In the classic “pyramid” scheme, participants attempt to make money solely by recruiting new participants, usually where: The promoter promises a high return in a short period of time; No genuine product or service is actually sold; and The primary emphasis is on recruiting new participants. All pyramid schemes eventually collapse, and most investors lose their money. Fraudsters frequently promote pyramid schemes through social media, Internet advertising, company websites, group presentations, conference calls, YouTube videos, and other means. Pyramid scheme promoters may go to great lengths to make the program look like a business, such as a legitimate multi-level marketing (MLM) program. But the fraudsters use money paid by new recruits to pay off earlier stage investors (usually recruits as well). At some point, the schemes get too big, the promoter cannot raise enough money from new investors to pay earlier investors, and people lose their money. These are some of the hallmarks of a pyramid scheme: Emphasis on recruiting. If a program focuses solely on recruiting others to join the program for a fee, it is likely a pyramid scheme. Be skeptical if you will receive more compensation for recruiting others than for product sales. No genuine product or…

Investing in real estate is a viable alternative to other risky investments and a great way to achieve financial freedom. With that said, there are some smart strategies you must consider to put yourself on the right path and ensure your real estate investment proves worthwhile and pays off. Let’s dive into some strategies that you can use to your advantage that will give you the best chances to build wealth from your properties over some time. Buy and Hold Investing in property and holding it for an extended period is a low-risk investment strategy that can garner favourable returns in the long run. Instead of selling the property based on market fluctuations, you will hold the property and collect income from rent to fulfill short-term cash-flow requirements as the property’s market value appreciates over time. You must conduct thorough research and choose an area primed for property value appreciation in the future. Consider factors like excellent infrastructure development, its transport network, top-class health and education facilities, and other similar amenities which potential buyers may find highly attractive. However, keep in mind the initial costs when choosing this long-term strategy. These would include agent commissions, property taxes and insurance, and…

Land is always seen as a finite resource in Africa. Its use in many countries in the continent has been of great concern to every citizen at individual level and community levels. But even though every community associates wealth and well-being with land ownership, it is unfortunate that our cultural practices on land use are now turning this great resource into an existential risk. A case in point is the Congo basin forests of which more than 60 percent are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). And it forms the largest oxygen manufacturing facility in the world. However, this resource which is now linked to achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, is in severe threat from logging fuelled by greed. It is estimated that at least one million hectares of mature forest in DRC and five other neighbouring countries is being lost every year since 2014. The deforested areas are now being converted into agricultural land and are being used for firewood. This is likely to have greater impact soon on the African Pygmies in Congo who might be exterminated. These forest people traditionally subsist on “a forager and hunter-gatherer lifestyle.” But as the forest is being depleted, it…

Value of Land: The rising cost of land and real estate has made one thing clear – your property will be worth a lot more in the coming years.The hard part now is understanding exactly how much your property costs. Knowing the worth of your land is key in getting your money’s worth just in case you sell your property in the future.There are many ways through which you can determine the value of your land. The most basic of which is by hiring a real estate agent that can help evaluate the price of your land.Keep in mind that by land, we are talking about the area only and not the property itself. Determining the value of land Alternatively,you can use websiteswhich help you automatically calculate the value of your land. Apps like this help you understand all of the important factors that affect the housing market and the price of your land. Moreover, it helps give you an accurate look at what you can expect when selling your house as compared to the price of land in other cities. As you can see above, the price of land varies from country to country.High-income countries or ones with good…

Two Rivers Development Limited has opened the next phase of sale of bulk land rights within its 102-acre site, targeting commercial and residential real estate developers. The company has up to 1.3 million square metres of space available under the bulk sale plan within the development which already hosts the Two Rivers Mall, a hotel and an office block. Under the plan, developers access space to construct their units, with Two Rivers providing access to utilities and other infrastructure. “We already have multibillion-shilling residential and commercial developments at Two Rivers, and we have been engaging other investors to come and be part of this urban node,” said Theodoros Pantis, the Two Rivers general manager after handing over title deeds to Centum Real Estate Limited, which has recently completed the acquisition of development rights for its Loft Duplexes and Riverbank Apartments high-end homes. “The development rights are competitively priced as they include not just the land but also key infrastructure such as power, water, sewer, ICT and sports and social amenities,” said Samuel Kariuki, the managing director of Centum Real Estate. Mr Pantis added that the residential projects being rolled out by Centum Real Estate will have a positive impact on…

The central lands registry in Nairobi has been shut permanently after its operations were migrated to an online platform, allowing for remote access to services. Lands Cabinet Secretary Faridah Karoney said all documents stored at the registry will be transferred to their respective home counties while those related to properties in the capital city will be moved to the Nairobi registry. “The records will be taken to their home registries. The records concerning Nairobi will be transferred to Nairobi Registry,” she said adding that the ministry is shifting its service delivery to an online platform dubbed National Lands Information Management System (NLIMS) or Ardhisasa. Ms Karoney said this will mark the end of manual processing of documents in Nairobi which created room for fraud. Most of the records at the central registry are linked to land parcels initially owned by colonial white settlers in areas such as Nyeri, Nanyuki, Eldoret, Kapsabet, and Nakuru. It also has records of Nairobi’s prime areas, initially occupied by the colonial government masters, such as Karen and Westlands. The CS said Ardhi Sasa is manned round-the-clock by a team of 40 staffers who are equally split on two day and night shifts. The team helps…