Buying property in Nigeria, from London, Houston, or Toronto.

Why this is different

The Nigerian property market loses an enormous amount of diaspora capital every year. Estimates put diaspora remittances to Nigeria at over $20 billion annually, much of it directed at real estate. Much of it disappears into projects that never deliver, into developers who never registered with CAC, into "estates" with no title chain, into deposits that simply vanish.

LivMalik exists because that loss does not have to be the cost of doing business. Three things change the game: visible build, milestone-linked payments, and verifiable people. Each of these matters more for diaspora buyers than for local ones, because you cannot show up at the gate to check.

One. Visible Build

Every week from foundation to handover, we publish a real photograph from the construction site, dated, with a written update. You see the build progress in real time, from wherever you live. Compare that to most Nigerian developer websites, which show only architectural renders of finished homes that may never get built.

You can verify the build by visiting the Build Journal page, or by booking a live WhatsApp video tour of the site (see below).

Two. Milestone-Linked Payments

You only pay as the build progresses. Payments are tied to verified construction milestones, so you are paying for work that has been completed, not promises.

The milestone schedule:

• 10% reservation deposit
• 25% at signing of the Sale Agreement
• 25% at completion of roofing
• 25% at completion of finishing
• 15% on handover and title transfer

This structure means at any point in the build, you are only paying for work that has already happened, not for promises about future work.

Three. Verifiable People

Every person responsible for your home is named, with their professional registration body, on the How We Work page. Our solicitor (Bashmash Solicitors, Basirat F. Momoh Esq., NBA registered) can be contacted directly by your lawyer. Our architect and structural engineer are named on the public building permit at Oyo State Physical Planning. There is no anonymous third party between you and the build.

The buying process from abroad

Step 1: Register your interest

Fill in the Register Interest form. No money is taken at this stage. We add you to the priority list and you start receiving the weekly build journal.

Step 2: Book a live virtual site tour

Every Saturday at 3:00pm Nigeria time (WAT), we run WhatsApp video site tours. That is 10:00am New York, 3:00pm London, 7:00am Los Angeles. You can bring your lawyer or family member onto the call. Tours are bookable in advance.

Step 3: Independent legal verification

Have a Nigerian lawyer in your network? We send them the full title chain, building approval, Deed of Assignment, and corporate documents directly. They review independently. Do not have a lawyer? We introduce you to two independent Ibadan firms (we do not take referral fees from either).

Step 4: Reservation

Once Governor's Consent is granted and the Deed is fully registered, reservations open. A 10% reservation deposit locks your specific home (Àríkẹ́, Ivory, or Adé) for 30 days while your lawyer reviews the full sale agreement.

Step 5: Signing and milestone payments

Sale agreement signed. First milestone payment (30%). From this point you receive monthly written updates as well as the weekly journal, and you can request photos from any specific angle on site.

Step 6: Handover

Final payment (10%) on physical handover and registration of title transfer into your name at the Oyo State Lands Registry. We meet you at the property if you can fly in. If not, the keys are couriered to a notarised representative.

Currency and payments

Paying in USD or NGN

LivMalik accepts both. USD payments lock at the CBN rate on the signing date, giving diaspora buyers foreign exchange protection. NGN payments are direct. Most diaspora buyers prefer USD.

How transfers work

International SWIFT wires take 3 to 7 working days. Most UK and US banks charge $20 to $40 per international transfer. Some banks compliance-flag transfers above $10,000 and request source-of-funds documentation. Plan for this when scheduling milestone payments.

Receiving in Nigeria

Large incoming transfers to a Nigerian bank trigger automatic CBN anti-money-laundering reporting. This is routine and does not delay anything when documentation is in order. LivMalik provides a receipt and reconciliation note within 48 hours of each milestone payment.

Documents we send your lawyer

When you engage your own lawyer, here is what we send for independent review.

• Certificate of Statutory Right of Occupancy, Volume 3053, Page 60
• Ministry of Lands Sub-Division approval, Plan IB.1752, reference LLA 0647/T/21
• Probate documentation from the original title holder
• Deed of Assignment to Adebayo Adekola, prepared by Bashmash Solicitors
• Governor's Consent application acknowledgment (currently in progress)
• CAC certificate for LivMalik Limited (when issued)
• Oyo State Physical Planning building approval (when issued)
• Draft Sale Agreement specific to your chosen home
• Draft Deed of Sub-Underlease for handover

Your lawyer can request any of these at any stage, before you have committed to anything.

What this costs you, beyond the home price

The price of each home, ₦250M (approximately $185,000 at the current CBN rate), is the headline figure. Beyond that, you should budget for the following additional costs:

• Legal fees (your own lawyer): 1 to 2% of purchase price
• Stamp duty and registration: ~3% of purchase price, payable on title transfer
• Governor's Consent fees: variable, usually under 1%
• Property taxes (Tenement Rate): minimal, annual

We do not charge "administrative fees," "marketing fees," or any of the other hidden costs that some developers add. The price is the price.

What you should ask any developer, including us

Five questions every diaspora buyer should ask before sending any money:

1. What is your CAC registration number, and can I verify it on the CAC public search portal?
2. Where is the land title registered, and what is the file reference?
3. Has Governor's Consent been granted, or is it in progress? If in progress, when do you expect it?
4. Who is your solicitor, and can my lawyer contact them directly?
5. Are payments tied to construction milestones, or do you collect everything upfront?

If a developer cannot answer all five clearly and on the record, walk away. The answers are not commercially sensitive. Hiding them is.

Verify us yourself

Before you send a single naira, here are five things you can check today, without contacting us.

If any one of these does not check out, walk away. The answers are not commercially sensitive. Hiding them is.