BEWARE CHEAP HOUSES Property cartels scam Batswana

Many Batswana have found themselves in a sticky situation after buying property, which a few years or even months, down the line, crumbles down before their eyes.

Concerned citizens recently took their disgruntlements to social media, expressing concern not only over the exorbitantly priced houses, but the poor quality. In some cases, one would buy a supposedly newly-built house for an amount of P800, 000 but along the line, they spend nearly half of that amount or even more, on maintenance of the property, as the walls start to crack, roofs cave in and the structure proves to be shaky. At this point, there is usually no one to turn to, because most of these sellers are foreigners. In fact, this publication has established that there are property cartels in Botswana, usually in Gaborone, who operate a tight knit system, where they build and sell houses like fat cakes. Some of these houses are built within a week to a month, and are immediately put up for sale at competitive prices. A buyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she had wanted to buy one of the houses in the areas of Tsholofelo East. “The house was being sold for P600, 000. I was a little hesitant, but the seller said I could take it for P550, 000. I found this quite odd. “They seemed uneasy when I wanted to engage a professional; their language is money, pay and take the house, they don’t want any forms of assessments, and that is what made me suspicious of the whole deal,” she said.She was lucky, because some have found themselves with egg on their face after buying these “beautiful houses.” Another source said he had bought one of these houses at a reasonable price, and moved in but a few months down the line, noticed defects. “I noticed that the walls were cracking and that the roofing was not secure. I did try to engage the man who had sold the house to me but he was quite dismissive of me until I gave up. “By the end of the second year of occupying the house, I had spent close to P50, 000 on fixing things in the house. I felt it was a drawback and felt duped. It was also a hassle to re-sell the property in that condition. “Some of these houses look nice when you buy them, but over time you realise that you have been dupedthey use Gamazine paint to cover up some cracks and defects for example, and if you just look at it with your naked eye, it seems nice, but I have learnt the hard way, that you have to engage a professional to conduct an assessment of the property and come up with a structural report, before buying a house,” he said. But this could be avoided if Batswana stopped looking at real estate agents as “middle men” but as professionals necessary when buying property, said President of Real Estate Institute of Botswana, also director of Match Makers Properties, Isaac MolefinyanaHe told The Midweek Sun that every service requires the engagement of professionals and that property is no different. He said there are many processes that are followed when one buys a property, and the real estate agent is best equipped to assist them acquire a good quality property. “The agent attends to everything; from the property assessment and structural report, to dealing with council, lawyers, banks and ensuring all the required fees are paid. “The typical process after identifying the property is for a structural assessment and report to be done, and pay for bonds registration fees, transfer duty, and the conveyancing and administration fees. “The agent handles the process from start until you as the buyer, get your money if you are selling, or the property if you are buying… It is a drawn-out process that requires a professional who knows what they are doing. “Anyone can claim to be a real estate agent, but not everyone has the expertise and experience,” he said.

Molefinyane pointed out that some people found themselves in fraudulent deals because they are not willing to pay. “For example, a structural report from an engineer would cost about P5, 000. This is a reasonable amount when you consider that you would spend more for maintenance for a poor-quality house,” he said. Molefinyane said property is an important and expensive investment, and urged Batswana to always engage registered real estate agents. “Once you deal with someone who claims to be a real estate agent, you should contact REIB and find out if the person is listed as an accredited real estate agent. We are an organised body that has regulations that we abide by,” he said.