Investing in Kenya’s Real Estate in your 20s
We all know investing in real estate is not easy in your 20s. You need at the very least $20,000 to buy a small piece of land in a strategic location and then minimum $100,000 setting up apartments. Where are you getting $120,000 in your 20s? I also understand that some people may have more responsibilities than others i.e taking care of their immediate families. But here is what I have to say if you are interested in real estate before hitting your 30s.
Cut the excuses: You have the option of finding 99 reasons why it can’t work or finding that 1 solution to make it work. Therefore if you have began reading this article with the attitude of “there is really no way you can invest in real estate in your 20s” then this article is not for you. You can read out of sheer curiosity I am however not keen to explore thoughts on why it is impossible.
It is a journey, not a sprint: You have about 5 years, 24–29, to identify what needs to be done within this time period. You need to be saving at the very minimum $1,000 per month so that you can have $24,000 within 2 years. If your current job doesn’t empower you to save this amount after handling all your responsibilities, then you will know that priority is getting another role or starting a side business that will top up what you can save from employment. It is really a choice whether you want to invest in Real Estate or not, otherwise if you complain that you can’t start a side hustle since employment is already hectic, then perhaps consider investing in other options because you really need a certain of money to become a Landlord/lady.
As a follow up from the previous example, ideally you should have $24,000 by 26, this is factoring in that you have been working for 3 years, 23–26. So I’ve already given you a 1 year buffer given the example was for 2 years and not 3. Now as you are saving you are also building your land knowledge and connections so that by the time you have accumulated enough funds to buy a strategic plot, you can move fast on a good deal that has been in the works. I can do a separate blog post on the process of buying land, so I am going to skip to the part where you get your title deed.
Know your construction options: At this point you know you need at least $100,000 setting up apartments. So either you get a job that allows you save $3,000 monthly, or you don’t get to build these apartments before 30. Sounds like a major roadblock, but this is where you need to identify your construction options. Is it taking a loan? Is partnering with someone else to build and splitting the apartments equally? Is it housing finance? This is a question only you can answer as it influenced by many personal factors.
Giving back: So I am the kind of person that always feels like I am not helping around enough. There is really no way to fully repay your Family for taking care of you when you were young, this is something you just to have accept to avoid feeling bad for focusing on investments. To be fair your Parents are even happier that you are focused like this because they did not sacrifice so that you can splurge your money. But even knowing this, I still feel guilty. What I am trying to do is to find ways I can support regularly i,e buying them something that they can use everyday, that way I feel like I am there for them daily.
All the best!

