Buying property whether land or house is risky in Nigeria. Therefore, it is necessary to be extra careful when buying a property because there are fraudsters everywhere seeking for whom to devour. Buying a property can be for personal use or lifetime investment and is one of the biggest investments that you can ever make. Buying of property is mostly overseen by estate agents and private sellers.
Buy Property In Port Harcourt
In this article, I share the various ways you can buy properties in Port Harcourt.
10 Steps to Buy Property In Port Harcourt Safely
1) Do Proper Research
Port Harcourt is one of the biggest cities in West Africa. In order to avoid being defrauded, proper research must be done based on choice of the property and the area you wish that your property is located. Make findings on the people in charge, how they sell their properties, the kind of environment among many other things you wish to know. You can make your research online from reputable and experienced property managers and estate agents. But you can’t rely on this alone. So, get on the scene and make findings from the locals in the area and from experienced estate agents and property managers in and outside Port Harcourt
2) Look For and Work With A Good Estate Agent
Visit a registered estate management company which can help you with the processes involved in buying a property in Port Harcourt.
There are quite a number of Estate Management Company in Port Harcourt which include:
- Geonugap Concept, Port Harcourt.
- Dessydee Consortium, Port Harcourt.
- Gideon Ele & Partner, Port Harcourt.
- E.D Services, Port Harcourt.
- DMK Property Manager, Port Harcourt.
- Buyfrual, Port Harcourt.
- New Homes and Properties, Port Harcourt.
- Britelson Nigeria LTD., Port Harcourt.
- Farm View Garden, Port Harcourt.
- Earl Property Service, Port Harcourt.
- and lot more.
What is the importance of getting an estate agent in Port Harcourt? The reasons are many. First, an estate agent or agency will help you deal with all legal and financial issues related to your property. Second, the person or agency would act as a middle man between you, the buyer and the seller. Third, estate agencies are government registered agencies which will help secure your future of the property. Fourth, they help you to navigate the market because they are familiar with the business and they are conversant with the ins and outs of the market. Hiring an estate agent will save you a lot of stress and prevent you from fraudsters.
Related: How To Buy Properties In Lagos
3) Have An In-depth Knowledge of The Nature Of The Property
Peradventure you are buying property to invest for the future, you have to understand the nature of the property, their yielding rate, and best return rate on the property. Also, the benefit of understanding the nature of the property is for you to know how fast the property you are investing in will yield because there are some investments that tie your capital down.
4) Do Proper Property Investigation:
Due to the increase in the rate of property fraud in Port Harcourt, you have to verify the property you are buying in order to avoid buying a stolen property. Ask for the property’s appropriate documents to back up the sale of the property. Also, make sure that you find out the true owner of the business in order to avoid buying government properties.
5) Do Your Document Collation
After verifying the true owner of the property, you can then pay for the property. Make sure that you get all purchase receipts and every other document from the former owner of the property. Also, obtain all the documents needed to be collected from the government.
6) Register With The Government
It is advisable to register all necessary documents with the government and start the processing of other legal documents with government. For example, if you are a new owner of the property, you have to obtain a C of O. Also, if you are not the original owner of the property, make sure that you collect all other transferrable documents related to the government from the seller.
7) Hire A Property Manager or Property Management Company:
Buying a property in Port Harcourt requires you registering with a good and reputable property management company. This will help manage your properties. The company also helps to maintain your property for example repairs, law and order, account and taxes. Hiring a property manager will help you to manage all legal and financial matters related to your property. If tomorrow you want to sell your property, the company will help with the resale of your property without any stress.
Also, a property manager helps to prepare all tax documents related to your property. For instance, if the property is a house used for rental purpose, a property manager will help you to monitor your tenants and landlords. They ensure that you collect all rents from the tenants and stand in the gap between you and your tenants. The property management company will help to communicate all new development about the house to your tenants.
8) Get Necessary Insurance
This is the most important part of buying a property in Port Harcourt. Generally, insuring your property helps to protect the future of the property. Nature cannot be predicted. In order to prevent the aftermath of unforeseen circumstances, it is advisable for all who has purchased an expensive property to insure their property such as house or car. Insurance covers almost 80% of the property money in case there is a loss.
There are several insurance packages. To know about these packages, kindly visit a reputable insurance company to register your property for insurance. Insurance does not cover everything that happens to your house but sudden damages and risks like fire outbreak, earthquake, sudden collapse of house, and theft. Insuring your business helps to avoid a lot of risk as a property owner.
Related: How to Buy Property in Abuja
9) Register With A Security Company
When buying a property in Port Harcourt, another important thing that must be put into consideration is registering with a security company so as to attach a security guard to your property and to keep it secure. Hiring a security officer or guard will help to prevent vandals and burglars from tampering with your property as theft, vandalism and burglaries can happen at any time. Hiring one will help safeguard your property from theft and other forms of loss.
10) Hire A Legal Practitioner
Hire a competent lawyer for your property and make sure that you hire a property lawyer because not all lawyers are good in managing a property. Hiring a property lawyer will help to settle all legal matters with the government and all other regulatory bodies.
Before you buy property in Port Harcourt, do well to hire a competent lawyer that knows his/her job well. Hiring a property lawyer in Port Harcourt might be costly but it will worth it. A lot of property buyers have problems with the government, landowners, estate agent and property managers. However, getting an experienced lawyer will help to prevent any issues involved with these third parties.
Conclusion
To buy property in Port Harcourt is like saving money in gold. Whether you want to buy the property for personal use or investment. this is one of the best decisions you will ever make in life; but it comes with a lot of risks. However, when you go through the right way, it will help to reduce the risks greatly. Buying a property is a great achievement. Get one today but follow the right track, some of which have been covered in this piece.
