Hey guys,
Please, Ejor, Biko, I need answer to the question
Do you use any real estate platform in lagos ATM to find apartments ?
If yes, what are the challenges you’re facing while searching ?
If no, What can be done to make u use a real e platform ?
Will you want to live with a roommate ?
I appreciate your response 
This is for you guys
Are you going to send me some chicken if I answer your questions? If yes, make it Chicken Republic.
I have used www.privateproperty.com.ng
KFC only
Used tolet for a friend
I used almost every single real estate platform, Hutbay, Lamudi to Privateproperty while searching for an apartment last year. They are mostly simple marketplace solving no real issue other than connecting potential renters to agents whilst masking as real estate platforms(Zillow, Trulia, Housing.com).
Most important challenge facing them from a users perspective is the lack of verified listings. Most of the apartments on their platform had been listed for over six months and majority where no longer on the market. This created it’s own set of problems with a user meeting up with over 4-5 agents and paying btw 3000-5000 per agent to view said apartments.
A real estate platform needs to offer a full suite of service to solve issues for both sides from verified listing to background checks, to generating legal docs(this eliminate 50% of legal and commission fee for renters), offering ways to collect and pay rent.
And yes majority of Nigerians need roommates but we just pretend it’s a poor man’s thing so we disguised as a need for privacy. We cant deny that this a huge pain point as the cost of rent is quickly outpacing salary increases or income. Lots of adults already live in shared housing(Face me, I face you and BQ) to mitigate rent and associated costs. And some of us are stuck with 2-3 rooms apartment and are looking for roommate to mitigate cost. As Feyi Fawehinmi said, Nigeria doesn’t suffer from housing shortages, just not enough people that can afford them. Sublet.ng wants to solve this issue but …!
So we need an online marketplace that will connect people looking for rooms and roommates easily by creating the simplest and safest choice for long term housing search, with verified listings, messaging, identity verification, background checks, pay rent, and the ability to generate online contracts all within one service the same way Airbnb did for short term. And a lot of Nigerians use Airbnb, so the issue of trust was perfectly mitigated. Target Demographic is there already from 18-35 yrs old, young professionals that demand instant and flexible way to look for housing, students looking for off campus housing, people moving to urban areas, all those people living in some form of shared housing
The bottom line is no Nigerian service is really attacking this big, inefficient market where scams and poor actors are rife(paying every agent 3-5k for apartments you are most likely not to get), and I think the time is right for a big player to emerge in this space, like we’ve seen for other markets that thrived entirely in the classified section by solving actual painpoints.
By the way I have a three bedroom apartment with two baths in Onike, Yaba and I’m looking for 2 roommates to reduce cost of paying another huge rent at the end of October. Al you need to move in with is a mattress and probably a fan too.
Please can I have your contact deets?
Boss…shared kitchen and are all rooms ensuite?
To answer your request:
Do you use any real estate platform in lagos ATM to find apartments ?
Yes i have used Tolet.ng and Private Property frequently because i am looking for a new place currently.
If yes, what are the challenges you’re facing while searching ?
Seen some homes(Always uncompleted or very ugly looking, you would think that for a finished house those taking pictures can give us great pictures but the pics of the houses are blurry and details are very bare plus i have no history background of the area in terms of security, light and water plus basic amenities, Again i see no reason i should pay an Agent 5000 naira to inspect a property, i mean the point is you make 10% for any closed deals to a landlord, so this should be the impetus to even upsell so you can close quickly hence you as an agent should go all out to make me rent or buy a property, but what we see is when an agent shows you two properties and you dont like them, they begin to frown like you are stressing or wasting their time and they wonder why they hv made zero sales, very bad customer service and attitude and again how can i trust they are genuine agents even?.
If no, What can be done to make u use a real e platform ?
Agents must be customer friendly and ready to close sales by making sure customer finds the right fit for rent
Eliminate inspection fees, its a scam and make sure Agents are verified
Connect renter to landlord directly and making sure that price is fair
Provide Good pictures for property and all needed information to request an inspection
Also allow for Different Apartment types, Serviced, Short Stay( 3-6 months), Shared, Community etc
Will you want to live with a roommate ?
Yes i can stay with a roommate provided we can get along but generally i would opt in for a mini flat if its affordable.
Hope this helps.
Yes, Shared Kitchen. One room is en-suite, the other two share a large bath. You can find the apartment listed on airbnb https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/11389649
Yes but I’ve had a hard time finding good houses both for rent and for sale.
I know and have used several of the popular sites from tolet to lamudi to privateproperty, hutbay etc
-Poor Picture quality of houses
-Inadequate listings online
I don’t mind as long as he is neat, well behaved, responsible, hospitable etc
Just noticed that your space is still listed on Airbnb
Are you still looking for people to rent for short term stays?
If yes, what is the best email to reach you