Land is currently a hot cake, especially in fastest growing urban centres like Eldoret.
A day will barely pass without finding a person looking for land to sell or buy either in Eldoret town, surrounding estates or nearby rural areas.
If you are looking for land to buy, be sure there is plenty you can get in Uasin Gishu County.
The important thing when it comes to buying land not only in Uasin Gishu but across Kenya is to ensure due diligence is followed.
We take you through some of the basic, but very important things that you need to do before sealing that deal to purchase land from an individual or a company.
These things will help and protect you against fraudsters - who usually sell land they don't own to unsuspecting individuals.
1. Find out what the land you are about to buy is zoned
Diffrent pieces of land have diffrent categorization in Kenya depending on a number of factors like location and proximity to certain installations.
Finding out what the land you want to buy is categorized as will help ensure you don't run into trouble with authorities. You will, for example be not be able to build a commercial building in an area meant for flight paths or recreational purposes, same as an industry cannot be constructed in an agricultural land or a forest land.
Always find out from both the National and County Governments whether the land you want to buy is available for use, registered and suitable for the purpose for which you want to buy it.
2. Valuation
Before reaching a final agreement about the price of any piece of land, ensure you engage a valuer who will give you an estimate of its cost. This is a key aspect in land purchase as it will protect you from land brokers who might be out to exploit you - by setting a high price than the market value of the land you are buying.
3. Meet the seller - IN PERSON
I know we are living in an online era where deals are sealed on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook among others. However, it is always important that before you make a final pay for that land, meet, PHYSICALLY, with the seller - to avoid falling into the trap of fraudsters.
During the physical meeting, ensure you get their copies of IDs and PIN certificate. For a company, get the directors' copies of IDs and their PIN certificates.
4. Make physical visit to the land
This will enable you experience, first hand, the type of land you are buying. Physically inspect the land boundaries and any other thing that you might have been told over phone/on-line by the seller.
The point here is that: 'Only believe what you see with your eyes, not what you hear or read online'.
5. Involve an accredited surveyor
While on a physical site physical, it will be a good move to move along with a surveyor, an accredited one.
The surveyor will be able to confirm availability and integrity of the beacons on the land you want to buy. Also ask him to get a land's survey map and check whether the land and its title number exist on the survey map.
N/B: Survey maps are not easy to forge unlike title deeds, searches and other documents.
6. Do a land search
Results from a land search, which you can do online will be able to tell you know the owner of that land is or directors (if it's a company selling it).
Land search will also be able to inform you many other important things as outlined in our previous article.
Also Read: Step-by-step guide on online land search in Kenya
7. Check authenticity of documents
You will always come across cases of false Wills, Letters of Administration - for a deceased estates or letters of allotment.
The Industry is also full of con men and women who will forge sale agreements, title deeds, land transfer documents among others.
Always do among others: check with court registry to confirm the authenticity of the Letters of Administration - if the owner had died and the “family” is selling the land to you, ask for court file for the succession matter to check the records there, request the County Government to confirm the authenticity of the Letters of Allotment, and/or visit Land Control Board (LCB) offices and confirm the authenticity of these documents and the signature.
8. Check outstanding land rates/rent
This can be checked online on the eCitizen platform using details of a title deed provided by the seller.
Check also with the relevant County Government the land rates outstanding. Land rent is paid to the National Government for GLA (Government Lands Act) and RTA (Registered Titles Act) lands while land rates is paid to the County Governments for all lands.
Before buying land, ensure if there are any areas, the owner settled them first.
9. Sale Agreement
Once you are satisfied that you are dealing with a genuine seller, you can now think of signing a sale agreement - which should be in writing, signed by both of you (seller and buyer) and witnessed
10. Fencing
After paying at most 10% of the agreed amount, you should fence that land - to restrict encroachment and also help you know if the land is being claimed by another individual.
If the land does not belong to the seller or it has a dispute, once it is fenced - the real owner will be informed by neighbours or their lookouts that a stranger is fencing their land and will rush to find out what is going on. This will help you avoid loosing the whole amount of the land - as you would have only paid 10%.
Baoriat Agencies is committed to helping you find the best place for you to settle in Eldoret town. We walk you through the entire process of acquiring your own property in Eldoret until it has been transferred into your hands
To learn more about buying a property in Eldoret,
Call 0721-554937
WhatsApp https://wa.me/0721-554937
Email evekibet@gmail.com or
Visit us at Juma Hajee Building room number 16, Eldoret town
Follow our Facebook Page Boariat Agencies for the latest deals.
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