Real Estate Valuation, Sales and Research in Kenya

To buy land or bonds?

A government bond is a debt security issued by a government to support government spending and obligations. Investopedia.com In my understanding, a government bond is where the Government borrows money for infrastructure and recurrent expenses like paying salaries etc. They call it budgetary support. Imagine having to borrow money to consume and some of the money meant for infrastructure goes...

Why Unity Homes?

11 reasons to give you comfort as you invest in Unity Homes Over the past several years, I have written several articles concerning Unity Homes apartments, sold many apartments to happy investors and I can now confidently write this one. Click on the links at the end of the article to read the previous articles. Location: Tatu City is Strategically located - 15 mins away from Thika Superhighway...

How to know that you are about to buy “Hot air”

You are buying a plot that you haven’t seen. I once drove all the way past Rumuruti towards Maralal to see a parcel of land that was on sale. The seller was a popular Sacco that had advertised that the plots were fronting the tarmac road that connects Rumuruti to Maralal. What we realized was that they were selling land that was like 2 km from that road but since they knew that their members are...

Why Unity One?

Have you heard of a project called Unity One? Unity One is an exclusive chic estate of contemporary one-bedroom apartments sitting on 11 acres at the heart of Tatu City, Kiambu. The cool balconies, glass railings and floor-to-ceiling double-leaf doors make most of the homes’ spectacular panoramic views to the park and the community’s expansive outdoor amenities which are close by. Each apartment...

Why I want to buy a 1-bedroom apartment.

In 2015, I lived and worked in Mombasa. I had rented an apartment that had a servant quarter (SQ). The estate was very beautifully done with landscaped gardens, a swimming pool clubhouse etc. We decided to furnish the SQ and let it out on Airbnb. This was the best investment decision that we made as a family that year. We would let out the SQ at $26 a night. The rent from the SQ would pay the rent for the...

Want to buy a residential plot? These are your 3 options

Option 1. Live your best life now Own a ¼ or ½ acre plot in a gated estate with internal tarmac roads, solar street lights, sewer lines, green fences, a recreational park with a small lake, over 2 million liters of water reserve, underground cabling of electricity, and internet. You will never have to worry about insecurity and you won’t pay taxes on building materials. Option 2. The good...

Why Ruiru? A look at the past, present, and future.

The past Recently I met a 50 something-year-old lady who has been living in Ruiru since the year 2000. This is her story in brief. Let's call her Mary. Mary, then in her early 30s bought two 1/4 acre plots in Ruiru in the year 2000 for Kshs 60,000 each. The following year, she sold one plot for Kshs 80,000 making a 33% profit. She then managed to buy several more plots in the area. It was a coffee...

What is the right price for a property?

A right/competitive price can be achieved when the developer gets funding using cheap money borrowed from the Government, pension funds, or foreign banks and extends the same discount to the buyers. Another cheap source of money is off-plan sales. If one developer gets a loan at say 4% and another at say 14% and they both want a 20% profit, then one developer will have to sell his property at a 24%...

Investing in real estate for Kenyans in the diaspora part 1

I have lived and worked in Botswana. I have been in your shoes and I know where it pinches. Investing in Real Estate is not easy for anyone. It’s not like buying shares or Government bonds. Investing when away can pose an additional challenge. Experiencing the product Before you buy a shoe or a shirt, the normal thing is to try them on to see if they fit. Buying real estate is not any...

Is the Kenyan real estate market correcting itself?

Recently a friend told me about some affordable plots in the greater Ruiru area, about 1km from Thika superhighway and near Ruiru Sports club. What caught my attention is the price of the plots at Kshs 800,000 per plot. These are about 9,000 plots in a gated estate that have been released into the market in the recent past. The estate has some "beach plots" I have also learned about more residential...

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