FOREIGN PROPERTY
YEMI EDUN—’OUR MAN’—IN LONDON
Our Publisher caught up with Mr Yemi Edun, CEO of Daniel Ford International, for insight into the firm’s visit to Lagos and Abuja with a team from Berkeley Group
Publisher: You came over to Lagos and Abuja to present some very excellent real estate opportunities in the United Kingdom to Nigerians. I recall that you shared some peculiarities of the properties developed by the Berkeley Group that would work very well for a Nigerian resident with a home in the UK.
Yemi Edun: The property landscape in the UK has changed massively after COVID-19. There is more emphasis on lifestyle, and Berkeley Group is leading this change with lifestyle-directed buildings and estates. A typical example is having guests over. You want to keep your personal space private but have to host a number of guests. In many of the Berkeley Group properties, there is a chef kitchen with an attached dining area, which makes it possible to host at your residence but not at your apartment. There are also multiple terraces for outdoor parties or just to enjoy the scenery from the shelter of an alcove in your building. For the work-from-home resident, there is a conference room with office facilities as part of the offerings. This means that owning an apartment in these apartments does not mean forgoing all the perks of a hotel-style lifestyle.
Publisher: Very interesting. One other point of discussion was how transport links are enhancing otherwise ‘unattractive’ locations.
Yemi Edun: The beauty of real estate in the UK is the pace of change. Many Nigerians in the HNI class have associations with London, especially. They might have attended school here or visited often. They may have property here, or even their parents bought property there as far back as the 50s. But things have moved on from then. For instance, Kings Cross, where we have our office, has changed completely from what it was 20 years ago, 10 years ago, and I dare say that by next year it will still change. One of the prime movers of the change, apart from regeneration, is transport links. The new Elizabeth Line is a game changer. What it means is that areas like Abbeywood, which was derisively called ‘the armpit’ of London, now have a 29-minute travel time to Heathrow Airport.
It used to be two hours before. You can live in Brentwood, Essex, sit on the train, and find yourself in Paddington (Central London, Heathrow Airport, Reading, etc.) in a matter of minutes. Many are familiar with HS1, which links St. Pancras to Paris, France, but HS2, a high-speed railway which is under construction, will run between Handsacre, in southern Staffordshire, and London, with a spur to Birmingham. This means you can live in Birmingham and arrive at Euston Station in 39 minutes. Remember, the further out you are from the capital city of London, the more property you can get for your money. I remember that Nigerians used to look down on places like Kilburn or Colindale as being too far out. But even in places like the reviled Dagenham, there are gems of property—both to live in and for investment. If you want to go to Essex, Hornchurch is great. I’d recommend Brentwood and Chingford as well.
Mr Yemi Edun, CEO of Daniel Ford International
Publisher: Nigerians really like to live the good life everywhere they are.
Yemi Edun: You are correct. Increasingly, we’re getting people asking about golf courses. I had a request this week: the gentleman says he wants to live on a golf course. He was surprised that London has such properties. I always say that if you are tired of life, you are tired of London because London has everything. There are golf properties in Wentworth Park, Saint Georges Park in Trent Park, and even in North London Moor Park. These are properties right inside the golf course. This is as good as it gets. It may surprise many to know Britain has virtually the largest number of golf courses per population.
Publisher: I didn’t know that and I have been familiar with the UK market for decades.
Yemi Edun: When you read it, it is no longer news. That is why we came down to Abuja and Lagos. We hope to do this more and will be in Lagos in November.
Publisher: What brought about the partnership with Berkeley Homes?
Yemi Edun: The Berkely Group is one of Britain’s largest home builders, with 19,600 homes built over the last 5 years. But for us, there is the personal experience of their after-sales ethos.
“One of the prime
movers of the change,
apart from regeneration
is transport links. The
new Elizabeth Line is a
game changer.”
We run a one-stop shop at Daniel Ford, and beyond being acquisition agents, we manage properties for our clients. The Berkeley Group is one of the elite developers that ensure that you get post-sale benefits. We bought so many properties from them, and the post-acquisition service has been very satisfactory. So, when they requested this partnership, we had no option but to go with them.
Publisher: So you are the ‘Mr. Come to London; I will get you a place that will suit your lifestyle.’
Yemi Edun: Well, some simply call me ‘Our man in London.’
Contact Daniel Ford International
info@dfint.com
+44 (0)20 7278 8881
10 Balfe Street, London N1 9EG