One of the things I realized when I relocated to Ghana is that the real estate sector here is not regulated. You know, the banking sector is regulated by the Bank of Ghana, the finance sector is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. You have the various sectors that are regulated but unfortunately the real estate sector is not yet regulated. Unfortunately, this results in a lot of unprofessionalism and fraudulent activity in the system.

I was keen on changing the narrative concerning real estate agents, so I began conducting a lot of training courses to raise up professionals in the industry and to help sanitize the real estate sector. Consequently, individuals living overseas found it challenging trying to get in touch with a real estate agent/broker. How could they locate a real estate broker/agent? This was one of the reasons why I founded the Ghana Association of Real Estate Brokers (GAREB) with other likeminded professionals. This was in a quest to help sanitize the real estate sector and make it easy to find a real estate broker that can assist you with your real estate transaction.

The real estate brokers that are part of GAREB have their businesses registered and have all gone through a thorough criminal background check to ensure that there is no prior track record of criminal activity. They are also required to take training courses, follow a code of ethics and use standardized forms for all real estate transactions; from Tenancy agreements to Sales and Purchase agreements.

There is now a credible and reliable body of professionals you can contact. Visit the website, www.gareb.com.gh to verify brokers that are part of the association. Every member is has an identification card with a specific ID number that can be searched on the website with their photos and areas or specialization.

If you live overseas and want to buy or invest in property in Ghana, I encourage you to log onto the website and find the list of professional real estate brokers to help you.