Real Estate: The investment tool that meets every human need
Human needs are divided into three (3) broad categories by Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy. Basic human needs include safety and physiological requirements such as food, drink, and rest. Our need for esteem, affection, and belonging is described in the second category. This is a psychological need. Self-fulfillment and self-actualization are the last two categories.
Human needs, as portrayed in these three broad categories, are, in my opinion, first and foremost, emotional. Remember the old adage about a hungry man being an angry man? Even food may elicit strong emotions, yet we need nourishment to live. These requirements being met, results in emotional pleasure and reward. The remarkable thing is that real estate meets needs across the hierarchy from bottom up.
Let me show you how.
First, we need to describe real estate.
Investopedia describes real estate as the land along with any permanent improvements attached to the land. Whether natural or man-made—including water, trees, minerals, buildings, homes, fences, and bridges.
This description means that there are many ways to look at real estate. Shows how convertible it truly is. Don’t get stuck looking at it from just a perspective.
The Basic Needs: These are also physiological needs; food, water, warmth, rest, security and safety. Food in agriculture and water is from the ground. Warmth and rest do not happen in isolation. We derive them from a subset of real estate such as a built property. Likewise, within a bounded area is where you feel safe and secure.
When you provide basic needs to your family or other people, you derive a sense of fulfillment. This is regardless of the provision being free or paid for. Sometimes you feel you have self-actualized doing this.
This is why it feels terrible when parents are unable to provide shelter for their wards. Especially when these wards are still financially vulnerable. It even feels more terrible losing your shelter when your ability to earn an income has now reduced as a result of advancement in age or other reasons.
When your basic needs are met, you are in a positive emotional state and motivated to be more productive. This is why the end police brutality protest agenda includes demanding improved remuneration and better living conditions for officers of the Nigerian Police. Force.
The Psychological Needs: Ever wondered why some people buy houses on certain streets and neighborhood? While there are several reasons, chief on the list is because they want to belong and remain within a certain societal class. Psychological needs are the esteem, belonging and love needs. We crave these emotions at varying degrees and want to have them fulfilled. Real estate is a tool that is used to meet these needs. You have been using real estate to meet these needs and you do not even know it! You derive esteem or have a sense of belonging to a certain class when you occupy or use real estate in certain locations.
There is also the case of perception. Sometimes, people will only regard you based on your house or property investment location on the earth’s map. In many cases, people will only do business with you because your office has a certain address. Apart from the perks of having a Victoria Island business address, it is also to meet these psychological needs.
The Self-fulfillment Needs: Self-actualization is achieving one’s full potentials or attaining a high level of creativity. The Dangote Foundation once donated ₦1,200,000,000 worth of student accommodation to the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Going by the history of the foundation’s activities, finding a deeper level of fulfillment is at the core. By that donation, he has contributed to a people-centered purpose.
While donating accommodation facility deriving a sense of fulfillment, a basic need for the students is being met using real estate. The students will be getting an education with some level of comfort. It then becomes easy to get more creative because there is now shelter besides security.
If you have not taken investing in real estate serious before now, it is high time that you begin to. It is a convertible tool that meets almost all human needs. Real estate makes being a human being possible. It delivers emotional fulfilment. It supports the essence and existence of life.
Therefore, you should pay attention to how you invest in real estate and convert it to meet your needs. Especially if you are not satisfied with the status quo or you are ambitious. Extracting optimum value from real estate does not happen by chance. It requires intentionality.
5 simple ways to be intentional about real estate investing.
- Know how you respond to real estate. We respond to real estate differently and this has been proven by research.
- Check what you know about real estate investing and deriving value from it. While some people are fine with just having a home, you may want more than having a home. How you approach cash flow generating real estate is different from how you approach home-ownership in Nigeria.
- Be real estate investment literate. Even when you plan to just buy a home. Due to real estate investment illiteracy, people end up losing their homes despite all the sacrifice to own one. You don’t want to have that experience.
- Read biographies of people who have legitimately extracted value from real estate. Remember it is universally convertible. For the ambitious investor, you can draw lessons from the experiences of other investors.
- Have a clear and relevant goal about what you wish to achieve using real estate. Your wealth goal is unique to you. Achieving your goal will also not be in an exact manner that someone else will achieve theirs. Find out what works effectively for you.
How you see real estate and being intentional about how you invest in real estate, reduces waste of resources and incidence of loss as is now common. You are also positioned to extract optimum value from your investment.