Buying with Us
How a purchase works from the first message to the handover, what it costs, and how to check a property before you pay for it.
By Ufuoma OnakpoyanAsaba & Abuja Real Estate Agent · Last reviewed 30 September 2026
How buying works
Tell us what you want
Your budget, the area and the kind of property. We reply on WhatsApp with what matches, with asking prices.
Register, then inspect
Register with us before you inspect. Then visit in person, or see the property on a live video call if you are abroad.
Your lawyer checks the title
You get copies of the documents so your own lawyer can run the searches. Only pay once your lawyer is satisfied.
Agree terms in a contract
Price, payment dates and when documents are handed over are written into a contract that you and the seller both sign.
Pay as the contract says
In one payment or in instalments. After your first payment you receive an acknowledgement letter, a receipt and the contract of sale.
Handover
The property, and the documents, are handed over on the terms in your contract.
What it costs
Beyond the price of the property. The figures marked "in our experience" come from sales we have handled in Asaba and Abuja; they are not a legal fee schedule, so agree each one in writing.
- The price
- Every price on our site is an asking price. You can talk to us about terms, including paying in instalments.
- Agency fee
- The agency fee is 5% of the sale price and is paid by whoever hired the agent. On homes MR DGN Developers owns, a buyer who comes to us directly pays no agency fee on top of the asking price. If you bring your own agent, you and the seller agree who pays: each pays their own agent, or the fee is shared.
- Your lawyer
- In our experience legal fees are usually about 5% of the price and can reach 10%. Agree the fee in writing before your lawyer starts.
- Survey
- In our experience a survey costs roughly ₦100,000 to ₦500,000, depending on the plot. It confirms the plot matches the C of O.
- Government charges
- Governor's consent, stamp duty and registration are set by the government, not by us. Your lawyer confirms the exact figures for your property before you commit.
Paying in instalments
Instalments are accepted. They are a business discussion between you and the seller, not a fixed scheme: you agree the dates and the price between you, and everything is written into a contract that you both sign. Because every deal differs, we do not publish set terms. Tell us what you have in mind and we will set up the conversation.
How payment works
Payment goes to the owner of the property, into the business account named in your contract, and can be arranged in naira or in major foreign currencies. After your first payment you receive an acknowledgement letter, a receipt and the contract of sale. Always check that the account name matches your contract before you send anything.
Checking a property before you pay
We will not sell a property without a Certificate of Occupancy. A power of attorney or a deed of allocation is not a substitute for one. Your lawyer should confirm:
- 1The original Certificate of Occupancy, in the seller's name.
- 2The governor's consent. Your lawyer confirms whether it applies; inside some estates it works differently.
- 3An AGIS search for Abuja property, from the Abuja Geographic Information Systems.
- 4A court search, in case the property is caught in a dispute you cannot see from outside.
- 5The seller's identity: the name on the C of O must match the person or company selling.
- 6A survey, to confirm the plot matches the C of O and does not encroach on the Abuja master plan.
Hire a property lawyer who understands how property scams work; it is the single most important protection a buyer has. In our experience the searches take about two working days in Asaba and three to five in Abuja.
Buying from abroad
If you cannot travel, we show you the property on a live video call, and you can ask for any room or corner to be shown. Your own Nigerian lawyer then checks the documents before you pay.
One of our buyers, who lives in Texas, flew in and did his own due diligence: he had the plot surveyed, checked the governor's consent and the C of O himself, and obtained his own C of O before concluding the purchase with us. That is the process we recommend to every buyer: inspect, verify the title through your own lawyer, survey, and pay only through traceable channels once the checks are done.