What informed your choice of career?
I did my Industrial Training at a real estate company. I was at the marketing department, so I often go out to meet clients and prospective buyers. It was in the course of discharging my duties that my boss picked an interest in me. At the end of the programme, he offered to retain me, but for the zeal I have to be independent, I turned down the offer. At the initial stage when I first started, I had no clue as to how to go about it. However, I did a lot of research and also joined real estate networking business. From there, I was able to create my own real estate consultancy firm.
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What motivated you to start your own business rather than search for a white collar job like most of youths?
I have high taste for success and I wanted to have financial freedom. I believe working under someone who would not give me the kind of success I want. I believe those I would be working for started from somewhere, so why can’t I take the bull by the horn? My dream has always been to be an employer of labour.
How much capital do you need to be a realtor?
You can be realtor with little or no capital. What you need is the right information and the right platform. The internet has made it so easy to start without even having an office or structure. Take Uber and Facebook for instance, they started without an office. What you need to start as a realtor is idea and information. Partner with a reputable real estate company, know their product, go for site inspection then reach an agreement of what commission you will like to be paid for every sales you make.
What are the challenges you have been encountering as a realtor?
I would say every entrepreneur has one challenge or the other. First challenge is the fear of starting. If you can overcome the fear of starting then, every other challenges like confidence, ability to be able to convince or convert a prospect to a buyer will be easy. My advice to the upcoming entrepreneur is that you can start without capital; all you just need is an idea. For instance some of the renowned entrepreneur in the world did not start with an office. Uber and facebook are good examples. This is digital age, the whole world is in the palm of your hand. We have seen self made millionaires who had a break by having an integral handle, and came up with creative ideas. Expand your ideas and put it into practice. Most careers now depend on networking. Funny enough most of my clients are those I met on integral.
What makes your organisation to stand out from other firms?
My clients’ interests come first. I don’t just sell piece of land, I give peace of mind. My client’s satisfaction is always my priority. I don’t lie to clients when they express interest in certain properties. I give full details of the properties. There was this client who was not convinced enough on all options given to him by other realtors until we encounter. I gave him the breakdown of all what he needed to have full possession of the land he wanted to buy and he was so happy at the end of the day.
When buying landed properties what are the things to look for?
Generally, the first thing to consider is who are you buying property from? Ask for the documents, make your research. If you are buying from a reputable real estate companies, ask for the land survey and estate layout and other documents.
How has the government policies affected your business?
Two years ago when the Lagos State government increased the survey fee of land things were tough, buyers complained about high price, but one had to convince and explain to clients that survey charges had been included and it would go directly to the state government.
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