wine glasses or other decorative items such as blankets and pillows. Many agents raved about Cutco knives that range from about $75 to $100 for a set of two.

Lifestyle The other day I was talking to a friend who runs a fast-moving consumer goods company, or what the experts call an "FMCG" company. He was surprised when I said to him, "I also consider myself to be in the FMCG sector; I discourage my people from seeing our business as a ‘technology’ business.” "I don't understand what you mean?" my friend said. "I thought you were in the telecoms business; isn't that technology?" "We sell fast-moving consumer goods. Our products and services (things like ‘airtime’) are for the mass market consumer. We’re no different from Coca Cola. We’re chasing the same consumer dollars." Then I added, "Now if you’re a consumer goods company selling bread, you must begin to see yourself as technology company if you want to succeed in today's digital world." A technology company that sees itself only as a "technology" company will end up losing sight of the customer. And...

Investment Being one of the investment geniuses of the current time, Warren Buffet has certainly given a decent piece of advice for our average Joe. According to a recent survey done by Trulia, the American dream of owning a home is alive, and in fact, more people are adding it to their personal American dream, at 75% for 2016. At the same time, 22% of the respondents expect getting a mortgage to become harder in 2016 among other challenges towards homeownership. If you already own your home and have plans to invest in rental real estate, but aren’t quite sure about getting the necessary funding, this post is a goldmine of knowledge for you. “Never depend on single income. Make investment to create a second source.” ~Warren Buffet How to Get Financing for Your Next Investment Property? Conventional Real Estate Loans

Success is sexy! *wink*. Below is what she posted on instagram... As a woman people have a way of disregarding your successes ,they attribute it to so many unthinkable things to reduce your achievements. As women we are strong, powerful, intelligent, smart and driven. We can achieve whatever we set our minds to achieve. "I told myself 5 years ago that I'll start my real estate company and I stand today to say I've been able to achieve most of my set goals, I say this without pride but to encourage young women out there.

APPARENTLY buoyed by the growing apathy by commercial banks to fund projects and impact of on-going reforms by the government, a new report has predicted that developers will be more cautious in property development as the economy remains slow, and prepare for a changing landscape. The Lagos Housing Development Market – 2016 Outlook Report by Residential Auctions Company (RAC) disclosed that “the next coming months and beyond will be testing times for developers as demand is likely to be curtailed with clients cutting back on spending until a clearer picture of the economy emerges to restore consumer confidence in the market. “It is expected that a lot of developers will tread carefully when embarking on new projects to launch and location of choice will be a paramount factor. Also to hedge risks, developers will cut back on the size of projects they embark upon and will seek to develop small size projects that will provide not more than three – ten units, which will quickly attr...

The energy efficient office complex under construction in Lagos IN its desire to provide a befitting office complex for high-end businesses in the Lagos-Epe corridor, Messrs Kdscope International Limited has unveiled an energy efficient office complex suitable for high net-worth investors and multinational organizations in Lekki axis, Lagos. The Nigeria property market, especially within the Lekki axis is considered a profitable venture for investors. With the high rate of development and unabated desire of many Lagosians to live or do business in Lekki, the area has become a toast for property investors as one of the fastest growing property market in Lagos, not only for residential uses but also for business/commercial purposes. The building of the future, which is constructed to a standard of international specifications consists of two wings of office

Before we weigh the pros and cons between a residential property and a commercial property, let’s define the two real estate terminologies. A residential property is any property that derives all or nearly all of its income from dwelling units. Single-family homes, multi-families, apartment buildings, condos, co-ops are all residential. For commercial property, we’ll use a typical layman’s definition: property that derives its income from non-residential sources, such as offices, retail space and industrial tenants. The Pros and the Cons Like any of your investment choices, each type of property has its pros and cons. For example: Residential Property Pros: 1.      Residential units are generally easy to rent. Turnover in housing is high, so you can usually count on an ample pool of potential tenants. 2.      Leases are generally short, especially for apartments, so you can keep pace with the rental market. This means cash flow te...

