Determinants of competitive advantage in the real estate industry in Kenya a case of Thika greens golf estate in Muranga county

Abstract

Real Estates development industry is recognized globally for taking a critical role in social, political and economic development . World over, t he real estate industry plays a significant role in providing employment opportunities, enhancing income distribution , development of skills and alleviating poverty . However, in Kenya the real estate industry has not been able to fulfill this fundamental role due to a number of unique factors that affec t investment sustainability in the sector. The study targeted a sample of 209 respondents out of which 152 respondents gave their responses giving a response rate of 73%. The aim of this study was to examine the factors that determine the Competitive Adva ntage in Real Estate industry in Kenya with specific reference to Thika Green Limited (TGL) in Muranga County. The key factors which the researcher put under investigation were product differentiation strategies and product location and i ts proximity to in frastructures . The key objective of the whole study was to find out how the above key factors determine the Competitive Advantage in the real estate’s industry in Kenya. Key research questions of the study were : To what extent does a product differentiatio n strategy influences the performance of the Real Estate industry in Kenya? How proximity to k ey infrastructure does determine the Competitive Advantage of the Real Estate ind ustry in Kenya? The researcher adopted descriptive research in the study because this was a qualitative research. The target population was 2082 authenticated land owners who had started developing their Plot s . Out of this 209 was selected as a sample size. Data was collected through Structured and Non Structured Questionnaires and Fac e to Face Interview. The researcher used SPSS tool to analyze the data after they were collected. The study concludes that that the development of infrastructure promoted the real estate development performance by motivating the customers to invest in the sector. This study therefore recommends that there is need to invest in infrastructure such as roads, water and sewerage in order to promote the competitiveness of the real estate businesses in Kenya.