How to Get Cheap Apartments in Nigeria

Okay, so it’s about time you get your own apartment. You feel it! You know it because your gut tells you but you don’t know how to go about it;) After all, it’s your first time and still you don’t want to make mistake, mistakes that can be avoidable. Well, I’m here to tell you that “it is going to be good and you do not need to worry anymore”.

Why? Because today I’m going to be showing you everything I know about getting an apartment! Not only the how to’s but how to get it and get peace of mind. I just need you to be here with me all through this blog post. I pray this info goes a long way for you as it has for me and those that I’ve shared it with offline.

Now, let’s travel on this short journey to a new discovery. Without wasting much of our time. How can we get a good apartment and also get peace of mind? Hmm, first of, it’s not easy to get a good apartment not to talk of having one with a peace of mind. If it is, I know you would not have clicked this blog post not to talk of reading it. B

ut before I move on further, I hope you agree with me that perfect apartments don’t exist only good ones. What I am trying to say is “there’s no such thing as a perfect apartment”. Yes, even the most expensive ones (the fact that an apartment cost “X” amount doesn’t mean it is perfect) “just saying!” Anyways, I’ll try to elaborate more on this as time goes.

3 Considerations Before Getting an Apartment

1. He must put into consideration how much he has in terms of paying his yearly rent.

2. He must put into consideration the area he wants to live in. My best advice is for 3 him to choose at least 3 areas. This is to make sure he’s not restricted to one.

3. He must consider the distance of this area to his workplace except if he’s working from home.

Now, we’ve talked about the major things to consider when it comes to getting your own apartment, I will like us to talk on the 3 misconceptions I have discovered we youths have about getting an apartment in this my short while that I’ve been sensible to maturity.

3 Major Misconceptions About Apartments in Nigeria

Just like I said earlier the fact that an apartment cost “X” amount doesn’t mean it is good or perfect. But unfortunately, most people are still deceived by this or should I say they still brainwashed by this. About 2 years ago, a friend of mine felt it was about time to start living alone, so he went on the search. 

After the long search, he got what he termed a “perfect apartment”. Yeah, that’s what he called if I remember correctly. Although expensive my friend said he’ll pay for it that he loved it. He paid for it and a year, he called me and as we were gisting he told me his experience so far about the apartment.

He said water stopped running in the house after 6 months he moved in and he has been using other means to get water and asides this there are many other issues. I felt for him because it is not easy paying that huge amount he told me he was paying and not get the money’s worth.

I guess he decided to tell me about the water that stopped running because this was the most pressing issue on his mind aside other things.

1. If the Apartment is cheap, it’s also good

There’s another school of thought that believes that once an apartment is cheap, it’s also good. Note: When I am talking about cheap here (it’s relative). Cheap to me might not be cheap to you.

This particular school of thought thinks that because these kinds of apartments are cheap they will help them in saving money while living in the house till they are able to buy their own house or land. Whereas this is not always true. “Sometimes, if an apartment is cheap, you’ll spend more money to maintain it.”

2. Finding Good Apartments is hard 

I used to think this way too until I understood this later. Finding a good apartment is not hard, finding a perfect apartment is. To get a good apartment you just need to take your time and be clear-headed or clear-minded as some intelligent people will call it. Don’t be deceived by what you see.

And another thing you need to put in mind is paying your yearly rent. This is what is extremely hard not finding an apartment. OK, that’s all on this part. Let’s move to 3 reasons should not get an apartment. That is, if you’re thinking of getting your own apartment base on these grounds, you need to rethink again.

3 Reasons not get an Apartment in Nigeria

1. You have too much money

Yes, do not think that too much money should lead to sudden independence. It’s not enough for you start living alone because you now have excess money. There are other things you can use your money to do for now that can go a long way for your money like investments, shares, business(new) and so on.

If you must get an apartment obviously because you’ve made up your mind, buy it. I mean instead of renting the apartment or house and paying yearly buy it. That will be an asset.

2. You want to be free

So far with what I’ve seen, I think this is common with our women folks. Once they have made the extra cash they are in a hurry to leave their parents’ house or their mate’s house. They begin to say things like. “I want to be free” “I don’t want anyone tailing my movement or telling me when you to come”.

