And while we are still on housing,maybe I could add something about properties that potential sellers are posting on the new Nations Nsoko properties website
http://property.nation.co.ke/. I like their (Nations) idea where people can post housing properties,motor vehicles,jobs etc much like Craiglists in the US (for a fee off-course). A larger population (not only brokers and agents) can now interact in the trading process without involving brokers,agents or other middlemen. Hopefully,one can get better deals this way.
However,I think potential sellers need to start including more photos of properties,just like the do with/for cars on sale. I do not understand why for example I see a ton of properties by Villa Care many without even one picture. What's the deal in rushing to advertise and doing such a lousy job. Stop being cheap and introduce some sophistication in this process!
Take a look at a realty company like
http://www.edinarealty.com/ and see how the presentation makes shopping easy! This is something many Kenyans can do; armed with just a digital camera,one can snap 10s of picture and post them online (on Nsoko),and help buyers zero in on properties they like quicker. That means a quicker sale. After all fiber is in and faster download of content is possible. Is it not the case?
Seriously,if sellers are not willing to do this,then somebody ought to exploit the opportunity and offer photography and web posting services for sellers. I am currently selling my house and I cannot imagine how anyone would give it an iota of attention if I did not have 10s of photo's showing every aspect of the house - kitchen and bathroom especially. What do skerians think?