STILL ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE PERFECT HOME

I am not one to quit just after a few trials (well, not true. It depends on what i am going after and how badly i want it. I have been known to quit here and there when something i am doing is not adding any value in my life and i am not very motivated. Honesty). So, fuel the car we did and headed on to our next location. House hunting for my sister has motivated me to work hard and have fun house hunting for my own house. Do not get me wrong, in the end I would like to build my own house (I have A LOT of ideas for my future home) but I would not mind buying a house and knowing that if I get tired with it I can always rent it out (on contract basis!) and be receiving an amount every beginning of an year or two. For those who are wondering, I am house hunting for my sister because she is not around to do it herself. Plus, she trusts my judgment (but do I say!). So, on with my journey!

Still on the lookout for the perfect home.

DAY 3:

Spirit: Not dampened one bit

Name: Jacaranda Gardens

Price: 7.6M

Location: Past Thika highway on the way to Kahawa West past zimmaman (zima)

Bedrooms: 3 Bedrooms Master Ensuite (and FINALLY! A BATHTUB!)

Type: Apartment

Additional Information: A new Gated community with over 200 apartment buildings, 200m swimming pool, a Gym, Sauna, a Restaurant/Bar, a Kindergarten, a Shopping center, TV Cameras on hidden locations, Keycard to open the main gate, electric fence, 2parking spaces per apartment, boreholes, access to the Northern bypass and the Thika highway.

Phase 1 is complete and now phase 2 is under construction. So, the sales force for this place was very organized. Every family is allocated a sales person who will take you to the SHOWHOUSE and answer any questions you might have. Our site representative was a very nice lady. First, we were shown the models of the complete project. Next she took us to Phase1 where the few remaining apartments are located. A piece of advice – if you want to go view Jacaranda Gardens, I would advise you go with a car instead of the public means. This is because there is a wide stretch from the main offices to the SHOWHOUSES and walking from there to the homes and back to the offices will be tiring.

To enter Phase 1, there is a guard and since we did not have our own keycard, we had to sign in and he opens the gate for us. The apartments are set on a sloped area in an ascending order. The site is breathtaking. The buildings are mainly glass, grass and trees everywhere, each apartment building contains two apartments on each floor (so no middle apartment) and comprises of 4 floors.

There is a camera on the main entrance of each apartment building and unless you have the keycard, someone from the apartment you are going to has to buzz you in. When you buzz into an apartment, they are able to see who is at the main door through the small TV screen near the apartment door which is connected to the camera by the main apartment entrance, be able to talk to the person at the main entrance and buzz (let) them in. That to me was all I needed to see to fall in love with the place.

The SHOWHOUSE called to me. It was made especially for me! The house is everything my sister would want and more. The windows, the Balconies, The huge bedrooms, the huge closet space, the huge bathtub, the huge bathrooms, the huge kitchen, huge windows in every room, the wooded and tiled floors, the designs on the doors(they have carvings of a flower stem and the wood is the dark mahogany) which gives the perfect finishing to the already perfect house. These apartments are made to perfection. The apartments are very modern; I have not quite seen anything like them in Kenya yet. They are perfect for someone with a family and also for someone single. They are very affordable and I thought for sure that I had found “THE ONE”. I could not find one (1) thing wrong with them and that made me wonder why they were going at such a low price.

Here is the clubhouse,bedroom and the kitchen

 I am not as up to date with Kenya’s geography as I would like to be. But the most obvious mistake with these apartments is….. The location. They are situated near Githurai and well, we all know the reputation that place has (in case you do not, all thieves in Kenya reside there). Also, the road leading to Jacaranda Gardens is the same road on your way to Kamiti Prison (I did not know that at that time and well, every Kenyan knows of Kamiti Prison!) Need I say more? That was the deal breaker for me. For someone with a private car and does not work late hours, this is the house for you. Since I do not own a car and would have to rely on public transportation and I would never feel safe coming home late from work. I choose safety over the perfect home.

Once more, I will have to hit the roads of Nairobi in search for the perfect home.

Till next time…NJ