“Huge demand for affordable housing in Sri Lanka”

Comfort Dwellings from Landmark Developers offer high-quality affordable housing

Landmark Developers, Sri Lanka’s new property developer with innovative concepts and ideas for modern homes, has launched “Comfort Dwellings”, a brand-new affordable housing concept for the new year. Speaking about the company’s plans for 2018, Eksith Hapangama – Managing Director of Landmark Developers spoke about the current state of the housing market in Sri Lanka and how his company is here to “make a difference”. Within this context, given below are excerpts of the interview conducted with him.

Q: Why is affordable housing a relevant topic in today’s housing market?

A: Affordable housing is very relevant today mainly because people are fed up of the term “luxury”. It is an abused, over-rated term that is used by housing development companies to increase their prices. As a result of this, people cannot afford to buy homes at the current so-called “luxury” prices. At Landmark, we are here to prove a point; to make a difference. We have identified that there is a huge demand for “affordable housing” in Sri Lanka especially in Colombo and its suburbs. It is the type of homes that is ideal for the middle-income segment. The senior executive, managers or any individual for that matter looking to invest in their first home will find our affordable housing option the perfect fit. With our new product we are ready to make their dream of purchasing their first home a reality.

Q:  What is Landmark’s solution for affordable housing?

A: Our solution to affordable housing is what we call “Comfort Dwellings”. “Comfort Dwellings” comprises beautiful, affordable, high-quality homes with modern contemporary designs and architecture. All of these homes will be custom-built with an emphasis on promoting a sustainable lifestyle. They will be located in fast-developing suburban areas such as Thalahena, Malabe, Athurugiriya, Thalangama, Kaduwela, Kottawa, and Homagama. All modern conveniences, from supermarkets to hospitals to recreational areas, required for a family to live comfortably will be in close proximity. All homes will be single or two-storied with a total area of 1,000 sq. ft. upwards with 2-3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car parks as well as pantry, dining, kitchen and living room. Clients will have the freedom to customise the homes as per their requirements in consultation with Landmark’s designing team. We also intend to use the latest technology to provide a state-of-the-art home at an affordable price. We also experiment and innovate a lot internally, not on client projects but on our own, to identify new ways to make houses affordable. Such initiatives are vital to provide the best possible quality at an affordable price.

I am proud to say that we have gone above and beyond to serve our clientele. All “Comfort Dwellings” homes will therefore include local authority approvals, land survey, access to loan facilities, tax benefits for the expatriate community, legal and financial consultations, water and electricity connections, fixed phone lines, cable TV connections and maintenance facilities. At Landmark Developers, we source most of the building materials for the homes through local companies with all of them being reputed, high-quality brands of international standards. Sticking to these top brands helps us to provide a high-quality home.

Q: How is technology incorporated into your affordable homes?

A: We are a company that strongly believes in bringing in technology into our homes. For people who are ready to embrace technology, there is so much of it out there. For instance, you should be able to control everything in your home from your smartphone or tab while on the move. Such smart technology is vital to take Sri Lankan homes to the next level in terms of innovation and convenience. Building sustainable, self-sufficient homes is also an important aspect of “Comfort Dwellings”. If a home can acquire water through tube wells and rainwater harvesting and use solar power to generate electricity, we are looking at a scenario where there is minimum or even zero dependency on an outside party for both water and electricity. With the amount of sunlight that we have throughout the year, you can even give back electricity generated through solar power to the grid. These are the technological goals we intend to achieve through our homes.

Q: What is Landmark’s experience in the housing market?

A: Landmark Developers is led by a renowned businesswoman with over thirty years of experience in the design field while our team is young, dedicated and enthusiastic. We are a one-stop solution for innovative real estate solutions providing end-to-end services to clients in a collaborative environment to meet the varying requirements of every client. In addition to our design and construction expertise, we also offer legal, financial and banking consultancy services. We currently have a partnership in the US with a focus on the states of California and Texas. In Australia, we are operating in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane through our real estate partners.

Q: Apart from affordable housing, what are your other solutions?

A: We, at Landmark Developers, also focus on the construction of low, mid and high-rise buildings for residential and commercial purposes including the management of such properties and provide construction expertise and services to clients. We also have a product called Nano Homes which is a first-of-its-kind concept pioneered by us. With Nano Homes, the design is based on a combination of pre-engineered sections and sustainable construction.

Q: What is your closing message to your audience?

A: I would like to tell prospective clients to give us a try. We stand by our word. We are very careful about how we deal with our customers because in this business, if you mess up once, you mess up for life. Landmark is there as a one-stop shop. With everything available in-house – financial, legal, banking, designing, product requirements – and our young, dedicated team you have a winning combination that will make your housing dreams a reality at an affordable price.