I have heard like 3 of my friends say this at a random. Pardon me but all this is usually an excuse to live a wayward life. Sorry, it didn’t come out right but you know I’m saying the truth.

3. You want privacy

This is another reason to be wayward also pardon me again for using the word “wayward”. OK, just checked my dictionary and I think wilful is better. This is another reason to be “willful”. Let’s move on. I said earlier that number 2 is common among women folks but this number 3 is common among us the men folks.

We usually say we have grown up and we need their privacy. Whereas this privacy we are talking about most of the time is the ability to bring girls home and guys without questions being asked. Bro, we don’t need privacy, we need Jesus! Now the order of the day, the golden moments,

How to get a Cheap Apartments in Nigeria

1. Be Patient

The first step to getting the apartment of your dreams is to be patient.  Yes, because patience doesn’t spoil, it heals (at least in this aspect). Just a hunch, have you ever been in a rush to buy something and at the end of the day you end up buying the wrong thing or buying a substandard product?

Yes, that is how it is when you’re in a rush to buy things. If you don’t think straight when buying you’ll buy irrationally. I personally have noticed this with myself. So this is what I do now. I no longer buy things when I’m in a rush or when I’m not thinking straight.

Taking this decision has made me think well when it comes to buying things as to it’s OK or not. It has also made me a wise spender. So my little advice is, do not be in a hurry to get your apartment. Take you’re your time. In fact, take the world if you want to.

After all, it’s not that you have a time limit. Thinking rationally means buying or paying for the best and do not forget that the fact that it’s beautiful does not mean its OK.

2. Location is important

It’s also important to consider the area you want to live in mind. Do you want to live in the city or the rural? OK, let me bring this down using examples. Do you want to live in New York? If yes, which part? And for us living in Nigeria, do you want to live in Lagos? If yes, which part of Lagos?

The island or the mainland? If it’s the island which part of the island? Near the ocean or near the … All this must be put in mind. Remember I said the area is important and it’s also not important? And earlier I also talked on choosing at least 3 areas.

This is because of what I’ve seen and experienced myself don’t know if you have too. When you have one particular area in mind, it makes you spend more. For example: Let’s say a 3 bedroom flat in Victoria Island is 3 million naira on the average and that same 3 bedroom flat in Songotedo is 1.8 million naira.

You can’t say because you have chosen Victoria Island as the place you want to live that it’s mandatory you live there. It’s completely sensible and financially wise to go for the one of 1.8 million naira because it will help you can invest the remaining 1.2 into something else, something that will yield in more money.

So the area is important but choosing anywhere means choosing nowhere besides when you call your estate agent or Realtor or whoever that is in the position to look for a good apartment for you. The first question he’ll ask you after you telling him the kind of apartment you want is “which area do you have in mind?”

3. Prioritize your needs

Often times we humans make mistake about this because we fascinated by what we see. Yes, God made us that way. When we go to check out an apartment, instead of us to check for the most important things like the water, the wire connections, the cracked walls, debts that the building is owing.

We ignore these and easily get distracted by how beautiful the apartment looks, the lightning, the tiles and the Jacuzzi it has. To be serious about getting a good apartment and a peace of mind, you have to ask yourself. What are my basic needs in terms of living in an apartment or what are the basic needs to live in any apartment?

Asking these questions will make you instantly forget about your wants and start thinking of your needs. But just in case you have forgotten these needs let me remind you again.

1. Accessible roads: It might not look important now but it will when visitors will come visiting.

2. Water

3. Constant electricity supply or at least average for those of us living in countries that don’t supply enough power.

4. Good walls or good building.

You can add more to these ones have mentioned.

4. Pray, ask God to lead you

Among all the point I’ve told you on how to’s, this is the most important. God leading and guiding you. It is better to live in a hose that doesn’t have everything than a house that is haunted. So many houses are haunted.

They look good but you can’t spend 3 weeks there or even a month. You start hearing and seeing strange things. So it’s important to tell God to guide you on the right one, the right apartment.

The right one (apartment) might appear right to you but once God is in it you’ll know it’s the right one. It’s just like choosing a life partner. Alright! That’s all I know about this. Thank you very much for sticking with me all through on this blog post. Please share this post if you like it. Also please comment and like our page.