By Leonard GildarieIt seemed that the article last Sunday on the Housing Ministry’s ‘turn-key’ $4.6M homes at Providence has created quite a stir. The Ministry immediately reported a spike in the number of persons rushing down at its headquarters last Monday to apply for one of these subsidised low income homes.One of the homes for ‘Young Professionals’ at Eccles, East Bank Demerara.Based on the numerous emails and calls that I receive over the past few days, it is obvious that owning a home in Guyana is close to the hearts of Guyanese, here and abroad. I know that feeling. I have been there.However, it was also very obvious that not a lot of information about the developments in this sector is getting to the people. We will attempt to address these in the coming weeks.Many of the questions from our readers centred on how to apply. It is very simple. The Housing Ministry, located on Brickdam, is the only place to do so. We have heard of many housing scams and in almost all the cases, the Ministry’s systems have unearthed the culprits. For heaven’s sake, don’t pay attention to any third party or anyone who says they have a connection at the Ministry. Go in, buy a form, and apply. There is no hard-and-fast system to quicken the process, except with a number of special government programmes which we will touch on today. The alternative to this process is losing your hard-earned dollars…Let’s toe the line and do things right.Readers also queried about garbage, doors that don’t lock and problems with contractors. We will devote one of our pieces to things that can be done to ensure our housing schemes are protected. I have a running battle with neighbours, contractors, and even drivers, about the lack of care over the roads and drains.Inside one of the $14M homes.There was also one question about what happens if you own a piece of land and are applying for a mortgage. NBS and the commercial banks will demand you have at least part of the money to build. You will have to bear the responsibilities of clearing the land and starting the preparatory groundwork. Of course, the situation with homeowners applying for mortgages differs from one family to the next. One person may be working in one family while the other may have five. So repayment time and the conditions that apply will vary from application to application.Now down to the ‘meat’ of the matter.Last week, we spoke of one of the attractive offers by the Ministry, where a houselot and two-bedroom home at Providence, East Bank Demerara,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, was selling for $4.6M. This pilot project was a huge success, with government building more this year. The applications by interested persons have been more than the number of homes being built.Already, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali has said that several similar programmes are being looked at.There is another programme at Eccles that has been receiving huge interest. So much so that all of the 55 homes in the new area opened up behind the Industrial Site have been snapped up, despite construction not being finished yet. These are the so-called “Young Professionals’” homes, targeting engineers, doctors, executives and other skilled individuals.It is another incentive to promote home-ownership and employment to Guyanese, the Minister said.The Ministry is building the homes and has worked out a mortgage arrangement with Republic Bank for a preferential interest rate of 7% where the applicant can access up to $11M. These Florida-styled, three-bedroom homes are almost 1,700 square feet sitting on land that can go up to 75 x 100 ft. The home, worth $20M, has also been heavily subsidised by the Ministry, selling for $12.5M. With the cost of the land about $1.2M, the home can be had for just less than $14M. The homes will be finished with the popular “trowel-tex”, a coating that has become an alternative to the traditional paint.Taslim Baksh, a senior Housing Ministry official who is managing the project, said that the homes come complete with full infrastructure and include kitchen cabinets, a master bedroom, two bathrooms, wash areas, and light fixtures. Home owners have the option of converting this exclusive scheme to a gated community. The construction of the homes started in February and is expected to be completed in August.The Ministry is moving to Providence next for a similar project. Again, like last week, if I had the money, this would have been a good deal. Similar homes being built by private contractors are selling for at least $20-$25M each.Baksh said that because of the number of the homes being built at once, the Ministry was able to “prudently” manage its budget and pass on the savings to the customers. He disclosed that the Housing Ministry is now looking at building homes that will target applicants who can’t afford the $14M homes and for whom the $4.6M structures would be too small.There is another bit of news. On Friday, the Ministry launched its fourth International Building Expo at Princess Hotel. It will be held again at the National Stadium, Providence. However, it is what was announced by Minister Ali that will be of interest to many. Government is fast running out of land on the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara.The options were obvious. New housing schemes will have to move to further along the East Bank. As a matter of fact, the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, under a Housing Ministry project called “Silica City” is launching 8,000 houselots. To make that project attractive, Ali said Friday that houselot owners applying for a lot there will be processed immediately, with no waiting time. The East Bank Demerara corridor, when that project takes off in earnest, will change even more.Enjoy your weekend and continue sending your comments to [email protected]
