Don’t buy properties and keep them, invest in properties that will fetch you money.”
Chudi Kalu, the MD/CEO of real estate company, Middlechase Property Limited in this interview with Josh2funny, speaks of his background, the future of real estate and how this time is the best period to invest.
How has your experience in life influenced your journey in real estate?
My real estate journey has been greatly influenced by my personal experience. I grew up with my parents and siblings in a one-room apartment. As the years went by, the family increased in number and the apartment was extremely uncomfortable to live in. This and other external factors spurred my thinking and I started looking for ways to help my family get out of this messy and devastating situation.
I realized early in life that conventional education is not what makes people get rich. The reason being that my father went through the four walls of school and speaks eloquently, yet, all his grammatical prowess ended him in a rented apartment while a carpenter who didn’t go through school is a property owner (landlord). At this point, I knew that the only way out to get out is self-education and personal development.
I realized that it is what you take seriously in life that determines what you make out of it. Having worked for several construction companies in various fields which gave me a vast knowledge about real estate, I started thinking about real estate.
What inspired you to go into real estate?
I once had a platform where I had seminar classes and spoke like an inspirational speaker; teaching and guiding people on how they can get what they wanted. One of my students that attended my class implemented the strategies, techniques, and principles discussed in the seminar and eventually, got tremendous results. Then, I thought to myself that if what I teach could be a source of testimony to people, why couldn’t I do the same? This led me to drop all my side hustle and become a full-time real estate practitioner.
What advice would you give young people that want to invest in real estate but are confused?
Like I always say, wherever you start from is your platform. Get started anytime you have the opportunity. However, investing in real estate starts with your mind. Real estate becomes interesting when you take it as a hobby.
How do you know the real people to buy from?
Everyone knows who to buy from and for those that don’t know, they can always search online as there are various genuine real estate companies. In the course of searching, you need to check their past records to know what they have done in time past and what they are presently doing. Find out the project they are working on and the level of activities on the project because it’s the project you are buying and not the company.
What is the effect of COVID-19 on real estate?
It’s no doubt that the pandemic has eaten deep into every aspect of the economy. For those who are involved in real-time construction, it is affecting their construction activities as there will be slow development. Thus, a hindrance to meeting the project timeline.
However, despite the hindrances and limitations, real estate is not really affected by the economic standpoint. The effect is seen on the operational level. For instance, instead of landlords collecting rent on a yearly basis, they might want to adopt the monthly payment. So, depending on what angle you see it from, investing in real estate this period is a good deal because of the drop in prices of property.
Conclusively, Josh2Afred talked about his own story of how he got his first property. He said “ I got my first property because of my mother who needed a gas cooker. A property company was selling a property at the price of 1.8 million naira with an incentive of a gas cooker. I paid a downpayment of 200 thousand naira and spread the remaining balance for 24 months.”
QUOTES FROM CHUDI KALU
· Your first house must not be your dream house.
· Wherever you start from is your platform.
· Rent and real estate is a goldmine.
· Get started anytime you have the opportunity.
· A genuine real estate company can never hide.
· Starting is the key to moving forward.
· Take real estate as a hobby and you won't regret it.
· Until you have 14 tenants paying you rent, don’t build your own personal house you would love to live in.
· Don’t buy properties and keep them, invest in properties that will fetch you money.
QUOTES FROM JOSH2FUNNY
· Properties can only appreciate. They don’t depreciate.
ABOUT JOSH ALFRED (JOSH2FUNNY)

Josh2Funny whose real name is Josh Alfred, is a Nigerian comedian and Instagram personality born on December 18, 1990. Josh2Funny was born and raised in Anambra State before he came down to Lagos at the age of seven.
https://medium.com/@middlechaseblog