Tips to consider before buying a house in Uganda
With the rise of many small and large-scale real estate developers in Uganda, real estate has become a highly commercialized and competitive industry. Interestingly, approximately 80 percent of the fresh stock of apartment blocks available on the market in Naalya, Kira, Najjera and Kyanja suburbs had sold out. Some players in this industry are ready to tilt engineering rules to suit their commercial interests. Therefore, one needs to be cautious when looking to buy a house, and this is by following the easy steps below.
Make Inquiries
Inquire from neighbors if they know of any problems, who else has an interest in the property, if the property is recently painted, this may be a motive to hide something around it. If another person once occupied the property on sale, ask how long the property has been vacant and why.
- Search costs.
Some property agents charge a cost to help you scout for houses. The cost may vary from one agent to another. One should agree with brokers on a fixed search fee to avoid being cheated and wasting your time moving around properties you would not like. - Supporting documents.
Before making initial deposit one must ask for valid documents from the seller, the seller must be able to present to the buyer an approved survey report showing plot demarcations, a valid land title from the Lands registry, approved soil test support, especially for a house on raised land such as a hill, approved architectural and structural drawings showing the size of land and house, approved electro-mechanical drawings for the electrical wiring of the house. - Impact assessment.
In some special cases, an environmental impact assessment report approved by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) is required if the land lies within a swamp or forest area.
All the mentioned documents must have signatures and stamps from authorities such as the Ministry of Lands, the district engineer, or any other registered and approved engineers and NEMA. - Family size
Look at the size of your family in relation to the house you are to buy. The size of the house in relation to the plot of land. People need to buy houses with enough compound for children’s play area, events such as family gatherings, parties, and parking.
Inspections and tests
In Uganda, there are issues with damp houses that have high moisture content on the walls causing peeling of paint. However, one can establish whether the walls of the house have high moisture content by using a moisture measure. a standard procedure that is usually done by a professional engineer. If the moisture is above normal, then you may need to discuss with the seller on how that can be remedied as it may be from poor waterproofing of the foundation.
A person can hire an independent registered engineer or architect to do quality tests on the house, for example testing the quality of concrete.
Experienced engineers also use tapping and assessing the sound of concrete. Hollow sounds are a sign of poor craft and fewer materials used; good concrete sounds compact. the plumbing system in the house must be in check.
Be careful with the pipes used and the manufacturer, make sure water can be able to flush.
One should also consider looking at electric appliances, which should be from a genuine manufacturer or approved distributor. Inside wall connections must be made and with proof of documentation from a genuine electrician, as children can easily plug out wires if wrongly connected.
The electrical system should be installed in such a way that the master switch is accessible by everyone in the house. It has to be in an open place. If you are using heavy appliances, you need to have circuit breakers in the house. You need to use bulbs not over 9 watts in the house.
Standard Measurements
A standard house comprises a master bedroom, two bedrooms for both female and male, a visitors’ room, kitchen, dining, a living room, an indoor bathroom and toilet, and a balcony.
They must build all these based on a standard measurement to create a spacious house. Standard specification for a spacious house includes:
- The standard height for stairs cases should be at 50m-170m to favor both the young and old.
- Standard dining room- 2.5x3m /3x3m.
- Standard bedroom size- 3x3m for a non-self-contained room.
- 4.5x3m for a self-contained room with bathroom, toilet, and wardrobe.
- 3.5/4x4m for the living room.
- 3.5x3m for fully furnished kitchen with heaters and sink.
- 2.8m standard height from floor to ceiling.
- 1.5m for the size of the balcony.
- 1.2x2m for bathroom reflection mirror.
Consider the parking area to accommodate a minimum of 3 cars at once.
Interior design
Interior finishing is very important and a professional interior designer can easily tell an ugly bathroom, the organization of the indoor kitchen, bedrooms, and other utilities in the house.
They sell most houses through mortgages before one makes a down payment, consider using services of an interior designer.
Other key factors to consider when buying a house include location in relation to access to social and economic services, size of family, and distance from workplace and noise pollution. But with help from Houses for sale Uganda, you can buy a house within the comfort of your setting.
