A cash transaction with complete documentation can reach handover in 6–10 weeks. The same transaction without a prepared title pack or a clear payment structure routinely stretches to four to eight months. The difference is almost never the property — it is the preparation behind it. This guide maps each stage from first offer to handover, identifies where time actually disappears, and covers what both buyers and sellers can do to move faster.
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Stage 1: Offer to Acceptance (Days 1–7)
The process starts when a buyer submits an Expression of Interest (EOI) or a formal Letter of Intent (LOI). This document states the offered price, proposed payment structure, and any conditions attached to the offer. A counter-offer or acceptance from the seller creates informal Heads of Terms — the pre-contract framework both parties will instruct their solicitors to work from.
The risk at this stage is leaving too many terms open. Buyers who make soft verbal offers without putting them in writing introduce ambiguity that returns as a dispute during contract review. Sellers who avoid defining payment milestones upfront — deposit percentage, completion deadline, penalty for delay — hand that negotiation to lawyers at higher cost and slower pace.
Typical duration: 3–7 days for motivated parties. Uncommitted or hard-to-reach sellers can extend this to 2–4 weeks.
Stage 2: Title Search and Due Diligence (Days 5–21)
The buyer's solicitor commences a formal title search at the Lagos State Land Bureau at Alausa, Ikeja. This search verifies: the current registered owner and the seller's authority to sell; the full title chain including prior Deeds of Assignment, Governor's Consents, and survivorship documents; encumbrances such as mortgages, caveats, adverse claims, or court orders registered against the title; and the land use designation under the Lagos State Land Use Regulations.
The solicitor also verifies the survey plan — that the beacon coordinates match the registered plan and that the physical boundaries correspond to what is being sold.
Red flags at this stage include: family land where only one heir is signing; gaps in the ownership chain between prior transactions; unregistered prior sales; and a title still in a deceased person's name, which requires probate before a clean sale is possible.
Typical duration: 10–14 working days when the Land Bureau registry is responsive. Periodic backlogs at Alausa can push this to 3–4 weeks.
Stage 3: Contract Preparation and Review (Days 7–30, overlapping with due diligence)
Two documents are prepared for a freehold sale. The Agreement for Sale (Contract of Sale) is a conditional agreement that binds both parties and typically accompanies the deposit payment. It states the full purchase price, deposit paid, completion date, and consequences of default by either party. The Deed of Assignment is the primary title transfer instrument — the document that, once executed and subsequently endorsed with Governor's Consent, transfers legal title from seller to buyer.
The seller's solicitor usually drafts both. The buyer's solicitor reviews, negotiates terms, and returns a marked-up version. Multi-round revisions — each taking 3–5 working days — are the single most common source of delay in this stage.
Typical duration: 1–3 weeks for motivated solicitors on a clean transaction. Up to 6 weeks where material terms such as completion extension clauses, title warranty scope, or default penalties are contested.
Stage 4: Payment Milestones (Days 14–60)
Lagos transactions typically structure payment in two tranches. The deposit — usually 10–30% of the purchase price — is paid at exchange of contracts, shortly after the Agreement for Sale is signed. This is when the deal becomes binding on both parties. The balance is paid before or at completion, with possession transferring simultaneously. Larger transactions above ₦100 million often use a three-tranche structure tied to construction milestones, documentation completion, or other agreed conditions.
All payment receipts must be retained in full. The Deed of Assignment and Governor's Consent application require evidence that the full consideration has been paid. Missing receipts from prior transactions in the title chain are a recurring bottleneck at the perfection stage.
Stage 5: Handover (Days 45–90 from offer)
Handover is the physical transfer of possession — keys, access cards, gate fobs, and any appliances included in the sale. A signed handover note should document the condition of the property at time of possession, all items included in the transfer, any outstanding matters the seller remains responsible for resolving, and utility account transfers including electricity meter (EKEDC or IKEDC), water, and prepaid gas where applicable.
Realistic timelines from offer to handover:
- Cash transaction, fully prepared (complete title pack, responsive solicitors): 6–10 weeks
- Cash transaction, documents assembled during the process: 10–20 weeks
- Mortgage transaction (bank valuation and approval required): 14–24 weeks
- Underprepared transaction with title defects discovered at search: 4–8 months or longer
Stage 6: Title Perfection — Governor's Consent (3–18 months after handover)
Under the Land Use Act 1978, all land in Nigeria is vested in the state governor. Every valid transfer of a leasehold or freehold interest over land requires the governor's consent to be legally complete. In Lagos, this process runs through the Lagos State Land Bureau.
The perfection process involves three sequential steps. First, LIRS Stamp Duty: the Deed of Assignment must be stamped by the Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS). Stamp duty is charged at 1.5% of the transaction value and must be paid before submission to the Land Registry. Second, Land Registry submission: the stamped Deed, together with the survey plan, proof of consideration paid, and the seller's original title documents, is lodged at the Lagos Land Registry. Third, Governor's Consent endorsement: the submission is reviewed by the Land Bureau and endorsed by the Governor's Office. Once endorsed, the buyer's title is fully registered and legally perfected.
