From housewarming party to homeownership: How a celebration ignited dreams

How did you spend your first salary? The truth is, like a number of young people, Mike never spent a coin on saving or investing. He knew saving was good, but it wasn’t part of his first budget after landing a job. Having spent several years tarmacking, he spent his first salary to pay a debt and moved out of his friend’s house.

Unfortunately, he still cannot account for his second salary in full; all he remembers is upgrading his smartphone. Sadly, the third salary is still unaccounted for to date, but he remembers joining a What’s App Group to plan for one of his friends housewarming parties in Ngong.

As part of the housewarming plans, each friend was to carry a gift. "Naturally, I love wall art, so I ordered one written "Home is where our story begins". We had a good time and my story began in this home. As we traversed Ngong, my childhood dreams of having my own house were ignited. I felt challenged that a young couple was now living in Ngong. We celebrated them but never listened to their journey to home ownership. All we did was eat Mbuzi Choma, take drinks and take a few photos."

"One evening in my fourth month of working, I came across a video done by Reuben Kimani, who I later came to learn is the CEO of Username Investments. The video was entitled From Ksh 30,000 to Millionaire. What caught my attention was the Ksh 30,000, because that was my salary. I listened to him as he shared many investment strategies towards owning a plot in Kenya. I settled for saving through a Sacco because my savings culture will be built and I will have access to credit to buy a plot."

"Homeownership is a dream for many young people, but it can be challenging without a practical working strategy. Most young people see it as a far-fetched dream, yet we can blow away Ksh 10,000 a month and still complain that we do not have enough to save or invest. I did my research and settled on a Sacco savings account where I could save Ksh 5,000 consistently. I gave myself a one-year target. By the 10^th month, I had saved Ksh 50,000. In one of the Sacco’s updates, they announced they could give a loan of up to 4 times your savings."

"This sounded like a good plan. At this point, I followed Username CEO, and I in boxed him on his Facebook page to ask if it was advisable to take a Sacco loan and buy land. He shared in-depth knowledge on assessing the appreciation rate of a property against the loan interest rate. I also did my personal research, and true to his words, the appreciation of land in Ngong was high and it was worth taking a loan.

He assigned me a Relationship Manager who has walked with me this far. From a wide range of properties in Nakuru, Ngong, Kangundo Road, Matuu, and Kisumu, I settled on a plot in Ngong selling at Ksh 299,000 in 2018 because it is closer to Nairobi. I deposited Ksh 200,000 from the Sacco laond and paid the remaining balance in instalments for a period of 6 months".

"As we speak, I am now a proud landowner in Ngong and the plot is now worth over Ksh 800,000. My advice to young people is to unlock the power of saving consistently and also investing in knowledge. This is my simple trick that worked."

Build your savings by joining a Sacco

Building your savings is an essential step towards unlocking the power of Saccos. It shows your commitment to the Sacco and is an indication of your financial discipline. The more you save, the more disciplined you become and the more likely you are to access credit and other financial services.

Apply for a loan

Once you have identified the home ownership product that suits your needs and assessed your financial ability, you can apply for the loan. The Sacco will process your application and inform you of the outcome. If successful, you pay for your plot and await the processing of your title deed.

Repay the loan

Repaying the home ownership loan is essential to maintaining a good credit history with the Sacco. It also allows you to access other financial services in the future. Make sure you understand the loan repayment terms and budget for the loan repayments.

In conclusion, Mike is now a proud landowner in Ngong through Username Investments. He advises every young person to start saving as soon as they land their first job and to consider