BusinessDay 23 Mar 2018
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6 BUSINESS DAY<br />
ENTREPRENEUR<br />
Trinita Akpan, the lady realtor<br />
meeting your property needs<br />
KEMI AJUMOBI<br />
Biography<br />
Trinita Akpan is a serial entrepreneur<br />
with interests in<br />
the Fashion and Real Estate<br />
Sector. A focused and result oriented<br />
professional, her personal<br />
philosophy is to create value and<br />
solve problems, by empowering<br />
minds to embrace positive and<br />
creative thinking, helping them<br />
achieve personal goals by establishing<br />
strategic relationships. Akpan is<br />
a trained professional with a First<br />
Degree in <strong>Mar</strong>keting and an MBA<br />
from the Prestigious University<br />
of Ife. Also referred to as the Lady<br />
Realtor, Akpan has over 14years experience<br />
in high profile networking<br />
for both public and private sectors,<br />
spanning the Banking, IT and Real<br />
Estate Industries. Her Jewellery line,<br />
Stillmii Jewelries supplys quality<br />
and stylish items for high end and<br />
everyday use to suit the varied<br />
pockets of her esteemed clientele.<br />
This she delivers with exceptional<br />
customer service. She is also the<br />
Chief Executive Officer for Triakot<br />
Properties, a legitimate Real Estate<br />
<strong>Mar</strong>keting firm in Lagos, Nigeria,<br />
that seeks to connect her clients to<br />
amazing, affordable and genuine<br />
properties.<br />
Early years<br />
I come from a middle class family<br />
and we were taught early the value<br />
of smart work. One saying that was<br />
our guideline was that quality input<br />
resulted in quality output. My<br />
Father was a disciplinarian while<br />
my mother showed us the value<br />
of prayer and relationships. We<br />
were taught contentment, to deal<br />
honestly with everyone, to value a<br />
good name over money and never<br />
be afraid of hard work for therein<br />
will you find success.<br />
Why the decision to go into<br />
real estate?<br />
I’ve always been people oriented<br />
and when I took the decision to<br />
launch out on my own after years<br />
in paid employment, it was clear to<br />
me that it had to be something that<br />
built relationships by contributing<br />
superior value to them. Being in<br />
the banking industry exposed me<br />
to various businesses but I was<br />
intrigued by proposals of real estate<br />
developers. That’s when I knew I<br />
would someday play in this field. It<br />
can be very satisfying to assist people<br />
with important decisions like<br />
choosing what property to invest<br />
in. And so Triakot Properties (A<br />
Real Estate Consulting & <strong>Mar</strong>keting<br />
Firm) was birthed.<br />
Challenges on the job<br />
Well, much as it is satisfying to see<br />
successfully closed transactions<br />
on house purchases, it is also disheartening<br />
to be in the middle of<br />
an almost non-existence mortgage<br />
system. Where new home buyers<br />
yearn for an affordable payment<br />
plan spanning several years but are<br />
faced with high interest rates. As a<br />
country, we are still very far from<br />
achieving this. Secondly, most investors<br />
or home buyers are poorly<br />
informed on the statutory fees<br />
required to complete a purchase<br />
not just the price of the property,<br />
hence you see most people quibbling<br />
when these fees are requested.<br />
That is why at Triakot Properties, we<br />
don’t just sell you a property, we<br />
take time to educate you thoroughly<br />
on all the fees, processes, regulations<br />
and timelines regarding your<br />
property purchase.<br />
Playing in a male dominated<br />
sector<br />
For many years, men have dominated<br />
the Real Estate industry, maybe<br />
due to the way it was done before<br />
with ‘omo ni les’( meaning street<br />
boys laying claims to benefits from<br />
the land) and local land agents. The<br />
structure of real estate business has<br />
changed since then thanks to the<br />
leadership of Lagos State government<br />
which has resulted in a level<br />
playing field for honest and value<br />
driven realtors. It is very exciting and<br />
encouraging to see that in recent<br />
times, these valued individuals are<br />
Lady Realtors. Top Realtors like<br />
Nonso Onny-Ezeh of Assist2sell and<br />
Udo <strong>Mar</strong>yanne Okonjo of Fine and<br />
Country who have put in well over<br />
10 years in the industry are stretching<br />
forth their arms and showing<br />
younger female realtors the ropes.<br />
I see clients trusting women more<br />
and more with their transactions,<br />
as it goes beyond just profit and loss.<br />
Is it easy to own properties in<br />
Lagos ?<br />
Yes! I firmly believe so. As long as<br />
you are realistic with your budget<br />
and desire. You may desire a Banana<br />
Island location for instance but cannot<br />
afford it. Go for an alternative location<br />
closest to Banana Island that<br />
you can easily afford even if it is in<br />
Ajah/Sangotedo axis. Lagos State is<br />
set to become the 3rd largest economy<br />
in Africa. Some key government<br />
projects are situated in Ibeju Lekki.<br />
Housing needs are on the rise in that<br />
area. Any smart investor is encouraged<br />
to get as much as he/she can.<br />
Your asset will always appreciate.<br />
There are spread payment options.<br />
However, you must follow the rules.<br />
Invest in titled lands, spread your<br />
