5 Women Real Estate Developers Don’t Joke With
One of the best ways to make money in Nigeria is through real estate. And “more & more” women have been moving into that sector gradually. Many of them are now CEOs of their companies, while many are there as marketers of various real estate products.
Over the last few years, the real estate sector has witnessed the intervention and various inputs from women who have contributed to the property sector by investing heavily in it. Some of them have other businesses they were doing before they delved into the property business. Many of them are lawyers, entrepreneurs, while some had worked in the financial institutions. The input and contributions of these women to the sector can’t be ignored.
In this report, we shall be looking at 5 women who are top marketers, who real estate big boys don’t joke with. These women are independent and also have staffers who help them market. Once you are able to get them to market your products, you are sure of quick sales.
MRS. ALABA ALOZIE
Alaba Elizabeth Alozie is the CEO of Lasgidi Realtors Ltd. She is an energetic woman we should talk about. This woman who has had a successful career in Real Estate for over 5 years. Mrs. Alaba has 5 years of experience as a real estate agent and broker in five states and serves as a principal broker and consultant to other real estate professionals on management, marketing and sale of real estate products and services, with special skills in survey and title documentation. She has that as an added advantage. Her name rings a bell whenever it’s mentioned in and out of Lagos. She is also the toast of many big real estate players who want their property sold as quickly as possible. She has also won several accolades in the past for her doggedness in the sector.
This year, the great woman has sold countless plots of landed properties to the people in the diaspora and Nigeria.
FUNKE KEHINDE
Mrs Funke Kehinde is a big player in the real estate sector. The beautiful lady who is popularly called MFK is a Realtor and a successful one at that. This is why she is the toast of major property developers, not only in Lagos, but across the country.
She is the founder of Brilliant Concepts, a real estate company that was set up a few years back to help redefine the real estate industry. She is also the President of Real Estate Millionaire, a real estate association that was founded about 5 years ago by a group of individuals. REMS as it is called is an association for realtors who share the same goals and objectives.
MFK has won several awards for her contributions to the real estate sector. She keeps winning awards almost every month from different companies she consults for. She has also won several car gifts. She’s won more than 20 cars for her outstanding performance for different real estate companies in Lagos.
A few months back, she revealed her success story.
“My first office job was with a law firm where I was the personal assistant to the managing partner to the chamber for 2 years. While I was there, I had an encounter with cases relating to real estate and that spurred my interest in the profession. I got a better offer from another company that’s into oil and gas, real estate and Forex. In this company, I was the P. A. to the Executive Director of property and anytime my boss was not around, I would engage myself in activities that’d make me learn and be more productive. I would meet the Head of Property and start learning about real estate. When she’s going for an inspection or visiting a client, I would go with her. I was doing all these for the fun of it not knowing that it would later be a source of livelihood for me.”
“After six months, the Head of Property had to resign because she needed to relocate abroad because of her husband. So, her position was vacant and someone suggested that I could fill her vacant seat since I’ve been following her. Eventually, I was put on probation for six months and afterwards, the management gave me an appointment letter, confirming me as the Head of Property. That was how I took the job officially for ten years. Being the head of this department, I had a lot of complaints from potential customers saying they needed a property that they could pay in instalments contrary to the company’s policy which only accepted outright payment.” From there, I started learning what I needed to know about real estate.
NONSO EZEH
Chukwunonso is the Chief Executive Officer of Assist -2-Sell Properties Limited. Nonso, as she is often called, is a Law graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka with 2-class Upper and was called to the Bar in 1999. She is a member of Ikoyi Club, 1938 and VGC Club. Nonso is also an alumnus of the prestigious Lagos Business School. Nonso is certified by the VV Lead Fellowship program. She has over 11 years of active real estate practice and she is now the most sought-after speaker on real estate issues. She used to run a monthly training programme for women in conjunction with the US Consulate, called The Lady Realtor. Nonso is one of the pioneers of the real estate marketing industry in Lagos. She markets big and luxury real estate products in the highbrow areas of Lagos. She’s one of the marketers of Eko Atlantic. She has a lot of properties in the Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lekki axis she markets. Developers don’t joke with this real estate queen.
MRS. BOLANLE OGIDAN
She’s is the CEO of Mcdedict Homes Limited, a real estate company she founded a few years ago. This young woman is a passionate entrepreneur with over 9 years of experience, starting and running businesses in Lagos and handling transactions worth a combined value of $20 million.
Mcdedict Homes is a multiple award-winning global real estate agency, that specializes in providing premium luxurious services through extraordinary marketing and professionalism.
Their mission is simple: “At Mcdedict Homes, they provide and sell multiple hundreds of Nigeria’s most remarkable lands and homes annually. They have also provided real estate advisory services to corporate organizations and institutional clients since inception. Whether you are looking for a modern luxury home or a “smart” home with the latest and modern convenience, or you prefer an eco-friendly home, this firm provide it with all”.
This woman has also made a lot of sales running into several billions for developers. She’s so big that she was honoured about 3 years ago for her remarkable contributions to the real estate industry.
MILLICENT DURU
Millicent Duru is the pretty face behind Gisselle Homes. She is the MD/CEO of the property company which she floated in 2013 when she relocated back to Nigeria from the UK where she worked briefly in the real estate sector.
She has also worked with many companies, one of them being McKinsey. Before this, she had acquired so many degrees and certifications. The beautiful lady had her first degree in Microbiology and Marketing Management from the University of Port Harcourt and the University of Glamorgan, Wales respectively.
She is a member of the Chartered Management Institute UK, a Member of Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) in the UK and an International Business Executive. She worked in a real estate company in the UK without really planning on focusing on real estate as a career.
She is also one of the big names who have also become the toast of the real estate developers in Lekki/Ajah axis. She’s a good example for many who are just coming up.
-Isaac Abimbade
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