Real Estate is far beyond just building houses. It has evolved to something that everyone in the world is now a part of. The feeling of finally getting the keys to your dream house. A family misplaced now off the streets. A business person standing in awe of the office building they had always dreamed of owning. The innovations and nearly impossible feats of the buildings standing all over the world today. The lucrative nature of the business. Whichever it is, it strikes a core in each and every single one of us.
A rapid growth in civilisation created the need for schools, hospitals and housing. In the present day, it has expanded into much more than that. While it is still about the basic human need for infrastructure, we have gone from mud houses to bricks, cement and even beyond that to style (interior design). But with this expansion came a problem. Nigeria, like many other countries, must now balance the demand for luxury accommodation for high-income earners versus low-cost, affordable housing for the masses. Although real estate presents to its players this impossible task, it is important to still praise it for the many things it does bring.
To many individuals, it brings with it the opportunity to actualise the dream of owning a beautiful home. To the law makers and defenders, it is another honest day’s work. To the artist that loves to create, either in the form of architecture, interior design or through technology, real estate brings an avenue to create beauty. To the businessman, another opportunity to thrive and make money while creating numerous jobs in the process. From the one who plans the landscaping to the other artist who captures it on canvas, and then to the art lover who buys the masterpiece. No matter who you are or what you do, you can be involved. Everyone has a role.
It has also been an industry of growth and innovation. A field in which mankind has pushed itself and realised that we don’t have as many limits as we thought, especially by creating, for example, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, The Pantheon in Rome, The Shard in London, and so many others. And as Nigeria is concerned, architects like Olajumoke Adenowo and Baba Oladeji are sure to put us on the global map very soon.
If you care to look for it, you will see that there is more to the real estate industry than meets the eye. It will be here long after we all are gone, continuing on from generation to generation. It preserves history. It is everything to everyone. It is in everyone. And to all of us together, to all Nigerians, it is a boost in our economy which gives hope for a better life for us all.
To all nations, it is development, beauty and pride. This is the spirit of real estate. Real estate is everyday life.
