I will not deny that we have had a difficult time getting permits from governmental agencies, and a lot of skepticism from the people after seeing our young team. Our society is not quite well adjusted to seeing youngsters take up such heavy tasks. But even with all that, our team has persevered and prospered to make this company a success story.
Is it easy to find a young team and work with them? It was not at all easy to find them. We actually had to do a headhunter to find employees for our company. But once we found them, it was worth all the time and effort. When it comes to work, that is where we face a lot of difficulty, not because of the team members but how the outsiders perceive our team. Even my partner and I are quite young for a businessperson. I personally have heard a lot of people from the older generation tell me how to do my own job. My team on the other hand had to go through a lot of tough times to get even a simple permit because people were not accepting of their age and the responsibility they carried. But I strongly believe that we need to give opportunity to the younger generation for a change. What makes Astra houses different from others? One thing that makes us stand out is we do not take bookings before our project is completed. Most of the housings in Nepal start taking bookings just by showing their plans. But if you are interested in buying one of our housings, you can see the end work first, and then decide if you want it or not. Secondly, our main focus is luxury. We want our customers to feel at home and at peace after a long stressful day of work. That is where our location also fits. We are located in Budhanilkantha, 15 minutes drive from the core city area. It has a natural water source inside the compound, and a lot of greenery. It is a perfect way to escape the city and yet close enough to reach within a 15 minutes’ drive. Could you describe the houses you have built so far? We have seven houses in tota, and all of them are fully furnished. We also provide people with rooftop swimming pools. Its main purpose is to put luxury in one’s home. And luxury does not always have to be extravagant. It needs to be efficient, comfortable, and should cater to the buyer’s needs. The reason it is fully furnished is because sometimes we feel that when individuals design their interiors, there is always one thing or the other missing. But when we built our apartments, we addressed each and every aspect of the housing to create a perfect luxurious setting to fulfill each and every need of a person. And one thing we introduced in our housing is multiple master bedrooms. No matter which bedroom you take, all of them are the same, so no one feels the need to decide on who gets the main bedroom in the house. What kind of customers does your company cater to? Our housing is meant for people who are looking for luxury as well as comfort. We have not compromised on the quality of the products we have used on buildings. Yes, it does seem a little expensive for some people, but we feel that it is worth the investment. This housing is for people who want to leave their city life behind and come home to a secluded, peaceful environment. For many, a new home means they want to refurnish everything. This is why we provide fully furnished housings. We want our buyers to leave everything behind and come in only with a suitcase so that they can enjoy everything new and fresh. And we believe that Rs 50m to 70m investment for a strong and luxurious home is worth it. We are also planning to build an apartment in the city. We have moved forward with the process and this apartment will be located in Maharajgunj. It will only be six-storey high with similar features to what you see in our houses in Budhanilkantha.
