First-Time Homebuyers Find Affordable Units in Kenya

First-Time Homebuyers Find Affordable¹ Units in Kenya

NAIROBI, KENYA—

A 2011 World Bank survey found that only about one-tenth of Kenya's population earned enough to support a mortgage. However, that situation may be changing, with more affordable apartment units on the outskirts² of Nairobi selling out even before the start of construction.

Anthony Wamburu, a 35-year-old technology enthusiast³, is in the market for his first property.

Wamburu has been saving for a while now, and has his eye on an apartment — valued at $50,000 — in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. The units are dubbed⁴ "starter homes" by Suraya properties, the firm behind the venture.

"They are not very expensive for somebody like me who is looking to start a family quite soon,” he said. “And also I like the way it comes with different benefits. It comes with a gym. It also comes with a swimming pool, so I would not have to get gym membership somewhere else. So a starter home would be quite perfect for me."

Begun four years ago, Suraya Properties has built starter homes in the Kenyan capital and its outskirts with a view toward tapping into the low- and middle-income market. Most of their units range between $10,000 and $80,000.

Unexpected buyers

The company was started to supply affordable homes to first-time home buyers, said CEO Peter Muraya, but a market was uncovered that he had not anticipated. 

"Surprisingly, we have found that there's a lot of people heading to retirement⁵ who have looked at it differently and they are thinking, 'We [were] going to maybe the countryside retirement home' but they want a place in town where they can be coming and where it's their own," Muraya said.

The new apartment complexes in Thika and Syokimau are still under construction, but already are sold out.

Still, homeownership remains⁶ beyond the reach of most Kenyans. The Mortgage Company, a Kenyan real estate firm, estimates that only a fifth of Kenyans can afford a home priced at $10,000. 

Part of the problem is the high interest rates charged by Kenyan banks.

"You're talking about borrowing at [rates of] eighteen, nineteen, twenty and even in some cases higher than that,” said economic analyst⁷ Aly Khan Satchu. “It's very expensive to borrow money from the bank and until we see significantly lower rates, I think we'll continue to see poor mortgage penetration⁸ because it's just too expensive."

Another real estate company, Hass Consult, says only 30,000 Kenyans hold mortgages, a tiny fraction of the country's 42 million people.

1 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

3 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

4 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 penetration   

n.穿透，穿人，渗透

参考例句：

• He is a man of penetration.他是一个富有洞察力的人。
• Our aim is to achieve greater market penetration.我们的目标是进一步打入市场。