CategoriesReal Estate Industry in Kenya
Buying property in Kenya currently involves a lot of money from savings, mortgages or business and therefore no one want’s to loose their hard earned cash to city agents who promise a quick fix to your property search. There are a lot of agents out there but how do you draw the line between good ones and bad ones?
Here are some red flags to note:
- They do not stick with the budget you gave them: Agents will show you properties above your agreed budget with all types of excuses telling you how much value you get and other amazing amenities within the property. A real agent would work within your budget and if not they would first ask you if you would be interested with other homes above your price tag.
- No Networks: If they struggle to get access to homes or give excuses of owner troubles just know the agent you are dealing with has no networks, a good and established agent will have easy access to lenders, developers, home owners and attorneys.
- Time wasters: You would call them and they start giving excuses of how they are held up or even pass you to a colleague or a security guard of the said property. They would only appear to demand the commission after house inspection.
- Not keen on paperwork: Many agents aren’t keen on agreements and would rather do the job casually, this calls for concern. If by chance you loose your money by paying for a house with no witness and no paperwork and agreements stamped by authorities in the said area what will happen? This is very common in cities like Nairobi and Mombasa.
- Afraid to show past clients / reference: Try asking them to give you a list of their past clients for you to check how they did it, what time it took to close the deal and how much the home was priced. If they hesitate then that’s a red flag enough for you to flee.
Majority of Kenyan’s have been duped by real estate agents in Nairobi and other major cities / towns due to lack of background checking and confirming their exact location of operation (offices) or if they are licensed by the government. Pulling back the curtain and seeing through the hype is essential if you want to accurately assess an agent’s potential success with your property.