In this era where many people want to become land owners, there are a lot of frauds who have no remorse for taking your money in exchange for an imaginary land.
Having a piece of land is like having a safety net. When you fall, financially, you are assured that your safety net will catch you. However, many people are in haste to purchase land without due diligence on what they need to look out for. Buying land is not like shopping for your favorite pair of jeans. It requires a lot of research, caution, and wisdom, lest you succumb to the hands of scammers waiting to pounce on your money.
Here are tips to follow before buying land:
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- What type of land do you want?
First things first, is to figure out why you need the land. Is it for agricultural purposes or commercial purposes or do you want to start building either your future home or rentals? You must ask your seller for the details of the land so that you make the right decisions.
- Know the land’s typography
Take location scouts to the piece of land you want to purchase and find out its typography. This will help you know whether the place is good for construction or other activities. Search engines like Google can help you with this analysis if you are unable to get to the area physically.
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- Know your land ownership options
Understanding land ownership will give you a clear picture of what works for you and is a good investment. In Kenya, there are two types of land ownership;
- Freehold- where you will own the land as long as the conditions of ownership don’t change
- Leasehold- a leasehold tenure will allow you to own land for a limited time with the option of extending the tenure in case of expiry. Non-Kenyan citizens are limited to a tenure not exceeding 99 years.
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- Road accessibility
There is no point in purchasing land that will give you pressure trying to access it. Ensure you go for areas where the roads are maintained and easy to access. This will even add value to your land in a way.
- Do you have an agent?
Just who are you partnering up with to purchase the land? Are you doing it alone and if you have help, is the person/agent trustworthy? Take caution to not purchase something you are yet to see. There are frauds out here selling other people’s land. Do as much research on the best companies that deal with land ownership. You can also analyze the title deed on Google to find out about previous landowners.
