Read the story at today's Daily nation July 28th 2010
I paid Sh1.5 million for non-existent plots
It was one of those days when everything seems to go your way. Early in the morning, I received a call from a potential employer.
It was a dream job that I had longed to secure, but after the interview, everything had suddenly gone quiet. Until that morning when I was told to call in, at my convenience, to finalise the business and, hopefully, sign a contract.
Three hours later, a land broker I had retained to secure a piece of land called. I had met her at a friend’s wedding where. She had introduced herself as an estate agent with vast knowledge of the Nairobi property market. Impressed, we exchanged phone numbers.
She would later call to tell me that she had on her list six parcels of land that would fit my tastes. All I needed was to make time to go and view them, although she warned that they were estates apart.
She added that time was of the essence because they were prime plots and could easily be taken up by other buyers. Knowing I already had secured another job, reporting to my current workplace was suddenly not a priority. I decided to give myself a day off. With my new job, I knew the pay would enable me to develop my new plot. Our first stop was at Garden Estate, off Thika Road. After a 10-minute drive, we came across two undeveloped plots with a “For Sale” sign.
My broker informed me that each was quarter-an-acre, retailing at Sh2.5 million. The environment was right and the neighbourhood perfect for me.
The owner, I was told, preferred to sell the two plots as one. He had won a Green Card and was raising money to migrate to America. And as he only needed Sh2 million, he was willing to take half the money and take the balance over a 10-month period. The broker was to wire the money to him. Smelling a good deal, and with information that Thika Road was to be upgraded to a super highway, thereby pushing the price of the properties along the highway up, a sense of urgency set in.
As I was talking with my agent, she excused herself to answer a call. On returning, she told me that she needed to go as the land owner had directed her to meet someone else who, in his judgment, would close the deal before the end of the day. She left hurriedly, telling me to call her when I was ready. I knew that if I wanted the land, I had to beat the “other guy” by closing the deal before he did. By 3 pm, I had managed to raise at least Sh1.5 million, with the balance to be ready in two weeks. At 4 pm, I was in the agent’s office.
I signed a sale agreement and handed over the money. The woman gave me two original title deeds, which she said were for the plots. We agreed to meet at noon the following day at her office to finalise the deal, with the owner making a formal transfer. With the original documents, I thought I was safe. After all, I had paid less than a third of the value of the land. We shook hands and I left. It was the last time I saw her. I met a different office setting and faces when I returned. The agent’s office was now a photocopier bureau and no one seemed to know her. A search at the Lands office confirmed my worst fears — I had been conned.