I was in the office on a Saturday morning tiding up some paperwork that a client of my needed. It was an urgent work that must be done hence the reason I decided to go to office on a Saturday when I was supposed to the resting at home and bonding with my girls.
The office was unusually quiet with only the receptionist at the front desk. I wondered where everyone was but then it dawned on me that I too was not supposed to be at the office except for the emergency that brought me there. Saturdays are strictly for inspections and in a short while the clients that had earlier booked for inspection arrived. But before their arrival I received a call from my boyfriend that he was on his way to our office with two of his friends that want to buy land.
I immediately informed the front desk about the impromptu inspection. She assured me that she would make necessary arrangement for another vehicle in order for all the clients to be comfortable and relaxed.
It was a two and half hour drive before we got to the estate which is located in Epe Lagos State. Epe is the next big city coming up in Nigeria and it is said that it is the Dubai of Nigeria. My boyfriend's friends were not impressed at first at what they saw because according to them the area wasn't developed yet and they feared that it's not going to be a good investment for them. Looking at them,one would deduct that they had already made up their mind not to buy the land.
This is where I knew that they needed a complete understanding of how real estate works. I told them to look around and when they were done, I asked them...
" What do you see?"
They all replied that they saw nothing but bushes and trees. No single house to show that the place is close to civilization.
"It will take ages before development will reach here"
I explained to them that it was exactly the same thing many people said about Dubai. Even when the country was asking other countries to borrow them money most countries turned them down because they think that nothing good will ever come out from Dubai. Today Dubai is the most toured country in the world.
Epe was known as just a farmland before but that was then because as of today Epe is being referred to as the second smart city in Nigeria. It is the proposed site for the new international airport and there are already many developments coming into the city already. Just recently the government of Lagos state unveiled $100 million film city in Epe covering over 100 hectares of land.
Now tell me again why you think that this place is out of civilization? You may be seeing bushes all around you but I am seeing a big city, bigger than lekki and Victoria island and I assure you that not buying into Epe now will be the biggest mistake you will ever make in your life.
They went inside the car to think because clearly I have just downloaded them with food for thought. When they eventually returned they transferred the first down payment and sealed the deal.
By this time my boyfriend hugged me and whispered in my ears that we should get atleast two plots for ourselves from that estate. He was so eager to make a transfer immediately.
"Imagine what we can build in this estate babe. We can build shortlet apartments to serve the people coming into the city from the airport and also those coming to the film city. We will make so much money here babe".
I smiled.
We have earlier planned on retiring in Epe when the girls leave for college because it's serene and calm unlike other parts of Lagos but it seems that as long as Lagos is concerned there won't ever be anything like calm and serene in it's dictionary.
The beauty of Lagos is in it's hustle and bustle life style. This city called Epe is going to be a very busy city.
All PICTURES ARE MINE.