Additional costs at this stage include Land Registry and consent fees of approximately 0.5–1% of property value, plus legal disbursements for running the filing.
Realistic duration: 6–18 months from submission, depending on the Land Bureau's current processing backlog. This timeline is normal for Lagos. Possession and practical ownership transfer at handover — Governor's Consent is completed in parallel over the following months. A buyer can take full possession and occupy the property while perfection is in progress.
The Bottlenecks That Actually Extend Timelines
- Defective title discovered at search: A gap in the ownership chain, a prior unregistered sale, or family land with multiple claimants. Resolving this requires a separate legal process before the sale can continue — typically adding 2–6 months.
- Outdated or inaccurate survey plan: The physical property boundaries do not match the registered plan, requiring a new survey and re-registration before the Deed can be prepared.
- Deceased seller: Where the registered owner has died and probate has not been obtained, the estate cannot sell until Letters of Administration or a Grant of Probate is issued by the Probate Registry.
- Lawyer communication delays: Either party's solicitor taking 5–10 working days per document revision round. Three revision cycles at that pace add 4–6 weeks to Stage 3 alone.
- Instalment payment demands: Where a buyer requests a longer payment schedule than the seller will accept, the negotiation re-opens at solicitor level — adding weeks of correspondence.
- Developer property with pending Certificate of Occupancy (C of O): Where the developer is still processing the estate C of O, individual buyers cannot complete full title perfection until the head title is in place. This introduces open-ended uncertainty that can span 1–5 years.
Transaction Costs: What to Budget
Beyond the purchase price, buyers in Lagos should plan for the following:
- Buyer's legal fees: 1–2% of property value (covers due diligence, contract review, and management of the title perfection process)
- Estate agency commission: 5–10% of purchase price (typically shared between agents or negotiated at instruction)
- LIRS Stamp Duty: 1.5% of transaction value
- Land Registry and Governor's Consent fees: approximately 0.5–1% of property value
- Survey plan (if a new survey is required): ₦50,000–₦200,000+ depending on property size and surveyor rates
- Total buyer transaction cost excluding agency commission: approximately 3–5% of property value on top of the purchase price
Sellers should clear outstanding liabilities before listing: ground rent arrears, Lagos State Land Use Charge (LSLUC), estate service charges, and utility arrears must all be resolved before a clean handover is possible. Buyers' solicitors will identify these and request evidence of clearance at Stage 2.
Mortgage Transactions — Add 4–8 Weeks
Buyers financing through a Nigerian commercial bank or the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) face additional steps before funds are released. A bank property valuation appointment and report typically takes 1–2 weeks. Credit assessment and the bank's own due diligence review of the buyer's financials takes a further 2–4 weeks. The bank then issues a formal mortgage offer letter with conditions that must be satisfied before drawdown is authorised.
Critically, Nigerian banks typically fund on completion, not on exchange. This means the seller does not receive payment when the Agreement for Sale is signed — they receive it only when the full Deed is ready to execute and all conditions are met. This requires close, ongoing coordination between buyer, seller, and the lending bank throughout Stages 3 and 4.
Budget 14–24 weeks from offer to handover for a mortgage transaction. Sellers who are not in a position to wait for bank funding should clarify payment structure with buyers at Stage 1 rather than discovering the funding method at Stage 3.
What Sellers Should Prepare Before Listing
The fastest completions belong to sellers who complete the preparation work before accepting the first offer. The minimum pre-listing checklist:
- Assemble the full title pack: Certificate of Occupancy or a Deed of Assignment with Governor's Consent for the prior transaction, current survey plan with verified coordinates, and all intermediate Deeds in the chain.
- Instruct a solicitor to prepare a draft Deed of Assignment before listing: Having the draft ready removes 1–3 weeks from Stage 3 and signals competence to the buyer's legal team.
- Clear all outstanding liabilities: Land Use Charge, ground rent, estate service charges, and utility arrears. Buyers' solicitors will surface these and require evidence of clearance before exchange.
- Preserve the full receipt trail: All prior purchase receipts, development levies, and infrastructure charges paid by you — and where possible by prior owners in the chain.
- Define your payment structure before the first serious enquiry: Minimum deposit percentage, completion deadline, and penalty terms. Buyers interpret pre-defined, clearly communicated terms as seller competence — and competence shortens the timeline.
The bottom line
Transactions that close in six to ten weeks are not lucky — they are staged. Documents are assembled before the listing goes live, solicitors are briefed before offer acceptance, and payment terms are agreed before the first counter-offer. Every week of preparation before marketing typically removes two weeks from the closing process. The sellers who move fastest are not the ones with the most desirable properties — they are the ones who treated the paperwork as part of the listing, not as an afterthought.
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