Category: Budgeting

Real-estate investments in Kenya have the potential to double and even triple in value per year-with the right property. So, how does an investor finance a property investment? There are at-least two main options available in Kenya: group investments and mortgages.

Other than being able to prevaricate against risks such as rising inflation, real-estate investors are able to enhance their net worth, generate high capital gains and potentially register quick rates of appreciation.

Property Investment Financing Options

1.Group Investments

This is the most efficient and commonly used financing option by lower-middle class and those in informal employment who cannot qualify for bank mortgages and loans owing to their irregular source of income.

Group investments, locally referred to as ‘Chamas’, hold more than Ksh80 billion of wealth in Kenya in terms of savings and investment, with one adult in every three being an active member of a group investment club. They have registered the greatest success among women, youths and self-employed people.

To function, members make daily, weekly or monthly contributions for a specified duration of time and with a specific financial target. Once targets are reached, they identify a potential property, buy it and either start saving towards developing it or splitting it into equal portions among group members.

Alternatively, banks develop investment groups and invite interested parties to make monthly contributions. If the group member wishes to buy a property, they simply borrow (with interest rates applying) from the group based on their contribution. Group members co-sign the loans and they bear the cost of repaying the loan if one of the group members defaults.

The success of group investment is powerfully driven by a cultural impetus to pool funds together to invest and to borrow.

Most banking institutions and building societies in Kenya have realized the potential the option has and have developed programs targeted to boost group investments – it is based on the idea of creating a savings and investment opportunities.

2.Property Loans & Mortgages

There is a thin line between loans and mortgages in Kenya, and people often use the two terms synonymously.

These are facilities offered by various financial and lending institutions, such as banks and building societies, to help you buy property:

Loans and mortgages are given to successful loan applicants who meet the minimum loan-qualification requirements.
Loans and mortgages can be fully or partly financed by you. The majority of lenders, however, finance the property up to 90%.
Various lenders have varying interest rates and income-generating loans being charged a 15% interest rate per year and estate development attracting 13% p.a.
Property for owner-occupation may receive 80% financing while for investment property, such as rental units or holiday homes, may receive up to 70% financing.

Repayment duration for loans and mortgages

Maximum of:

15 years for individual borrowers
10 years for limited companies
2 years per phase for real-estate development

Additional Costs

Most loan and mortgage applicants in Kenya are oblivious to the hidden charges that come with taking loans and mortgages.

Stamp duty

Currently at 4% of the cost of property.

Valuation fees

Fees vary depending on the valuation surveyor, and it is crucial you have your own prior to the property being valued.

Legal charges

Determined by mortgage amount. Higher loan amounts attract higher legal fees. Banks have their preferred law firms they deal with, so ensure you learn from the lender their preferred law firm.

Bank facility charges

Varies between banks and is meant to cover loan facilitation

Penalties

Charges for clearing the mortgage before the agreed time; varies between

Property insurance

It is not mandatory and it is paid per year. It protects the property during loan repayment period.

Mortgage life policy

Varies between lenders and covers your outstanding balance in case you die.

In order for you to start putting extra money aside to pay off your debt, you must first gain control of your monthly spending. After all it is your spending habits that have led you into debt in the first place. Before each month begins, you must sit down and allocate every single Dollar of your income to a particular spending category. Every Dollar has a purpose. You must create what is known as a Zero Balanced Budget. What this means simply is that when you total up your income and subtract all of your expenses, the balance is $0. Every single Dollar of your income must be put to work for you, there is no spare money. Not even a spare cent!

When completing your budget, you must allow for every single area of spending. If you do not then you will not have money for it when it comes up. For example, if you do not include money for tires or car servicing, you will not have the money for them when they are required. It is easy to account for the general monthly expenses such as food, lights, heat, mortgage and so on, but you must also include a category to cover annual expenses such as clothes, car maintenance, insurance etc. My own personal budget is created using EXCEL, but you can simply use a pen and paper if you wish.

OK you have now created your budget but this is only half the plan. If you do not stick to your budget then it is all but pointless. You need to record every single penny that you spend on a daily basis. You can simply jot it down on a piece of paper or notepad or you can use any number of smart phone apps. I personally use an app called Spending Tracker and it allows me to export my spending record to EXCEL. Last point on this is to record your spending as soon as possible after you spend the money or you will forget.

When you have created your first budget and recorded your spending for one month you will be ready to adjust your budget. It is extremely unlikely that your first budget will go according to plan. If it does then you have not set it tight enough and you need to cut it more. Using your spending record, adjust your monthly expenses as required to get a more accurate budget. Keep doing this until you have developed a budget that you can live on and includes all of your spending requirements.

Once you find yourself following this budget process regularly and consistently, you will free up money to pay towards your debts. If you do not, then you have an “Income/expense gap” problem. I will tackle this in a later article. If you need any further help with budgeting or budget forms, please do not hesitate to get in touch.