Owning a house is a real source of pride for Africans, and more particularly for Beninese. The slogan “every Beninese with a roof over his head”, widely promoted by real estate agencies, is a good incentive. But to achieve this, it is necessary to develop a construction project. Thus, the purchase of land, the first step in this process, deserves the necessary attention. Otherwise, you risk making a bad real estate investment. What criteria should you consider before buying land? Is the plot viable? Should you choose a detached plot or one in a housing estate? Here are the keys to knowing everything before you sign.
Controlling the geographical location of the land
In Benin, there is a flowering of plots of land for sale. However, this state of affairs is not synonymous with a guarantee. If you decide to buy a plot of land, it must be well located . The position of your plot of land in relation to possible construction projects in the vicinity is an important factor not to be overlooked. Make sure that there is no noise pollution, such as from railway lines. It is also important to check for the presence of infrastructure in the area. The presence of a certain amount of infrastructure in the area will affect the value of your future construction. The good news is that a shopping centre or a school will soon be built not far from your plot.
The viability of the land
A plot of land is said to be serviced when it is developed and connected to the electricity, water, gas, telephone and sewerage networks. Viability therefore consists of offering the possibility of connecting a plot of land to the existing networks in the vicinity. Thus, when planning to build on a serviced building plot, you will not have to carry out these costly works and will only have to connect your house to the network already present on the plot. However, viability is not synonymous with constructability.
The constructability of the land
The constructability of land is its ability to receive construction work in order to accommodate buildings. Note that land can be viable without being constructible. It is important to ensure before purchase that the land meets these two characteristics. To obtain the necessary information relating to the land you are considering acquiring, contact the competent administrative authorities such as the National Agency for Domains and Land (ANDF).
Buying a plot of land on its own or on a housing estate?
Also called undivided plot, it is a land outside subdivision, which does not come from the division of a domain. It is possible to invest in isolated land. This possibility, although very risky, allows you to acquire a property at a relatively affordable price.
At the same time, land in subdivision (divided plot) consists of dividing the same land into several plots in order to build on each of them. The purchase of land of this type offers guarantees in terms of constructability and servicing (that is to say that connections to the water, gas and electricity networks are logically provided for). However, if you want to build your own house there, you will have to respect standards both architectural (types of materials, colors…) and in terms of the immediate environment (fence, gate, mailbox…). It is also possible that specifications establish certain rules relating to collective life in the subdivision.
Acquiring land in order to build a house on it is linked to several parameters. You must therefore consider each of them in order to make choices that will give you the most security and pleasure. If you are unsure about the choices to make or the procedure to follow, you have the option of entrusting the project to a specialized agency.
Above all, knowing enough about the plot you are considering acquiring will be of great use to you. For example, you can find out from the competent administrative authorities about road construction projects or other infrastructure in the area.
