A Surprise Gone Wrong...
Sometimes all we want to do is surprise our loved ones and I thought I was doing just that by investing in real estate. I am a UK-based Nigerian with a husband who complains about my ostentatious lifestyle. It made me ponder about life and then I had second thoughts. What’s life when you spend all your earnings without savings and investments? It didn’t speak much of a beautiful future.
This didn’t really hit me until my best friend, Chioma who also lives in the UK posted about her housewarming party for her duplex house in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, which was furnished and decorated to the core. All the while my husband and I continued paying for our house mortgage in the UK. I was happy for her, but then… I really wanted something like that. And what better way was there to get at my husband than to prove him wrong?
I also didn’t want to ask Chioma. It was always best to keep things low key until it hits, I told myself. So, I started my research. Searching keywords like ‘real estate’ on Instagram and before I knew it, my whole feed was occupied with real estate pages.
A particular one caught my attention. It was a finished house in Chevron which had almost everything that made me consider relocating back to Nigeria. The house was surreal and had quality interior and exterior finishing, a swimming pool, game room, gym room and guess what? It was running on a promo. If I paid early enough, I was going to get a 20% discount on what should have been a N100million house.
Sending a message through to show interest, the real estate handler sent me pictures and current location of the house as well as told me about the documentation. When I asked to see it, he assured me that everything would be given immediately after I made an upfront payment. I was sceptical about purchasing a house in absence and he laughed about how digital the world is and that my documents would be sent and I could sign and send it back.
Since I couldn’t afford to pay on my own, I accessed money from the joint account i shared with my husband to be able to meet up with the deadline. Obviously, I wanted to see more than Instagram pictures and videos of houses and so, the agent directed me to their professional website. The reviews from other Nigerians from the diaspora put me at ease. I thought about asking my sister, who lives in Nigeria but I didn’t want to be caught up in any family drama. What if she tries to make money off me?
I’d get follow up mails and calls from the same real estate company, which made everything seem authentic. A few days later, I finally paid for my house, wiring money to the agent’s account. It was the best thing I ever spent money on and in no time… Chioma would also be seeing me post about my house warming. Two days later, I wanted to ask about how soon I could move into the house and on calling the same number that had called before the transaction, it didn’t go through anymore.
I also checked their Instagram and didn’t find them there anymore. I was terrified, especially when my husband asked what I used the money for. I knew I could have been blocked so I tried searching for them on my husband’s phone but to no avail. I felt out of place, hopeless and helpless. My husband didn’t believe me and I had obviously let him down again. Just like that, I couldn’t find their page, website or mails. It was like I was in a dream-a nightmare!
I had never felt so stupid in my life and it hurt to know that my intentions were good. All I wanted was to secure myself a future. Now, every time I hear ‘Real estate’, I turn the other way because a repeat of the incident could lead me to a rehabilitation center.
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Real estate scam is one of the worst things that can happen to someone as seen in Tola's story.. It is best to be on the alert for any fraudulent act.
The following tips can help;
- Do not invest in a Real estate company that isn’t known or have a face behind it or an actual company office. Websites just aren’t enough as anyone could fake a website.
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- Do not make payments to a personal account. Pay to Real estate company’s account directly.
- Do not be cajoled into rushing to buy something: Yes it’s good to jump on promos, but take your time to check for the legitimacy.
- Research: Check out the company’s background, location, reviews, owner, etc.
- Arrange a physical site/house inspection: If Tola had one of her sisters to inspect the place, perhaps she wouldn’t have gotten scammed.
- Receipt of payment: For every transaction made, a receipt should be issued and kept as proof.
- Verify authenticity of the land title: You don’t want to pay for Land title A and then get B as consolation.
- Right questions to ask: Some of us aren’t really into the real estate world to know the technicalities of things, but it’s always advisable to learn this so you know what the market is all about can easily spot scams.
Have you ever been scammed in Real estate? Feel free to share your scam story to enlighten others.
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