Buyer Education
The Abundance Abodes Due Diligence Guide
Documentation is everything in the Nigerian property market. These are the six checks we run on every listing — and that every buyer should understand.
1. Title verification
- Confirm the document offered (C of O, registered deed of assignment, gazetted excision, or allocation) is authentic.
- Verify the seller's authority: are they the registered owner, an attorney with a valid power of attorney, or an estate acting under mandate?
- Check for encumbrances — mortgages, liens, or pending litigation affecting the parcel.
2. Survey plan & charting
- Insist on a current, registered survey plan with beacon numbers and coordinates.
- Chart the coordinates at the state lands bureau to confirm the land is not under government acquisition or committed.
- Physically walk the boundaries; confirm beacons on the ground match the plan.
3. Governor's Consent status
- Establish whether consent has been obtained, is in process, or is yet to apply to your transaction.
- Budget realistic timeframes and official fees for consent processing in your state.
- Never accept 'consent is not necessary' as an answer for a registrable transfer without independent legal advice.
4. Deed of assignment review
- Read every clause: parties, description, consideration, covenants, and conditions precedent.
- Ensure completion triggers payment release — never pay everything before documents are executed.
- Have a licensed solicitor review before signature, even when the draft came from a familiar estate developer.
5. Estate & allocation confirmation
- For estate purchases, confirm the scheme's documentation covers the specific plot number allocated to you.
- Clarify service-charge obligations, development levies, and building guidelines before committing.
- Visit at least twice if possible — once in dry season, once after rain tells you the truth about drainage.
6. Investment assessment
- Weigh location fundamentals: access roads, infrastructure projects actually underway (not just announced), and neighbourhood trajectory.
- Consider exit liquidity: who buys this from you in five years, and what will they pay for?
- Model total cost of holding — levies, fencing, security — against expected appreciation.
Want us to run these checks for you?
Verification-before-recommendation is our standard process on every listing we present — and we also review properties you have found elsewhere. Bring the documents to a consultation and we'll tell you honestly what we find.
Take the Next Step
Tell Us What You're Looking For.
A short conversation is all it takes to get moving — share your goals and budget, and we'll come back with verified options and an honest read on each one.