Land use administration in developed countries is carried out with ease and this is due to their adoption of E-government. However the situation is not the same in some developing countries and Nigeria is no exception. This article addresses concept of ICT model in Land use administration. Land remains pivotal to any meaningful development of man and his society. The continued existence of man and his growth depend on availability of land for the much needed development. Land cannot be reproduced, destroyed nor depleted, albeit it can be mismanaged. Once land is mismanaged, the whole economy is distorted and the social and economic fabric of the state disintegrates to the detriment of man and his society. This is an inescapable consequence as land provides shelter, food, minerals and other resources needed for man’s development. Outside its physical direct importance to man, society and the state, land also remains to date the most viable and sought after security for bank advan...

Realtor Knight Frank projects that Kenya will attract more foreign real estate investors seeking growth opportunities in the fast-growing African cities due to its investment hub status. Knight Frank’s Africa Hotspots bulletin states that these investors will increase their investments in Nairobi’s real estate market up to 2019, mainly banking on the projected rise in population and high spending patterns by a rising middle class. According to the bulletin, Africa’s growth potential has led to a notable increase in activity involving foreign investors from the Middle East and Asia. Knight Frank’s head of Africa, Peter Welborn said, “We have seen rising interest in Africa from an increasingly diverse range of international investors, developers and occupiers in recent years. Meanwhile, an increasingly significant flow of capital has emerged from South Africa into other African markets.”

Estate agents in London are opening at the rate of one every 1.6 days   Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images More than 200 estate agents have opened in London in the past year, at a rate of one every 1.6 days, despite a crippling lack of supply and decline in transactions. The City of Westminster has the greatest number, at 228, and has seen a 27.4pc increase in estate agents opening in the past 12 months. Online estate agent HouseSimple.com carried out the research that found there are some 2,900 estate agents in the capital, outnumbering the total of independent butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers. Other boroughs which have seen steep rises in the number of estate agents include Islington (26.1pc) and Hammersmith and Fulham (15.9pc). The only borough where there was a decline in the number of agencies was Enfield, which has six fewer than the previous year. House prices in London grew 9.4pc during 2015, according to the Office for National Statistics, compared with the UK...

The proposed Alade Mall, Ikeja, Lagos AFTER 11 years, the dream of several stakeholders for a new modern Alade market may come true soon, if the assuring words of the council, concessioner, and developer of the project are anything to go by. Thus, to replace the now decrepit but nonetheless popular Lagos Market situated just next to the all important Allen Junction, a notable business hub of the metropolis will be a new Alade Mall whose developer reveals would stand magnificently on four floors and upon 1.5 hectares of land. The project conceived by Ikeja Local Government in 2005 will have a giant aquarium, high – tech games that promises lots of fun and adventure for children. A crèche, a mini-clinic for health and safety purposes are some of the unique features being planned for the new market whose estimated cost of construction way back in 2010 stood at a an eye-popping N6.9billion. The firm of Master’s Reality International Concepts Limited which in 2010 won the contract...

IN a renewed effort to address several issues affecting waterfront development in Lagos State, the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development has assured stakeholders on possible solutions that would ultimately lead to boosting dredging activities in the state. Speaking at a one-day stakeholders meeting last week in Alausa, Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Mr. Adebowale Akinsanya, an engineer, said that the dimension of dredging operation in the state had necessitated for quick attention so as to protect the state’s fragile coastline. Akinsanya stated that, Lagos state as a mega city has its expectations in the committee of nations and all hands must be on deck to ensure that “we live up to those expectations especially in the areas of waterfront development. Lagos state is about 23 per cent of water and we need to manage this special gift from God.” He said that, in the past many operators have perpetrated all sorts of atrocities in the areas of d...

Buhari NIGERIA’S President Muhammadu Buhari will next week lead deliberations that will chart a sustainable path for Africa’s urban future, as Ministers for Housing and Urban Development on the continent gather in the Federal Capital Abuja, at the Africa Regional Preparatory Conference for the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III). The Habitat III conference, scheduled to hold in Quito, Ecuador in October this year, will be next in the 20-year cycle of global summits convened to address the growing challenges arising from unprecedented urbanisation, notably in Africa and other developing regions of the world. The Abuja Regional Preparatory Conference will be the second in the series of regional summits expected to harvest regional priorities that will ultimately form the new global urban agenda. The first in the series of regional summits, the Habitat III Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting, was held in October last year in Ja...

