•MD/CEO, PRECIOUS OKECHUKWU Tells City People
Precious Okechukwu is one of the shining stars now in the real estate sector. Her real estate company, Havila Real Estate Limited is gaining msssive attention. Who is this young lady in her late 20s?
From a young age, Precious portrayed a keen sense of entrepreneurship. With every new venture being more innovative than the last, she gained real-life experience through the implementation and execution of her risk-taking and thrill-seeking ideas.
She is ambitious and full of zest. Precious is highly intellectual and gifted with marketing brawn. She has it immensely, and brims with zeal and praiseworthy guts. She is a go-getter that knows how to deploy appropriate strategies to accomplish set goals. Underlying these uncommon qualities are the vision and zeal to become one of the biggest real estate firms of choice in Nigeria’s attractive property market. At 27, Ms Precious Okechukwu Adaobi pursues this vision with vigour anchored on the overarching mission to excel in finding sustainable solutions to the chasm created by 29 million housing deficits in Nigeria’s real estate market that require a whopping N59.5 trillion ($74,375,000,000) to fill.
With nimble steps she is consummating sales and achieving the company’s vision through completed and ongoing projects, creating opportunities to investors to partner with the company as homeowners and co-owners of ongoing projects, and investment through fintech.
A few weeks back , She spoke with City People ISAAC ABIMBADE on her journey into real estate. Enjoy the excerpts.
Can you briefly share the story of Havila homes with us?
Havila real estate was founded from the need of providing multi-housing at affordable rates considering the fact that there are lots of people who don’t have the money at once to pay out-rightly, but we can come in a way that will make the rates affordable to spread their payment terms. That’s why we founded Havila Real Estate Limited. It was founded August 6, 2018. We started as an agency. We were partnering with developers and realtors to sell properties. And 20th of October, 2020 was the year we started our first development. It’s 25 units of 2/3 bedroom houses in Lekki County. We are on our 5th project now. We have the Ikota villa estate. We have 50 units of 2 and 3 houses. We have in Mainland, Ajao Estate. We also have in Sangotedo.
Are you majorly into development?
We are into development and we have our landed properties that we sell in Sangotedo, close to Shoprite and close to the expressway. We are also into dredging of sand and we also reclaim the land.
Why the name Havila for your real estate company?
Havila is a spiritual guide gotten from God and it’s in Genesis 2 verse 11: a place of gold. Havila was founded from wealth, from gold and prosperity.
What led you to real estate?
I don’t think anybody can’t do it. For me, I saw an opportunity in the real estate market and I said okay, I can do it considering it’s a male-dominated sector but I know I can do it, in as much as A, B are doing it, I can also do it.
What were you doing before real estate?
I was working as an employee. I started real estate at the age of 23. I was an employee for a jewelry company. My first entrepreneurship job was to sell fish. I was supplying hotels, but the payment was delayed. That’s how my journey started.
How has it been since then?
It’s been good; being you and still being able to achieve this. It’s been great but challenging but like I tell people, whenever you are pushed to the ground, you dust your bum and stand up and keep moving. Life comes with challenges but what do you do with challenges?
Can you share with us your breakthrough story?
Before we started housing development, we were agents. There was a time I made a sale of 9 million naira in one week. And I said, this money might be little. We started development with 10 million, although it was little
What stands Havila out from other real estate firms?
Havila is very different in terms of finishing, class, affordability, luxury. We value our customers . We make our properties very functional for them to be able to access. We also build our houses like we are the ones living there. We have properties for those who desire optimum luxury. We also cater for the average, where we provide affordable housing with class and standard.
How affordable are your products?
We are affordable. We have products of 30 million naira, 40 and 60. We also have 110 million naira on the Mainland, Lagos. We also have in Ikoyi.
Can you also share with us your educational background?
I went to Dominican Nursery and Primary School, airport area in Lagos. That’s where I grew up. I have spent all my life in Lagos. My secondary school was at Faith Academy in Otta, Ogun State. Then I went to Covenant University, Ota. I graduated in 2015. I had my B.Sc in Accounting with a 4 point. So, when I came out I knew that I wasn’t really a career person.
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