A short guide for Buying a house in Botswana

You want to buy a house. Before you start looking for a house you need to decide on the following things:

• do you want your home to be in a specific area? And if yes, which area. (Check the the different maps for the different locations.)
• what should the house offer, how many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, type of lounge and dining room, type of kitchen, do you require a study, tv-room and/or a guest room.
• do you require a garage (single or double), a servants quarters, a swimming pool, a guesthouse or cottage
• should the property have a developed garden, do you require the property to be walled (with or without electric fence).
• what should be the plot size.
• what should be the maximum purchase price.
  

It is important to know before you start searching to know if you will be able to raise the purchase price, either in cash or, most likely through a mortgage.
If you are going to buy a house through a mortgage, it is advisable to research on what amount you would be able to secure from a bank for purchasing a house. Make an enquiry with a few banks to see for what amount you would qualify, if you would qualify for a 100% financing or you would be required to have a deposit payment.
A bank will look at your monthly income, possibly your spouse's monthly income, your assets and your monthly costs. Although a bank can not give you any definite figures in this stage, you would be able to know in which price range you can look for a house.
Remember that with purchasing a property there will be extra costs (valuation costs, attorneys fees, transfer duties) which are usually not financed by the bank.

Knowing the price bracket you are looking in and made the decision on how your house should be, you can start your search. You have two options, you can try to buy a house through an Estate Agent or you can buy directly from the property owner.
It is advisable to use an Estate Agent as he is knowledgeable of the property market, would probably have more similar properties as you are looking for and will be able give you advise and information on the property and area. Note that an Estate Agent should not charge you for his services. If you choose to work with an Estate Agent, make sure this agent is a registered member of the Real Estate Institute of Botswana (R.E.I.B.) Read here more on R.E.I.B.
RVM Property Consultants is a registered member of the R.E.I.B.

Start looking around what the different Estate Agents have on offer in their books, look at adverts in the newspaper, visit web site (like this one) and optionally, if you require a specific area, you can drive around in that area, Estate Agents often place signs on the houses they have for sale.

Select a few houses you would want to see and make an appointment with the Estate Agent to view these. Optionally you can just contact an Estate Agent, explain what you are looking for and hear what he has on offer that meet your requirements.

After you made an appointment, the Estate Agent will take you to the property for viewing. Do not go to the property on your own, the owner of the house usually does not like this. Take your time to view the property, visit every room of the house and see if it suits you. Also view the outside and the garden. Remember the plot size and possible open space on the plot are important for further development you might want to do after becoming the owner of the property. Think of building a garage, carport, cottage or swimming pool.
Take a good look on the structural condition of the property, the quality of the materials used and the general condition of the property. If you would be really interested, it would be good to visit the property in a later stage in company of a civil engineer or architect to have his professional opinion on the property.

Do not decide too fast, give yourself, and your spouse, time to think about it, taking advices from your estate agent and your engineer/architect in account before making an offer. Have a look at another property for comparison.

After viewing all the properties that could meet your requirements, make a decision and choose one. Once you have made the decision to make an offer on a property, read here what to do next.