Check out this master bedroom floor plan – the ultimate luxury i.e his and hers bathrooms including separate toilet…..his and hers sinks are so last decade…step into the new luxury people. #ifyouknowyouknow.
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I WANT TO BE SINGLE AGAIN (AND LIVE AT THE GROVE IN LAVINGTON)
Yes, you heard that right – I want to be single again!! Why? So I can make the quaint and cosy one bedroom apartment I discovered in Lavington my home. Picture this – a security check with the very friendly askaris who gladly usher you in after confirming you are expected and direct you to the designated visitors’ parking. As you drive in, you suddenly feel the stress of the Nairobi traffic exit your body as you are ushered in by the whistling trees swaying to the gentle breeze as little colourful birds chirp away. You park your car and step out to be greeted by a sea of green – a lovely landscaped garden where Kikuyu grass seems to be thriving like a “covid-millionaire.”
You walk down the stairs that look like the Spanish Steps in Rome, because of how wide they are, and you can already tell that what you will find inside the set of three apartments will be nothing short of glorious. At the bottom of the steps, a lovely lady called Mercy is waiting for you. She smiles at me – I am home! Can I move in already?
The entrance to the building is secured by a lovely metal and glass door and the floors are finished with a lovely grey granite stone. Mercy tells me the granite is mined locally in a little town in Ukambani called Mavoloni and the company that mines it is called Mavoloni granite (what else would they call it?) It is not common to find granite floors in Kenya unless you are in an office building, so I am already quite impressed. The door to the apartment is the icing on the cake – a lovely hard wood door that even Hercules would struggle to break. It completely defines the entrance.
Continue readingOwn a Home Near Nova Pioneer School Athi River @ Pine City for Kes. 12 Million
Have you heard the term Location! Location! Location! when it comes to property? Well, it is true what they say, the location of your home determines the value of your home. But what about location is important? Below are a few things to consider:
- Location in relation to essential services like schools, hospitals, police stations and shopping facilities
- Location in relation to functional infrastructure like roads, water services and electricity
- Location in relation to places of work i.e. employment / business hubs
- Location in relation to auxillary services e.g. airports, railway stations etc
Well, today you are in luck. I have found you the perfect property that is not only pocket friendly but also checks out on the four areas highlighted above.
A beautiful 3 bedroom house, master ensuite in a gated community at Pine City Estate is now available for sale and you can make it your home.
- Essential Services: Pine City Estate is close to the newly opened Nova Pioneer School (https://www.novapioneer.com/kenya/athiriver-primary/) that has come in to change the landscape of education facilities in the Athi River/ Mlolongo area. Imagine your kids walking to school from home – no worries about extra costs related to bus transport or having to wake up at 4:00am to prepare your kids to attend school in the city. Pine City Estate is also close to hospitals in the area and is 5km or less to three shopping malls i.e. Coloho Mall, Signature Mall and the newly built Crystal Rivers Mall that was developed by Safaricom.
pic from the Nova Pioneer School - Functional Infrastructure: Save for the 300 metres close to the property, the road leading to Pine City Estate is full tarmacked. The estate has a functional borehole and is served by water from Mavwasco. Additionally, the landlord has invested in additional storage tanks and if you have lived in Kenya you know that water storage in your home is critical given that council water does not flow in daily.
- Employment/Business Hubs: With the growing infrastructure in Athi River, the area has attracted many new businesses and the growing traffic and housing developments in the area is testatment to that. Regardless of what your field is, I can guarantee you that you could find employment or a business to provide services too less than 10km from your home. In short, you no longer have to rely on Nairobi to earn your income – you can do so close to home and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
- Auxillary Services: You will be pleased to note that SGR station is only 8.5km from Pine City Estate and JKIA is only 11km away. I mean, what else do you need? This home is close to everything you need when you need to step out and spacious, secure and green when you need to stay home.
FOR SALE: Green Park Estate – Lovely 3 Bedroom Townhouse; Kes. 13,000,000
My oh my…when did we last catch up? Well, I don’t know about you but this COVID-19 self isolation has re-ignited old passions. So, to kick us off on a new exciting journey I’d like to introduce to you this lovely home I came across that is available for sale.
