Five factors to consider before taking an apartment.

Maya’s valuable lesson

Today, Maya was sitting in a plush office wondering if she wasn’t about to get swindled, this housing agency was different, the office was built aesthetically and there was a air conditioner blasting in the corne. The elderly woman who was the receptionist didn’t seem to mind her at all. She was playing what sounded like a skit and letting out a wheeze, and weird sounds that sounded like she was choking — have you ever noticed how terribly some people’s laughs could sound?

The woman by her side placed a magazine in front of her and started saying something in a hoarse voice, all she could make out were the words “Omo mi” before she got lost in a barrage of words that we were Yoruba — it’s shocking how Lagos despite being a blended city of different people from different cultures, everyone just expected you to understand Yoruba. Well, she didn’t.

“Ma, mi o gbo”, Maya replied, repeating the one phrase that Becky had said would communicate her lack of understanding. The woman sighed, then made pointing gestures managing to utter the words, “ which one fine pass?”

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At the top of the magazine was the name of the agency, the one whose office she currently sat in. The houses were mesmerising and she was relieved for a second that finally here she was at the right place and about to find the right apartment.

He was standing in front of his office, The consulting agent, whose plush reception area they had all been waiting in. His bulging tummy seemed too much of a burden, but Maya was willing to trust this man with her housing troubles regardless. He beckoned to Maya.

As she closed the door behind her. They came to mind.

The five factors to consider before taking an apartment.

1. Location. This was necessary, Maya’s least favourite time of the day was in the morning when she had to get out of bed at 4 am struggling with other commuters for limited buses. The nearest market where you could get anything tangible from her house was a bus trip away, basically reasonable was out of reach. She asked her friend who she stayed with and how she managed at all. The only response she gave was laughter and a wave of the hand.
2. Neighbourhood. This particular one she couldn’t compromise on and the the major reason was a funny event. She had been at her aunt’s when they heard sporadic shoots, soon they were all on the ground. Hands over their heads. Her aunt became dramatic, she prayed, cried and even threw up, even with her naked fear at the time she couldn’t help but have a good laugh watching her aunt act that way. No more neighbourhoods with gang fights that she told herself and the man as she gave him a description of what she was looking for.
3. Building plan. Nothing was worse than the small windows and doors that plagued the Lagos ‘kiosks’ that her agents had shown her. Bathrooms look like they were added as a design. Kitchens were just narrow cubicles that reminded you of offices from the 80s, you could touch both walls if you outstretched your arms. You would think they had used a 6-year-old’s drawing as a housing plan.
4. Building amenities. You would think this means houses with running water until you realise it’s not just that, it’s also housing with proper drainage systems like sinks that work, plumbing that doesn’t leak and most importantly an intact roof to keep out the rains in the rainy season. Be sure to look for cracks and leakages, especially in the ceiling, walls and pipes.
5. People. This was a subjective one for Maya, a factor she would always consider. People in Lagos are mad and since her last encounter in the precious episode with the landlady who chased her out with a dog. She was very certain that she wouldn’t ever take such a risk again. So, no crazy landladies, landlords or neighbours.

Before we finish this read, remember to join the waitlist by clicking on the link below.

It was a productive meeting, productive because this was the first time she had seen apartments that surpassed her expectations. However, her woes remained, she still had to pay upfront, an enormous amount she could not afford without installments. She was sad now, and thinking, a solution ran through her mind. Hiyalo was buzzing answer in her head, she had seen a waitlist somewhere — here actually.

Follow the Hiyalo publication to see more of what Maya is up to

As she walked away she looked for their medium page, following the publication by clicking on this link. Perhaps, this was the answer she desperately needed.