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With the increase in the Human Population, the increase in property scamming is also on the rise and this is particularly centered greatly on the urban areas of the Country. Over time, such increase in population which has been noticed to be greater in some part of the country comes from the availability of better amenities in such areas and which in turn results in the need for good housing options as people tend to gravitate towards such places.
With the rise of any trend in an area of the Economy comes a rise in crime and property scam is one of such crimes. Property scamming is not a new word in the Real Estate industry and it’s certainly not something that will come to an end so soon, as fraudsters keep coming up with more and improved tactics in defrauding their victims. It’s a known fact that hunting for a house especially in a very populated and competitive place like Lagos can be very cumbersome and tiring, hence it is understandable if you go with the option of trusting an agent with the house hunting.
Engaging the services of a house agent is usually the best thing to do when it comes to looking for good accommodation as they know the best locations to easily get the requested property, and as well, most house owners and developers prefer to carry out transactions with agents than they’d ordinarily want to have direct contact with the client, but with the rise of fraudulent activities amongst these agents, it has become quite difficult to give them the responsibility of sourcing for houses on one’s behalf as the trust level for them have drastically reduced from the news flying around.
In this article, we will discuss the 5 key ways to avoid being house scammed when sourcing for a property especially in places like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and other areas with high crime profiles.
5 WAYS TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED DURING HOUSE HUNTING.
1.Go For Property Inspection; Usually, during property sourcing, one of the first things to do is to visit the property you intend to purchase or rent. This is to help decide if you are satisfied with the features of the property or the environment. But in recent times, fraudsters have come up with new ways of luring their clients into making part or full payment deposits with the promise of taking them to the house once the transaction is concluded and a lot of people fall victim to these acts. The best way to avoid this is to make sure that at every point in time of the house-hunting process, you arrange with the agent to go for proper property supervision.
2. Meet With Everyone Involved; In modern times where technology is accessible by all, it is possible to see people that think that everything about renting or buying a property can be done off the physical way, from finding an agent through to making payment, everything is done online via calls and chats. While technology is out to make life easier, It is also important to note that there are things that need to be done or followed up on through offline means and one of such things is Property Business. Book appointments to not just meet with agents you are working with but also with the property developer and of course with the lawyers involved, this will help in proper decision making and also know whom to meet if anything goes wrong.
3. Research The Agent; Many people overlook this part in property hunting. Since the agent you intend to use was referred to you by someone you trust, it is also important that you carry out some findings yourself. Is the agent registered? Who else can you find that has indulged his or her services? Does he or she have people they work with or platforms they work from? Some of these answers can be gotten from their online presence i.e their social media pages, websites, or platforms like NPC, Propertypro, etc.
4.Review The Agreement; Out of the excitement of finally becoming a property owner, or bringing an end to the strenuous task of property hunting, you forget the most important part, which is the part where all the documents are signed and a Lawyer involved. Make sure to properly go through the documents to understand what is clearly stated and where you do not understand, ask the necessary questions, a proper guide can be found here. In cases where you think you’d need someone to also go through it, please don’t hesitate to involve that person, in clear terms also let them know when you disagree with anything clearly stating your reasons.
5.Use Petik Limited; Petik Limited has risen through the years to become a trusted company in the Real Estate Sector. With our years of quality services of giving clients and partners excellent deliverables, we have built a name in the hearts of individuals and organizations that we have worked and partnered with as a Company that can be trusted with Rentals, Sales, Construction as well as Facility Management. With Petik Limited, you get value for all of the efforts you put into getting your desired property, the company works with transparency and keeps you carried along on every step making sure to deliver your best choice to you. We are available on all social media and we work with the best team to give you a seamless service.
Working with an Agent when trying to get a property should be the best decision to take as it eases you off so much running around, especially if you have a very busy schedule, but skepticism arises in the face of many bad news and experiences people encounter with fraudsters posing as Agents. With a better understanding of the right precaution to take, you will never have to fall victim to such acts.
