– Single father of two excited for new home

AFTER 13 years of praying and waiting, Terry Reid, a single father of two, will soon be moving his children from a rental home in the capital city to one they can finally call their own.

Reid, 45, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, disclosed that he had first applied to the Ministry of Housing to become a land owner in 2009. He felt discouraged by the long waiting time.

“I first applied in 2009… they got [sic] a lot of people that applied for 15 – 20 years and up to now they ain’t get through… I had to be on it, keep checking and I got through now.

“And that’s the main thing, and I’m happy about it,” the father of two said.

Since he had some difficulty in acquiring land, Reid opted to apply for a turn-key home, which he has since received in Prospect, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

“I decided to switch to the turn key because the land was taking too long to come through, and then I realised it was going to be easier.

“It’s a whole lot of things you have to do: you have to run electricity and water and all these other things. But with this, you will get the key and you have a house with all the facilities inside,” he explained in his interview.

Prior to owning his own home, Reid had moved from one residence to the next, citing challenges with landlords. Disclosing that he has spent roughly $160,000 in rent on a monthly basis, Reid is happy this will no longer be the case as he prepares to move into his new home.

“You know; renting, it’s a lot. You have landlords pressuring you for rent. I moved around a lot. I also had situations when landlords sent notice for you to move out at short notice,” the single father expressed.
He added: “I am so happy. You know how good it will feel to just go and turn your own key and this is your own?

Even though I still have to pay a loan, I don’t mind. I don’t worry about that part.”
The home is currently under construction and is moving along smoothly, he explained.

“Well, the house isn’t fully complete yet. It’s building [right now]. When it’s finished, we will move into it. Right now, we still rent a place downtown,” he added.

In addition to the joy he feels about his new home, Reid is also excited about the process of officially registering and launching his graphic design business.

“I am trying to establish back my business. We never opened my business publicly. I always used to work independently and whenever customers give us work, we take it,” he expressed.

With the future looking bright, Reid anticipates he will open a storefront business in Kitty, Georgetown so he can display his work and bring in fresh clientele.

“With the new responsibility… I have to pay this mortgage and so on. I have a lot of equipment… [so] let me take a risk and open to the public…

“The place where we are located, I had to spend some money to clean it up and have it looking nice because you know if you have a shabby place how people gone look at your business,” Reid expressed.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appears on page 22 of the Guyana Chronicle’s BUILDING EXPO SUPPLEMENT, published in partnership with the Ministry of Housing and Water. The supplement is free of cost with every purchase of the Thursday, July 21 edition of the Guyana Chronicle.