UGANDA, Rukungiri | Real Muloodi News | Although Patrick Behayo lives and works in Jinja, he does not regret building a country home in the Rukungiri District. While Mr. Behayo hardly spends four days in a month at his three-bedroomed country house, he is in his mid-60s and about to retire from his office job. Mr. Behayo says his house will be a retirement country home.
Purchasing country property can be considerably less expensive than purchasing city property, making country property investment an appealing option. Whether it is a country home, an out-of-town retreat home or a retirement home, occupancy is something to consider. Investing a lot of money in a distant place that is mostly vacant is costly to maintain, and might not be the best investment plan, according to the Daily Monitor.
When planning to invest in an upcountry home, consider:
Generating Income
According to Livingstone Mukasa, a lead business trainer at Living Business Education, a country house should generate enough revenue to maintain itself.
In Mr. Behayo’s case, he set up a farm of cows and banana plantations in his country home with labourers tending to it.
“My banana plantation generates money to pay two-country home caretakers. I sell between 40 and 50 bunches of bananas between Shs10,000 to Shs15,000 each,” Mr. Behayo says.
Mr. Behayo also sells milk from the cows to generate income to take care of his old parents.
“When I travel upcountry, I have extra money in my pocket,” Mr. Behayo says.
Mr. Mukasa advises that since Uganda is a lovely country with thriving tourism, you can also generate extra income from tourists who may stay at your country home to have a village experience.
Homeowner Fredrick Ocaya, says “If you are to build a country home of Shs200 million, you can plan and partition the rooms to serve as a country lodge to make some money. It makes much sense to serve both local and foreign travellers in the area rather than having all your capital tied in one huge expensive empty house.”
Real Muloodi News recently published an article about how one family converted their home into a rental.
It is a Luxury, not a Necessity
Rather than seeing it as a need, Mr. Behayo considers his country home as a luxury. Both Mr. Mukasa and Mr. Behayo told the Daily Monitor that a country home should not be the first house you build; you should prioritise building close to where you work and spend most of your time and life.
Its Relevance
Mr. Behayo agrees with Mr. Mukasa that some individuals have a great connection to their villages because it is where they grew up, grazed cattle, made friends, and went to school. A variety of other activities took place. It’s a place where you can fit in after you’ve retired.
That being said, building a country home does not require you to build your house in your ancestral village. According to Mukasa, if you are from western Uganda or the central region, you can have still have a country home in eastern Uganda where you feel comfortable retiring.
The Size and Cost
Mr. Mukasa says that the income one earns should determine the budget cost of constructing a rural home. Your salary and/or savings should provide adequate funding to start, develop, and finish your country home in less than four years.
He adds, “If you do not live there, do not borrow money to build a country home. Mr. Mukasa further advises, “If you are a salary earner and you are taking a loan to build a country home, it is financial indiscipline of the highest level.”
Mr. Ocaya agrees that a rural home should be simple, not a hotel or mansion that sits empty for most of the year when you don’t even own at least one-roofed house in the city. It must be something simple that you can finish in a brief space of time.
Mr. Behayo adds that if you are establishing the home to generate income as he did with his banana plantation, you may opt for something bigger to accommodate caretakers.
He further recommends not to determine the size of the home based on the number of children you have, as it is likely the children will move away when they get older. Rather than going for a humongous house, people can share rooms if needed. “Go for utility rather than being a showoff,” he says.
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