Investment Mistakes You Need to Avoid in 2023

READ A TRUE LIFE STORY OF HOW A LADY LOST HER PRECIOUS GOLD TO A FRIEND

I got back from the UK that Sunday morning at about 10:35 a.m after 20 years, and while I was still amazed at how the airport has changed from what it looked like before I left the country, I had my friend Adanma screaming my name in excitement as she had come to pick me up from the airport.

We hugged each other for like 65 seconds before she grabbed my bag. As we work down to where she packed, you need to see how I opened my mouth when I saw the kind of car she drove to pick me up. I was like, “Babe, what’s up?” You are driving a 2014 Range Rover Evoque, and she said, “Nah God, ooo, the story long.”

While she was driving, I didn’t know when we got home as I was feeding my eyes with so many beautiful buildings that weren’t here when I left the country. Before I knew it, she brought me to a beautiful apartment, then she said, “Babe, welcome to my house,” and I was very surprised to see that my friend, to whom I used to give a polybag filled with rice every month, now owns a duplex.

It wasn’t like I don’t want her to be successful but because I thought nothing good can come out of Nigeria anymore.

Hello, my name is Mrs. Justina Okeke, Wife and Mother of three beautiful children. 20 years ago, I used to live in Lagos, Nigeria, with my family before we relocated to the UK. Back then, I and my friend were working for the state government.

The pay from the government was very small and not enough to pay bills, yet the government even owed us. But thank God that my lovely husband was well to do, so I couldn’t feel it, if the salary was not enough but it was very hard for my friend because her husband was dead …, thus making me to always help her out with foodstuffs every month.

The state government owed us so much that they could not pay again because the money would be too much to take out of the government purse, so they decided to pay their debt with landed property, which they gave everyone, including me and my friend, two plots of land from Maroko Community, which is now known as Lekki.

Maroko Before I Left

I was angry that the government owed us so much, and now that they wanted to pay it off, they chose land from Maroko of all places in the state to give to us, knowing full well that Maroko Community was very swampy and the land was not even worth ¼ of what the government owed us then.

Little did I know that I was giving out GOLD.

Before this time my husband and I had already decided to relocate to the United Kingdom with our kids, this made me to angrily dash out my own 2plots of land to my friend advising her to sell it and use it to support herself and her children.

I stayed in the UK with my husband and kids for 20yrs and things were not as rosy as we planned or expected, so I decided to come and visit Nigeria for the first time since we left only for me to see that things have really changed real good for my friend because the two plots of land which I thought were worth nothing was now in the heart of Lekki phase 1.

New Look Of Maroko (Lekki)

Adanma had sold her own plots of land, which was not even in Lekki phase 1 and developed one of my own where she built the Duplex she lives in and now runs a private school which she owns.

You need to see me crying bitterly in my heart while she was giving me gist the second day, of how things turned around for her and her family because of the worthless land the government gave us which I dashed her my own. As soon as she said that I felt like fainting.

We heard a knock on the door and the gateman walked in and said one Chief Tony was here to see her. My friend hissed as she asked the gateman to let him in. So I quickly asked who Chief Tony is that she hissed before she asked to let him come in, the reply she gave me almost made my heart jump out.

She said he is one of those people who wants to buy the last piece of land (which is the last of the two I dashed her), and that he wants to pay ₦115 Million while she is asking for ₦125 Million.

Before you know it Chief Tony walked in with a briefcase and one other gentleman who happened to be his lawyer and he said with a cool tone, “Madam Ada, I am here with my lawyer and the sum of ₦120 Million cash to pay for that land, please accept it from me so we can close the sale”

The next thing I had was my friend Adanma who angrily asked him to leave if he doesn’t have what she is asking for. She concluded by saying, “I am not selling rice and beans here”.

I didn’t know when I busted into tears and started crying out loud. This made Chief Tony to walk out of the house with his lawyer.

I was like, me and my husband has been in the UK for 20years and we can’t boast of ₦20 Million as Husband and wife, yet someone in this same country we left for 20years ago is doing shakara to collect ₦120 Million for the same thing I called trash and worthless 20years ago.

While my friend was trying to console me to stop crying, I immediately asked for her phone and called my husband and asked him to come back to Nigeria.

I also told him that as for me I am no longer going back to the UK. He was shocked to hear that but was more shocked when I told him that the worthless plots of land which the state government gave us then which I had dashed out to my friend are now worth more than a hundred million naira.

It’s Never Too Late

I quickly got a new MTN sim-card the next day and started looking and searching the internet for cheap lands to buy since I could not afford to buy from the same Lekki I called worthless land 20years ago.

So I met a real estate consultant who was advertising a landed property selling for ₦350k in Ibeju-Lekki, he helped me to get my first 4plots of land with no hassle and no Omonile Whahala.

Since then till now I have bought more than 20 plots of land around Lekki Free Trade Zone Area (LFTZ) through him and have not stopped advising young people especially young couples to start buying land, in fact, to buy land before they buy a car.

Indeed landed property is the best and surest form of investment anyone can use to secure his/her future.

You don’t understand, I was so shocked to see Maroko transform into what is now known as Lekki without any substantial development other than Gated Estates. These made me pay more attention when real estate consultant told me about the new area that the state Government was focusing their attention on, the Free Trade Zone.

As at that time Dangote and some other companies had not shown interest in the area, so imagine what the area will become by the time Dangote Oil Refinery and other industries comes to life in the area.

Just like how my worthless land went to be worth more than a hundred million naira.

Before I forget, my friend finally sold that plot of land for  ₦180m to another buyer after 2 weeks, and as a good friend, she gave me ₦50m from the sale.

Did I hear you say she could have given me all the money since she is living on one and has sold two of hers, coupled with the fact that her life and that of her family have greatly improved because of those lands?

I want you to also remember that I had dashed her the land, not to keep it for me, so she did noble to even have given me ₦50m out of the sale.

Besides I am grateful to God because I stayed 20years in the UK and could only boast of UK Citizenship and few millions in Naira in our family account, then few weeks in Nigeria and I could now boost of ₦50m and 4plots of land that has appreciated to ₦4.5m as we speak today.

So, my friend, my advice for you is to go and buy land NOW, get a property investment especially in Ibeju-Lekki, if you want to start reaping from it in the next 5 years.

I decided to grant this interview because I don’t want someone to make the same mistake I did 20 years ago. Buying land is better than buying cars or even saving money in the bank.

You never can tell when that piece of land will rise to either save you, boost you, or even be an investment worth leaving behind for your next generation.

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they made the wrong spending choice, to avoid such scenario making wise investment decisions is very crucial.

Remember that the first and safest form of investment, which has very low risk, is investing in landed property. Also, you don’t wait to buy land; you buy land and wait.

According to Andrew Carnegie, 90% of all millionaires become so by owning a real estate investment.

If you have taken out your time to read this heart touching story, comment if you have similar story or need help. Then share this story for others to read. Don’t ignore!

MY NAME IS Dominic Desmond

I CAN HELP YOU TO MAKE AN INTELLIGENT DECISION ON REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT

CONTACT ME ON
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