Owning land is one investment which many people desire and even those who have owned a few acreage still look for more. Whether you are a first time buyer or a seasoned buyer, here are some key factors to always need to remember when purchasing land, whether in Kisumu or elsewhere.
As a key player in Kisumu Real Estate market, we have decided to highlight a few of those factors here;
1. Zoning restrictions
The first thing when looking for land for sale in Kisumu is to look for zoning restrictions. Each city has some zoning restrictions informed by their physical planning department. For example, a city is expected to have an airport and with that there will be designated landing and taking off lands for the planes. The building in these areas are restricted to a certain height.
When looking for Kisumu land for sale, you need to ask yourself what you want to do on that land and interrogate areas with potential restrictions that may affect you.
2. Water Source
The second factor to consider is the water source. When looking for Kisumu land for sale, you need to remember that not everywhere in Kisumu is covered by the Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCO). For any land in Kisumu for sale, there should be a water supply for any habitation to be possible. There are estates covered by the water company and those areas which are not covered drill borehole.
3. Know the climate
Kisumu City annually rainfall is an average one and does not bring with it some threats of floods. That said, there are areas that experience influx of floods from rift valley and the upper section of the City like Riat, Kajulu, etc. So whenever you want to buy land in Kisumu, it should think of how the climate change can affect you.
The climate affects many aspects of your life, including:
• How you insulate your home
• The types of plants and vegetables you can grow
• Potential for drought, frost and other extreme weather conditions
• The type of kit home appropriate for you block of land
• How much energy you might expect to use
• The ease or difficulty to access your home
• Health conditions like asthma that are affected by temperature
While you might not be able to have it all, knowing the climate of the local area can help you make a more informed decision in which land for sale in Kisumu you buy.
4. Safety from Flooding
Whether you are looking for houses for sale in Kisumu or land for sale in Kisumu, you need to think critically about the potential cases of floods. There are areas prone to floods like Nyamasaria, Molem as well as part of Manyatta. There are several places where floods is not an issue in Kisumu. You may need to look at both sides of the town and see how to handle the floods.
5. Soil quality and composition
Many people who invest in land for sale Kisumu do not think much of the land. Some think of the size, shape and road but not the soil. The quality of soil affect the cost of building foundation. The amount of earthwork required translate into a cheaper or costly foundation.
6. Orientation
When looking for land for sale in Kisumu, you also need to consider any existing easement, roads, driveways, shopping centre and proximity to other structures or potential neighbours. You will have a clearer picture of what you will be able to do on the piece of land as well as the potential challenges that you will have to work around to overcome.
7. Who is selling?
When dealing with a group of people as the owners of a title, you need to be very carefully otherwise you may end up in very difficult situation with the transaction. From our experience, it’s easier to deal with as few number of persons in a title as possible. One or two people is the ideal number.
You should even consider going further to know a few family members of the seller just in case any of them can raise an objection. For lands for sale which are a subject of succession, knowing the family members will be so critical in witnessing and participating in succession procedures.