investment across midterm and<br />
long term locations, employ the<br />
services of a trusted realtor and<br />
your lawyer to guide you. As a rule,<br />
my firm ensures thorough searches<br />
are carried out on both the property<br />
and developer. We like to be sure of<br />
what and who we are dealing with.<br />
We also help individuals confirm<br />
their land purchases for a token fee<br />
so that you can be confident of the<br />
purchase you are making.<br />
Price of houses increased or<br />
decreased?<br />
Real Estate is gold that never suffers<br />
depreciation. As long as population<br />
increases there will be more demand<br />
on land and as such, the value<br />
of Real Estate always appreciates.<br />
Even in the midst of the recession,<br />
activities slowed down on the high<br />
end property corridor but value<br />
never dropped. Instead, buyers<br />
sought out other cheaper locations<br />
towards the suburbs which in turn<br />
Friday <strong>23</strong> <strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2018</strong>WOMEN’S HUB<br />
also increased the value of property<br />
in that axis.<br />
How do you help people who<br />
desire to own their own houses<br />
but do not have the complete<br />
funds at once?<br />
Property investment has evolved<br />
over the years. We see quite a number<br />
of developments with spread<br />
payment options. So even though<br />
you might not be able to afford a<br />
choice property in your preferred location,<br />
you can settle for the nearest<br />
location that fits into your budget.<br />
We also have a few organisations<br />
that offer mortgages to interested<br />
subscribers. If the investor works in<br />
a firm, we advise and package land<br />
purchase deals for staff cooperatives<br />
which ensures a spread package<br />
based on their salaries that makes<br />
it easier for them to purchase.<br />
Housing and proper documentation<br />
The need to get the documentation<br />
right from start cannot be<br />
over emphasized. I always advice<br />
buyers or investors to pick options<br />
with established titles, that way, the<br />
process of perfection is much easier<br />
and tidier. And if you must invest in<br />
a property whose title is not clear<br />
cut, be sure to fully understand the<br />
terms and conditions as well as<br />
history surrounding that property.<br />
Always involve a competent Realtor<br />
and lawyer in all dealings.<br />
In real estate business, where is<br />
the money?<br />
Billionaires all over the world<br />
have considerable investments in<br />
Real Estate. It has produced more<br />
wealth than any other industry in<br />
the history of time especially if you<br />
know what you are doing. Here are<br />
a few tips. Firstly, buy cheap lands in<br />
suburbs, wait a few years and resell<br />
at a good profit or buy undervalued<br />
homes, renovate and resell. Secondly,<br />
invest more in residential and<br />
commercial properties. They have<br />
lower volatility than stocks. Thirdly,<br />
invest in areas with high demand for<br />
short term leases.<br />
Career in real estate<br />
A career in Real Estate is very challenging<br />
yet rewarding. While some<br />
earn in 7 figures, others struggle with<br />
a few thousands. To develop a career<br />
and make money in real estate, you<br />
must set your own schedule and<br />
work strictly with it. You will also<br />
need to be organised and ambitious<br />
enough to actually work at your<br />
business every day. Organisation<br />
skills are important because you will<br />
be dealing with contract deadlines,<br />
client appointments and follow-ups<br />
with other professionals in the field.<br />
Trainings and relevant certifications<br />
are necessary. Another major<br />
thing to set straight is to be sure you<br />
have the right character trait to stay<br />
ambitious and motivated, to relate<br />
excellently with people across different<br />
strata.<br />
Projections for your business<br />
I would like to see Triakot Properties<br />
be the go to place for fast, cost effective<br />
Real Estate transactions in Nigeria.<br />
We aim to continuously explore<br />
new ideas and technology to make<br />
the selling and buying process easier.<br />
Executive Musings<br />
URSULA BURNS,<br />
Former CEO, Xerox<br />
“Believe that there are no<br />
limitations, no barriers to<br />
your success, you will be<br />
empowered and you will<br />
achieve.”<br />
“Find something that you<br />
love to do, and find a place<br />
that you really like to do it in.<br />
I found something I loved to<br />
do. I’m a mechanical engineer<br />
by training, and I loved it. I<br />
still do. My son is a nuclear<br />
engineer at MIT, a junior, and<br />
I get the same vibe from him.<br />
Your work has to be compelling.<br />
You spend a lot of time<br />
doing it.”<br />
“Dreams do come true,<br />
but not without the help of<br />
others, a good education, a<br />
strong work ethic, and the<br />
courage to lean in.”<br />
“The world is changing. We<br />
all know this. And as that<br />
world changes, if you don’t<br />
transform your company,<br />
you’re stuck.”<br />
“I’m a black lady from the<br />
Lower East Side of New York.<br />
Not a lot intimidates me.”<br />
I realized I was more convincing<br />
to myself and to the people<br />
who were listening when<br />
I actually said what I thought,<br />
versus what I thought people<br />
wanted to hear me say.
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