Latest update December 21st, 2024 1:52 AM
Housing and You…Poor planning, priorities and the last-minute expenses
By Leonard Gildarie
I have asked the Lands Registry for an interview so we can understand what is happening there. The complaints have been many, of transports being held up for an extraordinary long time…I mean in some cases up to nine months. Fingers have not been pointed so much at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), but at the Registry.
I called the Registry last week and spoke to the male assistant of Juliet Sattaur, the Registrar. He promised to get back to us. But I guess it was a busy week.
You have to prioritise when constructing you home, as every little detail counts.
CH&PA officials have admitted that there are delays in the processing of transports at the Registry. Several letters and a number of emails have been sent to me on this issue.
I have been told that the housing sector expansion and investments in other areas have been placing a burden on the Registry.
I can understand that. At least 6,000 house lots are being issued annually in recent years. The logistics in processing will be a nightmare for some simple reasons. The Registry is not fully computerized as yet. Coupled with the fact that Guyana continues to battle with a shortage of skills, it is no wonder we have problems.
So this coming week, I will attempt to get them to speak about what is happening.
Now, over the weekend, one of my friends started clearing the bushes for his land so that construction can begin. I was passing and stopped to say hello. He and his wife were deep in discussion with a few workers. Their body language suggested something was wrong. My friend said he was being asked to pay $40,000 to clear some bushes. I was surprised too. To chop a few pieces ‘Auntie Desmond’?
He told me that his wife apparently made the deal. Not much I can say about that, but it was clear that not much consultation was done about the costs.
In my estimation, the job could have cost about a third of that $40,000.
I have spoken innumerable times about planning. Every little detail helps when you are constructing.
My friend is by no means a rich man; he had to take a mortgage, which makes it worse.
From applying for mortgage financing to the NDC to signing the mortgage papers, there are costs…processing fees. A $10M mortgage can run you up to over $100,000 in fees. So you have got to watch the dollars or as they say…the cents…the dollars will take care of themselves.
Another friend too decided to move in over the weekend and we passed to give him a hand and to congratulate him. However, I was disappointed.
He took a small mortgage and got help from his family to raise the rest of the finances. Not bad. However, he spent it badly. He had about five or more different contractors. He took on several little boys from the neighbourhood to push things along. In total, my friend took almost a year to finish.
I looked at the inside and outside and shook my head in sadness and a tinge of anger.
He opted for a beautiful fence, but cut costs on the size of the bathroom pipes.
He had no grills but had a fancy fence. Both my friend and his wife work in the city.
His kitchen remains incomplete but he has lately bought a 50-inch Samsung Smart TV.
There is a lesson here. And it is all grounded in what we have been talking about for a while. Proper planning. Prioritising. Deciding what is important and put that plan into action. This is especially applicable to a majority who are poor and don’t have much money left back to do anything else.
In the meantime, enjoy the Easter holidays and ensure you kids avoid those power lines.
Please do continue to send those emails to [email protected] or call 225-8491 on weekdays.
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