Location: Green Park Estate, Athi River. I don’t know if you have driven around the area lately. It is fully built up and everything they promised when they began construction over ten years ago has been built ie. bungalows, townhouses, apartments even the hotel and a retirement facility. The estate’s lovely landscaping carries through which makes the green a beautiful oasis in the middle of a seemingly dry Athi area.
The House: Beautiful townhouse with 3 spacious bedrooms (master ensuite). What is particularly nice about this house I am selling is the little touches the owner put in. From gypsum ceilings to tasteful light fittings, you will notice immediately you walk in that this home is uniquely different from all the others in the estate.
The other thing I particularly like about these house is the lovely landscaped garden and the fact that you can walk around your house. The house sits on an eigth of an acre making the space big enough to be private and beautiful but small enough to easily maintain. Continue reading
US firm entry affirms Kenya’s rising housing market
US firm entry affirms Kenya’s rising housing market
Image courtesy of Coldwell Banker article in the Nation
The above catchy headline caught my attention too when I came across the story on Nation Online. Not sure if this a post President Obama visit to Kenya benefit or just a timely awakening to Coldwell Banker and other American companies that Kenya really is a hotbed of opportunity especially for those who are in real estate. In case you were doubting that real estate is big, last week social media was abuzz when the Nation published that Centum was paying its 90 employees a bonus payment of 1.1 billion shillings (approx.USD 11million). Now, if you know Centum well you will know they are big on real estate and infrastructure. Some of their projects include The Two Rivers in the UN diplomatic zone of Nairobi and The Pearl Marina project in Entebbe among other investments. Such bonuses are unheard of in companies of that size hence the buzz but such news affirms those looking to enter the sector that real estate investments continue to outperform the market year in year out (please note however that there are those who have lost tons of money in real estate due to a lack of sound fundamentals and good research).
Back to Coldwell Banker. A quick peak into their global website gives a little history of the company as: Continue reading
Neighbourhood Watch – Focus on Kilimani
If ever I doubted that 8years is a long time, living in Kilimani has taught me that a lot can change in 8 years. From a relatively lower density predominantly residential neighbourhood in 2007, today (September 2015) the area has transformed into this mixed use, commercial cum residential hood.
Twin Oaks Tigoni Road
Take for example Tigoni road, the crescent road connecting Chaka Road to Argwings Kodhek . In 2007 there were only 4 blocks of apartments i.e Prime Executive Court, Duncan Court, Touchwood Apartments and The Gables. Today, we have an additional 5 high rise apartment complexes (Twin Oaks, Fedha Residences, Glenbroke apartments, Tigoni Towers, and one other whose name I forget and apparently even Google doesn’t know it) plus one hotel under construction. Two residential houses in Cedar Court have been converted into a legal office MK Advocates. A mama mboga round the corner has set up shop and is doing booming business selling tomatoes at twenty shillings a piece (USD 0.2) when you can walk down the road to Yaya and buy two for the price of one but somehow she is still in business. And last but not least, a once quiet neighbourhood café has been converted into a church with daily services and a Kindergaten.
Let me put this change to Tigoni Road, Kilimani into perspective (aside from the blaring daily noise from the church): Continue reading
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? CONDO, APARTMENT OR FLAT!
I don’t know about you but I have always wondered what the difference between a Condo, an Apartment and a Flat is. Well I am fibbing a little. Along the way I kinda figured out that the Apartment vs Flat debate was an American vs British English story but this Condo vs Apartment thing???? Someone please clear the air.
Now, I recently visited the land of the free – you know the one with the red stripes and white stars, that one! Fantastic trip. It was on this trip that I got an education on this topic. One fine Summer evening as we were sipping on Margaritas a friend of mine mentioned that he was finally closing on a condo in Florida and two minutes later he was on the phone telling his sister to bring him a gadget he had left in his apartment?? Just like that he had mentioned condo and apartment in less than a minute….voila!! this was my moment….an enlightening moment it was so please bear with me because I really feel the need to share this knowledge with you. Here goes….
THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO ME:
Continue reading