Nigerian Lady who Hawked Pepper In Lagos In The Past Celebrates Buying Two Houses In The US And Canada

God Saved the Best For Last In This Decade - 2019, You Blew My Mind. #Read, #Share and #Celebrate With Me #HomeOwner #YourFavoriteScientistIsEngaged #34WasAGoal #YearOfYes #LongPost

I really wanted to buy a property in 2018 but I moved to the US, started a new job and focused on paying off my 50K debt. I tagged 2019, my year to DECODE 10X and I was on a mission to TAKE UP SPACE, EXPAND and BUILD on what was started in 2018 (Solving for X).

Goal #1 for decoding 10X was **buying an investment property in Canada.** Building on the strategies learned last year on how to pay off your loans, I started learning about wealth creation, cash flow, retirement plans (RRSP, 401K, IRA), stock market and so on. Also, I found a real estate coach and accountability partner. My multi-buildings owner real estate mogul friend Debby provided eye-opening real estate lessons and the first quarter, she reported that she bought her first home for the year. So, I knew I needed to buckle up. Lastly, my accountant friend, Funke, sent me a yearly intentional budgeting and planning excel sheet that enabled me plan my money and see how I am spending. Game on!

RESULT #1: purchased my first ever property in Ontario Canada! Closed the home in August and rented it out to students resuming back to school in September. Yes, the first one needed to be an investment property. Thanks to the learnings on wealth creation. I owe this to Debby for pushing me, explaining all processes and having the right crew (legal, mortgage specialist, house manager) ready to get this going stress-free.

RESULT #2: Debby was buying 3 properties this year and on one of our calls with the girls, she was closing her second property. In this country where people have just one property all their lives and pay for it for 30 years, look at Debby winning! Ha, so I asked “what is life without taking a risk or two”? I secured my motivation and decided to take a second risk: buy a home to take root in Indiana. She helped crunched the numbers and Mr Olu held my hand and said let’s go!

Couldn’t find a place with all I wanted, so my friend (Opeyemi) told me about building one and recommend a builder.. Huge task... long thing... Well, on the 23rd of December, closed the home built in Indiana USA! A 5 bedroom 3 baths house by the pond just a year after moving to the US. Picked the stones, kitchen granite, fireplace stones, cabinets and added a room downstairs for my parents (I was thinking of them visiting at some point) and all my wants for this house, was in it. This was the best Christmas gift anyone could ever ask for.

This is all so overwhelming and let me tell you why. As a kid, we lived in a face-me-I-face-you 3-bedroom slot in Mokola. My immediate elder brother took one of three rooms and turned it into a business Centre for graphics design and the last room was dedicated to my brothers who had several friends sleeping there. So, we were left with the middle room called “yara” to share by 5 people (my parents, my sister and I, and the money machine brother of mine who also need to sleep after working in the living room).

The room was small and so tight and ofcourse I had to share a bed with my sister. We had a black and white TV with no video, so we would go watch movies in our neighbor’s living room. They are family and so kind to us but whenever they had visitors, we had to bounce and watch from the window. Sometimes, up to 5 of us will fight for a small hole through the curtains to watch Aladdin, Pokahontas and so on. Ha, this life!

So, that same girl and the same one who hawked pepper, the same one who was a cleaner in Finland for 4.5 years, the same girl who was a sales girl at Sephora in Saskatoon, who just finished University 3 years ago, the same girl who was called jara child (extra), the same one who lived in a tiny room by a toilet in Ogba and the same one who went to Europe with 700 Euros is the one who built a house in America. And bought a house in Canada. I added 5 TVs because everywhere I turn to, I must see TV o. The same girl that used to peep from someone’s window to watch TV, Jesus!!

You probably are reading this and saying is she still single? Saying a prayer for me or pitying me or getting scared about me not finding a man. Worry no more because I AM ENGAGED! Olu asked me to marry him in October 2019 and I f**king said YES .  At every step of these decisions was this man and as much as we are not perfect, I have found a reason to have a family because of him. Shout outs to my sisters: Yvonne, Funmi and Busola for picking the ring. Dear internet family, your internet sister and most eligible spinster is getting married #Engaged

Dear boss girl, build your empire and don’t think about whoever will be scared to marry you. Do it because you have suffered enough in this life and deserve to live. The right man will be there just in time.

Dear University students, I was in school just 3 years ago. Make sure to strategize on what’s next while still in school. It will be up to you to use that advanced degree to break into your successes.

To those who say SCIENTISTS are POOR and want to follow the slayqueen of the world to do crazy things and those looking for rich husbands, tables are turning. The prayers men are praying now is let me find “Iyawo alalubarika”.

Dear parents and society, please stop telling women they can’t own houses and stop telling us to wait our lives away and squeeze into holes. To those who told me I can’t find a husband because I am strong, men are scared of PhDs and I should hide my success. You are wrong. God wins all the time. Young lady, don’t let them rush you! Wait and achieve your dreams. They don’t catch late comers in this marriage o.

Dear all, please let’s make conscious decision to learn about how money works. Nigerians are known as serious-minded professionals. But, we end up not becoming wealthy because our money doesn’t work for us when we sleep and we don’t know how to maximize our income and often have no side gigs. Also, start new and intentional friendships and surround yourself with the right crew! I cut off a long-standing friendship this year because she was jealous and just a never-seeing-good-in-me fella. But look at the new friends I gained? Lastly, I hope you will share this until every girl in your neighborhood pick up their books and fight for an education.

To all new immigrants in Canada and the US, and new University graduates with jobs, start saving for that first property in 2020 and stop using your money to travel the world and paying mortgage for someone else! It may take a while before you get to hike goal but ask for help so you it won’t take you too long. It took me 11 years to get here and I hope it won’t take you that long. Are you ready to take those RISKS in 2020? Let’s talk.

Now, we need money to pay off the mortgage and plan the wedding. So, please send me consulting gig and refer people to register for mentorship with Dr Addy because you too need a year like I have had.

Thank you Jesus for all you have done. Stay tuned for more about my 2019 journeys tagged decoding 10X and I hope you will agree with me that we have taken roots in America in 2019!

How was 2019 for you? Again, don’t forget to #share