Is Real Estate Profitable in Nigeria? This is one question most Nigerians ask before going into the business of real estate. It is estimated that real estate is worth $56 billion; as such, it is a very lucrative business.
In this article, we will be answering the question, “Whether Real Estate is profitable in Nigeria or not” and looking at the various ways in which you can make good ROI and profit from this business.
Is Real Estate Profitable in Nigeria?
Yes, Real Estate is profitable in Nigeria. The most common way of making a profit in Real Estate is through Appreciation – an increase in the value of the real estate property. According to research, the national appreciation rate for real estate is about 3.5% to 3.8% per year.
Before going into ways of making money in real estate, let’s look at factors that influence real estate profitability.
Factors that Influence Real Estate Profitability
Below are some of the popular factors that influence real estate profitability in Nigeria.
Location
The importance of location in the real estate business cannot be overemphasized. Investing in lands or buildings in the city metropolitan gives a more significant ROI than investing in lands or structures at the city’s outskirts. You get higher ROI from Residential houses located in the city’s heart than those in a small corner of the town.
Level of Development
This is the reason why most real estate investors are called developers. They look for land, develop it and make good money from it. This entails why underdeveloped lands yield little or no ROI. Also, developed lands appreciate more quicker in value.
Government policies and laws
The existing policies or laws regarding land and landed properties can influence the rate of your profit-making. This is why consulting legal real estate personnel is pertinent before investing in any land or building.
The rate of Inflation
Inflation does play a role in increasing a property’s value over a while. Nigeria as a country has experienced a lot of inflation in the past few years. The cost of raw materials has skyrocketed. Importation costs are high and it favors real estate at some points by influencing the value of properties.
Ways to Make Money From Real Estate In Nigeria
The following are various ways to make money from real estate in Nigeria and become a successful real estate millionaire.
1. Rents
You can make money through the collection of rent from both residential and commercial properties. This is one of the most popular ways of making money, and the best part of this is that it is a continuous thing. It is broken into two:
– Residential Property Rent
In this particular real estate investment, you get paid a fixed amount of money, either monthly or yearly. The good thing about this is that the rent can be pushed up by increased demand or inflation, which means more money for the owner. In this particular investment, location is critical.
– Commercial Property Rent
In this case, you make money by collecting rent from properties occupied by businesses or corporate bodies. It can also come in the form of leasing. This is also a regular and continuous thing.
2. Royalties or Raw land income
This is similar to rent. Government, Companies, and individuals pay your royalties or regular payments on raw land, for example, land use for agricultural purposes, construction of pipelines, cell towers building, and construction of roads or mining any natural discoveries, such as oil or mineral resources. Usually, this brings colossal income back home.
3. Buy and Hold
This is a very traditional method of making money in real estate. This method entails you buying a single-family home and renting it out; while you buy a multi-family house and rent them all out to or live in one of the rooms while renting the others to cover your mortgage. You can decide to manage the property yourself or hire a management agency to manage the property, including rent collection.
4. Flipping
This is a more complex and short time procedure for making money in real estate. Flipping entails you looking for properties to fix up, after which you resell them at a higher price. Before going into flipping, you should be sound in calculating a property’s underlying cost and potential value. Also, you must have an eye for good properties.
5. Vacation rentals
This is a very lucrative way of making money in real estate. This is usually carried out by homeowners who live in properties close to a tourist destination. For example, those that live close to the Lagos Beach or Yankara Game Reserve in Bauchi can embark on this.
This entails renting your homes for a specific time to a tourist for handsome pay. However, it is not a very popular way of making money in real estate in Nigeria.
Alternative Ways of Making Money in Real Estate include:
Some investment bodies and agencies help us in earning passively from real estate, and they include; Real estate investment trusts (REITs), Real estate investment groups (REIGs), mortgage-backed securities (MBSs), and mortgage investment corporations (MICs). So, we will be looking at them individually and see how they function and operate.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
REITs enable the owners of multiple commercial properties to sell shares to investors (who buy into the properties to be co-owners). The REIT serves as the landlord for the tenants. The owners of the REIT only record profit after the expenses of the buildings and the REIT are taken out. Then the remaining is shared among the co-owners to their different percentages.
Real Estate Investment Groups (REIGs)
REIGs is a private Real estate investments platform uniquely structured to provide investors partnership, servicing, and equity investments. It is pertinent you read the terms and conditions before signing into them.
MBSs, and MICs
MBSs and MICs involve you investing in private mortgages rather than properties. It is more of a debt investment rather than a real estate investment. MICs hold the entire mortgage and share the interest from payments among the investors, while MBSs securitize the principal and interest portions before sharing.
Is There Money In Real Estate In Nigeria?
Yes, there is a lot of money in real estate in Nigeria. A lot of foreigners have seen the potential in investing in Nigeria’s real estate industry and have taken a lot of advantage.
It’s wise for you to think of a city that is easy to scale and multiply your ROI faster and these kinds of cities in Nigeria are currently Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt with Lagos being the epic center for real estate businesses. There are still skyscrapers to be built in Lagos which means the real estate business is still in progress in Nigeria.
How Can I Succeed in Real Estate in Nigeria?
To be successful in real estate in Nigeria, you have to be proactive, be calculative, and know the right property to invest your money and your time in. Another key thing to note is that, to be successful in real estate, you need to be very good in marketing hence nobody would trust you with their money for you to invest in a property.
Conclusion
Is Real Estate Profitable in Nigeria? You can agree that real estate is a very lucrative and profitable business in Nigeria with the above information. You can never run into a loss in real estate.