THE REAL ESTATE AGENT JOB MANY DON'T KNOW

Many people don’t see the need why they should hire the services of an estate agent. They opine that anybody can sell and do not see it necessary to involve an agent to sell on their behalf. In Ghana, this notion by some property owners not wanting to use agents to sell their property is a misconception; they have always lived with the belief that anybody can place a ‘for sale’ sign in front of a selling home. There are also free listing sites where property owners can showcase their property themselves, thanks to technology.  This might be simple when there is a shortage in supply of space in the property market. However, when supply exceeds demand it requires more than just listing on a free site and waiting for the phone to ring.

The agency job goes beyond just bringing buyers and sellers together. Their job is to sell land properties on behalf their clients. These could also be in the form of letting residential or commercial properties, businesses or land. Good agents always generate the maximum amount from the property and help it to sell faster. Real estate agents have the experience to deal with a wide variety of properties, and they're able to bring in a lot more potential customers than most people who try to sell on their own. Their background in building and construction assist them when it comes to dealing with properties that have structural and cosmetic issues. For those who do not recognize the job of an agent to be a professional one and think the agent does nothing to paid, here is the typical job description of a well-trained agent

·         Collecting information about a property and arranging for photographs to be taken;

·         Visiting and talking to the sellers about their property and its special features;

·         Estimating the value of the property;

·         Marketing and promoting properties for sale;

·         Representing the sellers in negotiation with prospective buyers;

·         Advising clients and helping buyers to decide what they want to buy;

·         Making sure that a price is agreed that is acceptable to both buyer and seller;

·      Keeping up to date with trends in the local residential property market, as well as the commercial market.

Also when renting an agent is supposed to ensure the following:

·         Proper screening of prospective tenants by collecting references and carrying out background checks;

·         Ensure properties meet legal and health and safety requirements;

·         Draw up tenancy agreement contracts;

·         Collect or organize rent payments;

·         Act as a property manager and resolve any issues that arise with properties.

The duty of an agent as listed above is simply to focus on product, price and exposure. It takes a well-trained agent to accomplish the task above. Without the requisite skills you can’t survive as an agent. 

LET'S TALK REAL ESTATE: THE ANNUAL ACCRA FLOOD; Who is to Blame?

LET'S TALK REAL ESTATE: THE ANNUAL ACCRA FLOOD; Who is to Blame?: Just two months ago the Volta River Authority (VRA) put us into a serious fear and panic after it announced a possible shut down of more ...

3 MOST DIRTIEST SETTLEMENTS IN GHANA.

The Greater Accra has the most slums in Ghana. In Accra physical development “runs faster” than planning. There are more areas, especially peripheral areas that are basically unplanned or where inadequate planning is carried out by the landowners. The problem has contributed to the haphazard development and slum conditions in some areas of Accra. Here are the 3 dirtiest settlements in Ghana; all located in Accra.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah is a settlement of about 50,000 low income inhabitants. The settlement is located north of the Accra Railway Head office and is situated along the old Timber Market Road. The settlement spills over to the Alogbloshie market on the east and shares a 600 meter perimeter area with the banks of the Korle Lagoon. Sodom and Gomorrah is a very filthy settlement and a menace in the city of Accra.  Mosquitoes abound in that area because the anopheles mosquito thrives in filthy waters. The stench from the many streams of gutters within the settlement constantly competes with the smell of foods the inhabitants cook and eat. Frequent flooding occurs in the rainy season leaving patches of stagnant water wedges around the camp. This settlement is now ranked the most toxic place on planet earth.

Mensah Guinea

Mensah Guinea is an illegal settlement area with high criminal activities, high level of cholera cases, high incidents of prostitution among others. It is located just behind the Arts Centre in Accra and labelled as one of the areas surrounded with filth. The structures in this settlement are mostly occupied by squatters coming to the capital city from all of Ghana. The area is being blamed for the recent cholera outbreak in the metropolis because the people there live under unhygienic conditions. Reports also suggested, Mensah Guinea recorded 16 deaths from the cholera outbreak. The highest recorded among other suburbs. Mensah Guinea slum is also a hideout for criminals, who attacked innocent citizens in the night, especially, the snatching of bags from women and the threat of death.  

Abuja

Abuja can be located near the CMB market in the Central business district and opposite the Kantamanto Railway Station. There are no permanent structures and no planning permit is required to put up temporary structures; the temporary structures are made of anything from wood to paper and are largely occupied by head potters and petty traders. Water and sewerage systems are non-existent and whiles most inhabitants virtually step in fecal matters and sewers on their way to their bedrooms others literally sleep in it. An outbreak of any communicable disease in that camp will not only turn deadly and spread throughout Accra and the rest of the country but will be extremely expensive.

Inhabitants in these settlements come from every part of Ghana. There are Kaya girls from the north and shoeshine boys from the south; petty traders from the east and unemployed youths from the West. These settlements are true reflections of the failure and neglect of government.  These squatters have now crowded into these miserable areas of the capital city, without much law to guide them, these people have built a community that has helped lift them out of poverty. But because everything they do is haphazard, unplanned, and illegal, hence have become a problem for the rest of Accra. These places causes floods, harbor armed robbers, and thwart hundred-million-dollar infrastructure projects. Even as dwellers in these slums increases they have been constantly threatened with destruction.

THE ANNUAL ACCRA FLOOD; Who is to Blame?

Just two months ago the Volta River Authority (VRA) put us into a serious fear and panic after it announced a possible shut down of more turbines of the Akosombo Dam to avoid damage to sensitive equipment and plant as the water level keeps going down. Nothing could be done to adverse this status quo except praying for more rains this year. Our wishes were granted as we woke up to continuous rains all day long across the Capital, Accra. At least, we will be sure of the dam getting a little of water to keep it functioning. However the story turned sour and sad after the torrential rains on Wednesday, June 4, 2015 and Accra floods again. This year’s flood was accompanied by a massive fire outbreak. The flood caused leakage of an underground fuel storage tank which later exploded destroying properties and killing about 200 people.

Accra flooding is an old template. It has been happening almost every year, attracting attention from government, but not tackled. There have been several discussions on the factors causing the floods from both ordinary residents and experts. Irresponsible land abuse, the development of physical structures within waterways, deposition of solid waste in liquid drains, lack of official action to enforce laws/regulations, and many other factors were made clear as the causes since 1959 after the country recorded similar incident. As the Adage goes; Problem known is half solved so why is Accra still experiencing this problem? Who is to blame? Every year this is what we hear; a repetition of the causes from the city engineers, condolatory messages from government as well as politicians and the Media frenzy. I am not a prophet but can assure you that not until the authorities do the right thing to ensure that land use is regulated by law, what has been happening will continue to happen. We will not cease to experience the Annual Accra Flood until we the citizenry desist from the practices of dumping solid waste into liquid drains.

Today, June 5, 2014 marks exactly one year we saw the last Accra flood. The headlines were not different from that of June 1959, July 5, 1995, June 13, 1997, June 28, 2001, May 5, 2010, June 22, 2010, February 24, 2011, May 31, 2013, June 6, 2014 and July 4, 2014. For how long will we be seeing this recurring paragraph in our dailies; “Once again, torrential rains have hit the Accra metropolis, creating heavy floods in various paths of the capital that have caused great havoc to lives and properties. The team of Ministers, the mayor of Accra, officials of the National Disaster Management and the security agencies are going round to ascertain the impact”.

When will the city engineers and planners get to work? Our attitude as irresponsible citizens must change, the filth must stop. Planning and Indiscriminate enforcement of the Law does it all. Our institutions must work again.