Buying a land or a House is probably the best decision you can ever make, and greatest reliefs ever. One can buy a land/ house for various reasons; it could be for personal purpose or rental purposes. Either way, you need to know what to do, check for or measure for when buying a land/house to ensure you are making the right decision.

In Nigeria, a land is measured in Hectares, Acres, Meters and Feet. The size of a plot of land can vary for different reasons but according to Nigeria’s land divisions, the appropriate plot for a house construction is 100 x  50ft which can accommodate a standard house with a small compound. As a potential buyer wishing to buy a land or build a new house you must be conversant with a few of these figures. The first step to take is to understand the structure and arrangement of Land measurement in Nigeria.

A hectare is one of the least known metric units and one which potential buyers and estate developers seem to struggle with.  it is a land measuring 100m x 100m or 328ft x 328ft. It is about two and a half acres.

An Acre is a standard unit of measurement used by land sellers. An acre is a product of any rectangular plot of land giving a total of 4,046sqm or 43,560sq ft.

Tenth of an acre, half an acre, one-sixth of an acre constitutes some fraction of an acre which means a plot can be:

50 x 100ft  / 15.2 x 30.5m – 463.6sqm (which means there are 8.7 plots of land measuring 463.6sqm in an acre)

60 x 120ft  / 18.3 x 36.6m – 669.8sqm (which means there are 6 plots of land measuring 669.8sqm in an acre)

100 x 100ft  / 30.5 x 30.5m 930.25sqm (which means there are 4.3 plots of land measuring 930.25sqm in an acre).
It is vital to know that inspecting a house before you buy is very important. This would save you the stress of spending extra fees on repairs after purchasing a house. Do not be in a rush to purchase a house just because it is cheap. Take your time to carry out a proper inspection of the property.

I have taken the liberty to put together some property inspection list to help you rule out property to ignore and the ones to buy.

1. Check if the house is properly covered and roofed to avoid water or other things creeping into the house. If you see any leaks, water stains or suspicious covering anywhere, there is every possibility that such house will give you a problem when it is raining season.
2. Ensure that there are enough ventilation process and sufficient natural light in the house.
3. Ensure that the noise control around the house is adequate because you wouldn’t want to buy a house next to a very noisy neighbor.
4. Ensure the house does not have plumbing problems. Check by turning on all the taps and showers at once in the house.
5. Check if all the windows and window frames, doors and doorframes in the house are in good condition.
6. For me, this is very vital. Make sure all the toilets and bathrooms are in good condition.
7. Ensure that there are no signs of dampness or cracks on walls or the floor. This could be caused by leakage somewhere in the house.
8. Ensure that the electrical system in the house is in good condition.
9. Make sure the fence is in good condition.