WITH the downturn in Nigeria’s construction industry due to slump in oil prices, how will AfricaBuild stimulate investment in the housing sector? Business should never come to a complete stand still even when the economic circumstances are dire. All business is about relationships. These need to be established, nurtured and maintained. A well -organised trade fair/exhibition like the AfricaBuild facilitates exactly that – the establishment of relationships. As you know, the exchange rate of Nigeria’s naira to the dollar or Euro has created a huge inflation, especially skyrocketing prices of imported building materials and construction equipment. How will you use the exhibition to generate the market for local industries? As mentioned earlier, we are well aware of the current challenging business environment in Nigeria. Austrian companies, nevertheless, regard Nigeria as the most important market in West Africa and as a very important market in the larger context of Sub-Saharan...

-IKOYI SALES -KINGSWAY ROAD -5 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE WITH A SWIMMING POOL ALLL BUILT ON 600 SQM LAND -600 MILLION. -CAMERON ROAD -5 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE ON 1100 SQM -COOPER ROAD – A DETACHED HOUSE BUILT ON 2544 SQM LAND. -KURAMO CLOSE – A HOUSE  ON 2700 SQM LAND 800M. -THURNBULL ROAD -1617 SQM  2162 SQM LAND @MAROKO IKOYI -OJORA STREET – 2487 SQM LAND WITH BUILDING APPROVAL & LAGOS STATE C of O.  4000sqm on BOURDILLON – 1.7b MILLION -MAROKO CLOSE -WING DUPLEX ON 2162 SQM LAND OFF QUEENS DRIVE -CAMERON ROAD – 5 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE WITH 2 ROOMS BQ ON 3600 SQM LAND – 950 M -MILVERTON ROAD – NEWLY BUILT 7 BEDROOM DETACHED MANSION WITH GYM,SWIMMING POOL,GENERATOR ALL BUILT ON 2000 SQM – 1.5 BILLION ✅-BANANA ISLAND SALES UPDATE- -B7 – 2021 SQM – 680 MILLION -M11- 2000 SQM – 750 MILLION -M27 – 2101 SQM – 800 MILLION

Real Estate Article There are different types of real estate investments beside buying and selling property. One of the hottest investment strategies is crowdfunding.  Crowdfunding has been reinvented to fit into the digital age with a wealth of information and online platforms to invest right from your home or office. As such, it is one of the top types of real estate investments available.  Crowdfunding is so hot right now, that it is a billion dollar industry. According to sources for Entrepreneur.com, "Real-estate crowdfunding was a $1 billion industry in 2014 and is expected to grow to more than $2.5 billion this year."  Why is crowdfunding one of the top types of real estate investments? Nav Athwal, CEO of a real estate crowdfunding platform, explains:  "With the passage of the JOBS Act in late 2012, crowdfunding has caught fire and is being used to raise money for everything from startups to small businesses.  In fact, in 2013 alone, crowdfund...

A mortgage is a lien on a property/house that secures a loan and is paid (interest and principal) in installments over an agreed period of time. The mortgage secures your promise that you’ll repay the money you’ve borrowed to buy your home. Mortgages come in many different shapes and sizes, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. It is essential you select the one that is right for you, your future plans, and your financial situation. How to qualify for a Mortgage To qualify for a mortgage you must; meet certain eligibility requirements; be  financially capable of servicing your mortgage (ideally repayments cannot exceed 33% of borrower’s earnings); be credit worthy with no history of bad debts; provide adequate security for the loan; In terms of mortgage eligibility ,  prospective borrowers will be assessed for their eligibility to apply for their preferred product. The eligibility requirements include; Age:  Prospective applicants must be ...

