I have lived and worked in Botswana and the UK. I have been in your shoes, and I know where it pinches. Investing in real estate is not easy for anyone. It is not like buying shares or government bonds. Investing while living abroad poses an additional challenge. Experiencing the product Before you buy a shoe or a shirt, the normal thing is to try it on to see if it fits. Buying real estate is no...

Have you listened to a politician discouraging you from investing in real estate? Have you believed him? What does he know about the regulations governing banks' property holdings and the investment rules that apply to pension schemes and insurance companies? Did you know that Kenyan retirement benefit schemes can invest up to 30% of their assets in immovable property in Kenya, subject to the applicable...

If you were to search “Are cats better than dogs?” in Google, all you would get are sites listing the reasons why cats are better.

We are not the rational decision makers that we think we are. To avoid decision fatigue, your brain unconsciously looks for shortcuts in reasoning processes by trusting initial data.

I have been working as a valuer and estate agent in Kenya for more than 13 years and I have observed that people are afraid of making a wrong decision when it comes to real estate investments. These people shy away and end up losing big opportunities in the long run. We all want to own real estate either as a passive form of income, as an investment, or for self-actualization. Real estate investments...

While adulting is something that happens over time, marriage and real estate investing are choices you make as you step into adulthood.

The first time I said that every banker should own a house in the presence of my wife, she looked at me stunned and she refuted my claim. I went on to explain my point. You see, if you work for a bank, you have many privileges that the rest of us don’t. Take an example of buying a two-bedroom apartment off Mombasa Road or in Ruaka, a few kilometres from Village Market and near Runda Estate, which would...

I heard the story of an insurance agent who was talking to a group of people about retirement. They told them to start preparing for retirement early enough. They gave an illustration of someone who had lived in a city all his working life enjoying all the hedonics.. (if this term is new to you, click here to read an article on it) but upon retirement, they went to live in a semi permanent house with no...

Last week we focused on the Eastern bypass. Click here to read part 1 of this series. The previous week we had focused on Kamiti road. Click here to read the article on Kamiti road. Kenyatta road is the road on either side of the Thika Superhighway at exit 14. On the left side of the road as you head towards Thika from Nairobi, the road will lead you to Ichaweri and Gatundu. Ichaweri is a small...

If you are buying shares, you would normally want to have an analyst to tell you which shares will give you the best return. Better still, you would like to know which shares your stock broker is buying. "Anybody who plays the stock market not as an insider is like a man buying cows in the moonlight. Daniel Drew". Allow me to analyse an opportunity for you and give you insider information. Let’s use a...