Life & Work

Greenpark uses trial stays to woo house buyers

BDSHK-GreenPark1810

Greenpark Estate by Superior Homes on Mombasa Rd., five kilometres from the Athi River interchange. Courtesy

The real estate sector has adopted a new approach to attract more prospective house buyers by allowing them a few days’ stay in the show house, an approach which developers hope will help buyers make a more informed decision.

The try-before-you-buy concept allows potential home owners to live in the houses for a nominal fee without the obligation to buy at the end of the trial period. Superior Homes Kenya, owners of Greenpark in Athi River, have adopted this concept which they say is their best selling point.

The house agents allow families to come and live in the show houses in order to get a feel of Greenpark’s living culture and interact with neighbours before purchasing.

“We encourage prospective buyers to invite their family and friends to stay in one of our luxurious, spacious, fully furnished four-bedroom super bungalows to experience the unique community of Greenpark for a few days,” says Ms Angelica Wambui, the sales manager at Superior Homes, adding that this has helped push up sales.

The prospective buyers get to live in a fully furnished house, interact with neighbours and enjoy other available facilities in the estate as if they were part of the community.

Golden opportunity

“We realise that buying a house is an important decision so we urge prospective buyers to take this golden opportunity to check out the traffic, visit local schools or simply get to know your future neighbours,” says Ms Wambui.

Buyers can choose between a weekend or a weekday package.

The cost of a 3-day, 4-night package from Monday afternoon to Friday morning is Sh20,000. Those who opt for a weekend stay also pay Sh20,000 for 2 days and 3 nights from Friday afternoon to Monday morning. Half-days are not counted as full days.

In the event that the client buys the house, which are selling for between Sh9 million to Sh31 million, they are refunded the Sh20,000.

The trend has the potential to become popular as more home developers offer potential buyers a pressure-free way to check out the property and spot any problems before moving in.

Ms Wambui says that several Kenyans visiting from the diaspora have bought the houses after taking advantage of the home-stay packages.

“A good marketer knows that the concept of try-before-you-buy is one of the bestselling points for any product as well as a fair expectation for their clients, which is why this concept has crept into the real estate sector as well.”

Mr David Mutinda, a real estate agent, says traditional shopping methods such as this draws some form of appeal to customers than buying online. It is, however, not an entirely new concept in most sectors and has been proven to assist customers make better decisions before making an outright purchase.

The concept resembles the guarantee which some companies offer to their clients where one buys a product and if they return it within a certain period, they get a refund or a different product of the same value.

Test- drive

Shops such as Bata, Deacons and most electronics outlets offer this option for their products. Automotive companies also give buyers the chance to test-drive their vehicles before buying.

A BDLife survey showed that most prospective home owners would embrace the concept.

Boniface Mwangi said he has developed a simple philosophy: “If there is no try-before-you-buy policy, then I simply walk away.” He added that this had saved him a lot of aggravation and frustration after buying something only to find out later that it was not what the seller had promised.

Real estate agents are optimistic that this concept is viable in the market especially now there is a rush by developers to sell property both locally and abroad. But a few insist that the concept could have its hitches because after each visiting tenant vacates the house, some cleaning and minor repairs may need to be done.

In New York where property has been problematic to sell, real estate agents say they have recorded better results after adopting a similar concept. This was later picked up by various housing agents in other states as reported in the Telegraph newspaper and myfoxyny.com network.

Trybeforeyoubuy.com is a website that links various property agents with prospective buyers across the globe to ensure they find their ideal properties overseas.

The website hosts various housing estates which offer the option of living in the property which you are interested in buying before making the purchase. South Africa has also picked up the strategy, offering buyers the option of the trial stays.