Asking prices for properties in England and Wales have increased by £8,324 this month, according to Rightmove UK property asking prices have hit an all-time record high of almost £300,000, new data suggests. House sellers so far this month have been seeking an average of £299,287 across England and Wales, according to property website Rightmove. The figure is an increase of £8,324 or 2.9 per cent from the average asking price in January, and is £2,738 above the previous all-time high set in October 2015. The biggest increases were in London, where the average asking price has risen by 10.5 per cent over the last year, to £643,843, and in the East, where it rose 10.7 per cent to £321,630. House prices: how much does it cost to live near your Tube stop?

On-going Contruction IF the projections of a Lagos–based estate construction company come to pass, the firm will by September this year, deliver a N2 billion estate comprising 30-unit estate of four-bedroom semi-detached homes located in the ambient neighborhood of Femi Okunnu, Lekki, Lagos. Tagged, ‘The Address Homes’, is a baby of Address Homes Limited and will on completion sit on a parcel of land, secured with registered deed of assignment title with Governor’s content. It is situated at less than two minutes’ drive from the Lekki -Epe Expressway, fifth roundabout, with proximity to the Lekki Shoprite, a mix of good schools, restaurants, shopping, centers and bars. The main contractors include Messrs Famous Construction Company Limited, Wassob and Play In Architecture, one of the foremost design firms in Nigeria currently pushing the boundaries of the real estate industry, according Mr. Oladimeji Audu, the Marketing Manager of Address Homes Limited. According to him, the ...

One of the new project by Houston EB5 in Texas, United States FRESH impetus was added recently to the drive to woo investors into the global housing market, with the offering to potential investors, the opportunity of investing in real estate developments in some projects in Houston Texas, prospects of a good return on investment and opportunity to qualify for permanent residency in the United States. The initiative facilitated in Nigeria by 3Invest Limited in partnership with a real estate investment company, Houston EB5 comes under a scheme to raise capital for District Lofts, Sugarland and Thompson Hotel & Residences San Antonio in the region. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under the Department of Homeland Security administer EB5 Investment Programme. It allows investors who make a qualified investment to fast track permanent legal residency in the United States for themselves and their immediate family without the usual roadblocks or red tape associated w...

1004 Estate A LAGOS High Court, sitting in Igbosere Lagos, has issued a restrained order against the Nigerian police and civil defence in the management of 1004 Estates, Victoria Island, Lagos until the case before it is decided. Also restrained are the leadership of residents’ association (HORA), Halogen Security and Tom Salam Guards, which were asked to maintain the status quo of control and management of the estate by 1004 Estates Limited. Justice Candide-Johnson, also restrained HORA leaders from collecting any money on the estate including service and electricity charges. The Judge’s order was based on the application by 1004 Estates Limited to the court on the illegal occupation of the estate by Halogen Security and Tom Salam Security. The duo had been forcibly installed at gunpoint by armed mobile men of the Nigeria Police Force and 1004 HORA leaders without any order of court. The 1004 Estates Limited is seeking to enjoy the latest order of the court, served the resp...

Steel IN line with the passion for safe building industry, stakeholders have urged the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other regulatory bodies to ensure that production of reinforcement bars and steel in Nigeria complies with prescribed standard. Their call came on the heels of depreciation of naira, which they observed have not impacted negatively on the prices of concrete reinforcement steel. The stakeholders in the construction industry, among them builders, building material merchants and others, pointed out that two popular grades of locally manufactured high tensile reinforcement steel bars (steel rebar) in the Nigerian building materials’ market, have been attracted stable price, despite the downward in the Nigeria’s currency, vis-à-vis foreign currencies. According to them, price of the high grade H.T. steel rebar has remained N140,000 per tonne for the past four years while that of the low grade H.T. steel rebar has been hovering around N100,000 per tonne ...

