THE LAND WE DIDN’T BUY { FEAR, RISK, AND CHAOS OF REAL ESTATE}

The Land We Didn’t Buy: The fear, risk, and real estate chaos in Nigeria that held young investors back in 2014.

In 2014, I remember clearly sitting with a few close friends — all of us young professionals with dreams, some disposable income, and a growing curiosity about investing in real estate. We had started earning decently — nothing extravagant, but enough to gather ₦250,000 to ₦500,000 between us. It wasn’t a lot by market standards, but it could have been the beginning of a solid investment portfolio if used wisely.

We knew what we wanted: land. Real estate. A physical investment with future yield. But we also knew what we didn’t have: *trust in the system.*

Everyone around us claimed to be an agent. “I have land in Epe.” “There’s a hot offer in Moniya.” “This one will double in value in six months.” But none could prove documentation. Nobody could verify the title. You’d ask about surveys, and they’d fumble. Ask about allocation, and they’d say, “You’ll get it after payment.” Ask for a contract, and it was either generic, shady, or nonexistent.

Everywhere we turned, we heard stories:

“They paid and never saw the land again.”

“The agent disappeared after deposit.”

“They bought land from the wrong family and are now in court.”

That fear — the fear of being scammed and losing our hard-earned money — held us back. And it wasn’t unfounded. Real estate in Nigeria at the time was a chaotic, unregulated jungle where the loudest voice or flashiest ad often masked the shadiest deals.

So, we did what many others did: we paused. We postponed. We missed out. We watched prices rise from the sidelines. But something else was birthed in that season of hesitation: conviction.

I kept asking myself: Why is it so hard to trust the land market in Nigeria? Why can’t there be a company that puts professionalism above commission, that makes documentation transparent, that tells young people the truth and not just what they want to hear?

That question eventually led to the founding of Property Max Results Ltd in 2015. But before there was PMR, there was the regret of not buying. There was the pain of watching land we could’ve afforded multiply in price. There was the frustration of watching the real estate space push people away with chaos when it should have been welcoming them with structure.

We didn’t buy that land in 2014 — but that loss wasn’t wasted. It became the seed for a company that now helps others avoid that same mistake. We didn’t just start a business. We created an alternative — one rooted in transparency, trust, and long-term thinking.

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about what the market really looked like, then — how “Everybody Was an Agent” — and why it was a mess that needed fixing.