Why most Nigerians build their own houses

Posted by James on Tuesday August 25, 2015 at 14:27:46:

When one considers both options of either renting or building your own home, you would agree with me that especially in Nigeria, the latter is advised. It is also believed that building your house costs lesser in the long run. Apart from the sense of accomplishment, there are a lot of reasons why Nigerians prefer building their own houses.

To save money;
In Nigeria, you save a lot of money when you build your home yourself than buy one already built by a real estate company. They know that they will be able to save money if they are always available on site and also providing the raw materials like cement, sand, blocks and gravel that the construction workers need.

For Retirement and Old Age
One of the number one reasons people want to build their own house is in preparation for their old age, or in preparation for retirement. That period where they are not enough to make as much money as they would have to in order to keep up with bills. Another is because the fact that cost of renting will forever keep increasing. The rate at which house rent rises in Nigeria these days is so alarming. Nobody knows how much higher it will go in the next few years.

To avoid Landlord and Co-tenant Issues
If you have ever been a tenant before, you would agree with me that dealing with landlords can be difficult at times, especially with their rules and regulations. With building your own house, you become your landlord with no rules whatsoever or a least your own rules. Having to deal with your co-tenants can also be an issue too-the incessant quarrelling and fighting.

To have Rest of Mind
Having your own house gives you that peace of mind. You no longer have to think about whether your rents are due or not. In Nigeria where a landlord can just come up any day with a quit notice, and there's nothing much you can do - it’s his property. So if you have your own house you wouldn't have to be thinking of any possibility of quit notice anymore - the house is yours.