Landlord trade body predicts major sell-off as tax changes cause investors to quit the market Landlords will sell 500,000 properties in the next 12 months, according to new research from buy-to-let investor trade body the National Landlords Association (NLA). It says landlord confidence is at its lowest ebb since the dark days of the banking crisis. The proportion of landlords looking to sell in the next 12 months has more than doubled since July 2015. The sudden pessimism follows George Osborne’s double-whammy tax attack on the sector. In his July Budget he announced the removal of landlords' mortgage interest tax relief which, when fully implemented in 2020-21, will mean some landlords pay tax on zero income or even on losses.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon ON the heels of the historic international climate agreement in Paris, more than 500 global investors gathered last week at the United Nations to begin mobilizing the trillions of dollars needed to catalyze the global clean energy transition. Speaking just days after scientists confirmed that 2015 was the hottest year on record, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on investors to help achieve a doubling in global clean energy investments by 2020. While those investments hit a record high of $329 billion in 2015, significant gaps remain in growing clean energy at the levels necessary to meet the Paris climate accord’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius. “Today, I call on the investor community to build on the strong momentum from Paris and seize the opportunities for clean energy growth. I challenge investors to double – at a minimum – their clean energy investments by 2020,” Ban told the crowd of financial l...

Residents Laud Ambode Barely two weeks after Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode inspected the state of Ajasa-Command and Abesan roads, work has commenced on the rehabilitation of the stretch of road linking Church Road to Abesan. A visit to the area on Wednesday confirmed the commencement of work on the roads by the State Government. Work has also commenced in the Command axis of the road. During the inspection tour, Governor Ambode had expressed displeasure on the state of Ajasa-Command and Abesan roads, and assured residents of the area that work would commence on the rehabilitation of the roads within the next two weeks. When our correspondent visited the areas, it was noticed that contractors have already moved to Church Road leading to Abesan through Giwa Street, while many shop owners on the road from Agbelekale Junction are already removing them from the road.

News …Ijegun, Alapere Communities Also Benefit …Residents Laud Gesture Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Saturday donated a 500kva transformer to residents of Palmgroove Estate in Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area of the State, as part of the ongoing ‘Light Up Lagos’ initiative. The Governor also donated transformers to two communities in Alapere and Ijegun respectively to boost electricity supply in their localities. Governor Ambode, who was represented at the handing over ceremony by the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Wale Oluwo, had read about the plight of the residents via a newspaper publication in which they appealed to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) to come to their aid to replace their aging transformers.

News In a bid to ensure continuity with improvement, Lagos State Government has approved the appointment of Mr. Dehinde Tunwashe as the new General Manager of Lagos State Mortgage Board, custodian of Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (Lagos H.O.M.S). Until his appointment, Tunwashe was the Executive Director in charge of Operations at Lagos Building Investment Company (LBIC) where he served for nine years rising from the post of Principal Manager. He holds a degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance. He is also an Associate of both Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM).

Real Estate News WITH world’s ultra high net worth population growing, and real estate playing unique role of an investment opportunity, a new report forecasts that the ongoing shift in the wealth creation cycle from the West, and the growing significance of inter-generational wealth transfers will have significant consequences on the luxury residential real estate market, especially on new developments and a change in investment grade cities such as Lagos. The Wealth-X and Sotheby’s International Realty Global Luxury Residential Real Estate Report reveals that the future of luxury residential real estate looks highly promising and positive, with its tendency to gain in value faster than traditional real estate and its greater appeal to ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals with inherited wealth as well as its reputation as a safe asset. Essentially, luxury residential real estate is set to see more and more growth in demand, for example, with the anticipated fast growth in U...

Real Estate News FOLLOWING the slight  lull in the activities  in the housing industry and the onset of  fall in oil prices, which is apparently blowing over, experts  have called on  professionals to jettison competition for few significant development  in the sector this year, but rather synergise with each other in projects. They also agreed that the practitioners need to find a better way to turn around the gloomy picture being painted about the market by creating a niche and keeping their  head above the water.   This formed the thrust of discussion at a real estate seminar for practitioners organized by Poise Nigeria at the Poise Alcove, in Lekki, Lagos, where the Chief Executive Officer of Poise Nigeria, Mavi Isibor, “the real estate sector will stand out in 2016 despite what seems like doom that awaits us.