'I need to buy a house.'
A random thought struck one day.
With his MH balance now comfortably exceeding N10 million and his OPay holding a steady N800k buffer, Daniel started seriously house-hunting. Not for himself initially, but for his family. He wanted them settled, secure, in a place they could truly call home.
Garki was good, but he aimed higher. He spent hours online, browsing property listings in more upscale, family-friendly districts of Abuja – Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II. He wasn't looking for a mansion, not yet at least. A decent, well-located four-bedroom bungalow or duplex, was the more realistic goal.
He found a promising option listed by an agent online: a recently renovated four-bedroom bungalow in a quiet close in Wuse II. It had a well-designed layout, a small compound, decent security, and was listed for N65 million. Definitely worth the price.
Daniel decided to tell his mother in the evening.
"Mummy," he began one evening, while she was watching her favourite TV show. "I want to buy a house."
She paused, looking at him directly. "Buy… a house? You do know how much houses cost in Nigeria right?" She was surprised.
"Mummy, I'm doing well enough." he said, obviously confident. "Better than I even expected. I've saved a lot. Enough to buy something decent for us. A place that will be ours."
He showed her the listing on his laptop, and the house previews.
She studied the pictures, then looked back at her son, assessing his calm demeanor. "N65 million…" she murmured the figure thoughtfully. "Are you sure about this?"
"Mummy, I promise you, it's a necessary one, and within my means" he insisted, meeting her gaze. "And investing in Real Estate is never a bad move."
She considered for a few moments before finally nodding.
She finally nodded. "Okay son, if you are sure. You can already make these decisions by yourself."
The process moved quickly. Daniel contacted the agent, arranged a viewing (which his mother attended with him), began the negotiation when he was satisfied. MH's Market Analysis feature proved useful here – analysing market data suggested the price was slightly inflated. He made a firm offer of N60 million through the agent. After a brief back-and-forth, it was accepted.
Funding it was the next step. N60 million was far too much to withdraw directly without raising flags. He initiated a series of large MH trades over three days, keeping each below the threshold his internal caution dictated (about N10-15M per day equivalent). Transferring the generated funds required careful planning, given he was still 16. He established 'PeDan Investments' as a business name initially, channeling the funds through a series of layered personal and newly created nominee accounts, making the final payment to the seller's lawyer seem like it came from diverse, legitimate-looking sources. It was complex, requiring meticulous attention to detail.
The day they moved wasn't much of a big deal. Daniel hired movers, overseeing the careful packing of their belongings. Leaving the rented Garki flat felt less significant than leaving Dogongada had. This felt like arriving.
The rent that covered the next eleven months might have been wasted, but Daniel didn't care much about that.
The new house in Wuse II was everything the pictures promised and more. It was spacious, airy, with clean white walls and sunlight streaming through large windows. Elizabeth explored enthusiastically, choosing the largest of the non-master bedrooms. Sarah also toured the house, taking in the smooth kitchen countertops and the solid wood doors, satisfaction on her face.
Seeing her approval and feeling the sense of security solidified Daniel's resolve. This – providing stability for his family – this was worth the complexity and the secrecy.
He chose a room for himself, setting up his laptop and over $5000 monitor setup, transforming it into a personal command center. He needed to lock in.
The house purchase had significantly depleted his liquid OPay funds and made a dent in his MH balance (which was still well over N2.5 million after the withdrawals and subsequent small trades, bringing his total generated funds close to N70 million). It was time to get Rocket Funds operational. Time to build the next layer of his empire. The feeling of accomplishment was significant but was suppressed by the pressure to maintain and grow what he had built. The stakes were higher now.