An 8-step guide for land owners — from verifying your title and taking site photos to writing a listing that attracts serious, qualified buyers online.
This is the most important step — and the one most land sellers skip. Confirm you have a verifiable title: Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), registered Deed of Assignment, or Excision with a Governor's Consent chain. Conduct a quick registry search at the State Lands Bureau to confirm the title is unencumbered — no adverse claim, concurrent sale to another party, or government acquisition notice. Land listings where the title collapses during due diligence damage your credibility and waste months of negotiation. Serious buyers will instruct a solicitor to search before payment.
An up-to-date survey plan is non-negotiable for land sales in Nigeria. The survey shows the plot dimensions, area in square metres or hectares, boundary beacons, and the surveyor's registration details. Buyers use the survey to verify the physical boundaries match what is being sold. If your existing survey plan is more than five years old or shows different dimensions from the current site, commission a new survey before advertising. The cost is typically ₦50,000–₦150,000 for a standard residential plot — a small investment relative to the transaction size.
Land photography has different requirements to house photography. Capture: the access road from both directions, the plot entrance or boundary markers, the full plot from the front and each corner, neighbouring development (houses, estate facilities), any existing structures on the land, and the nearest road or landmark for orientation. If the plot is large or in a remote location, consider an aerial drone shot — it shows the land's shape, surroundings, and accessibility far better than ground-level photos. Always shoot in daytime with good visibility.
Land pricing in Nigeria varies enormously by location, title strength, access quality, and proximity to infrastructure. Research: current asking prices for comparable plots in the same estate or corridor, recent transacted prices where available (often from agents active in that area), price per square metre or per plot for the specific neighbourhood. Differentiate your pricing based on: frontage (wider plots command premiums), road access (tarred vs laterite), utilities availability (electricity, water), and title strength (C of O commands 20–40% premium over Deed of Assignment on family land). Set a price you can justify, not just a round number.
A land listing description must be factual and complete. Include: state and LGA, estate name (if applicable), area in square metres or hectares, plot dimensions (frontage × depth), title type and status, access road type, available utilities (electricity, borehole, water board), proximity to key landmarks (expressway, market, school), asking price per plot or per sqm, and payment terms. Buyers who have to ask for basic information often do not bother — they move to the next listing. Anticipate and answer every question in the listing.
List on a verified property platform that has strong Google rankings for land searches in your area. Cabans land pages rank for search terms like 'land for sale in Lekki', 'land for sale in Abuja', and similar — your listing benefits from this organic search visibility. Supplement with Jiji for volume reach if you want broad exposure alongside your primary listing. Avoid paid boosts on platforms where you cannot verify where your listing appears in search results.
Land scams operate in both directions — fraudulent buyers attempting to steal title documents and fraudulent sellers misrepresenting plots. When an enquiry arrives, verify the buyer's identity and seriousness before sharing the exact plot coordinates, title document details, or arranging a solo site visit. Ask: what is their timeline, are they buying for development or investment, and have they bought land in this area before? Legitimate buyers welcome verification — only scammers object to it.
Serious land buyers in Nigeria will instruct a solicitor to conduct a title search, commission an independent survey, and verify the acquisition history before any payment. This process typically takes two to four weeks. The single biggest way to lose a motivated buyer is to delay providing documents or obstruct due diligence. Have your title documents, survey plan, receipts, and transaction history ready to hand to your own solicitor to share. Sellers who respond quickly to document requests close faster and at better prices.
You don't need these to post a listing — but have them ready for when a serious buyer emerges.
| Document | Importance | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) | Critical | The strongest title in Nigeria. Registry-searchable. Buyers' solicitors will verify the register extract. |
| Deed of Assignment (registered) | Critical | Required for ownership transfer. Must show an unbroken chain from C of O holder to current owner. |
| Governor's Consent (on transaction) | Critical where applicable | Required where a C of O land was previously transacted. Missing consent invalidates some chains. |
| Current survey plan | Critical | Shows plot dimensions and beacon numbers. Must match the physical boundaries of the land. |
| Receipt chain / purchase receipts | Important | Evidences purchase history and chain of ownership. Complements the formal title documents. |
| Estate layout plan (if in an estate) | Recommended | Shows plot allocation within the estate layout. Reassures buyers in larger estates about plot identity. |
| Land Use Charge receipts | Recommended | Confirms annual charges are paid to date. Avoids inherited liabilities. |
Land buyers need to see where the plot ends. Mark or identify boundary beacons in at least one photo. Include a photo looking from the plot centre in each direction so buyers can mentally walk the boundaries.
Whether the access road is tarred, graded laterite, or an unmade track has a significant effect on price and saleability. State it explicitly. Do not let buyers find out during a site visit — it damages trust.
If there are completed houses, a school, or an estate gate nearby, that context builds buyer confidence enormously. 'Adjacent to Greenfield Estate, 200m from the expressway' is more compelling than coordinates alone.
Buyers often confuse land price with total development cost. Helping buyers understand what they are buying — just land, no structure, no connection fees yet — prevents misaligned expectations at negotiation.
If your C of O is already in your name and the survey is current, say so explicitly: 'C of O in seller's name, ready for reassignment'. This one sentence significantly increases serious enquiry rate from informed buyers.
Buyers comparing multiple plots often compare price per square metre. State both: 'asking ₦25m for 500sqm (₦50,000/sqm)'. This makes your listing easy to compare and shows confidence in your pricing.
Yes — land without a C of O can be sold using a Deed of Assignment or, in excised areas, a Registered Survey with a receipt chain. However, C of O land consistently transacts faster and at higher prices because buyers are more confident in the title. Without a C of O, expect buyers to negotiate harder, take longer on due diligence, and sometimes walk away. If your land qualifies for C of O registration, consider processing it before advertising — the title upgrade often recovers its cost in a higher sale price.
The most reliable method: compare three to five recent land listings in the same estate or road corridor. Look at asking prices (actual sold prices are harder to find but more accurate). Adjust for: frontage (wider frontage is a premium), access road quality, title strength (C of O vs Deed of Assignment), available utilities, and proximity to key infrastructure. If your land is in an established estate with tarred roads, good security, and C of O, expect to price at or above the estate average. Raw land without infrastructure should be priced at a meaningful discount.
Well-priced land with a clean title in a desirable location typically attracts serious buyers within four to eight weeks. Land in more remote or emerging corridors can take three to twelve months. The two biggest factors are: price accuracy (overpriced land simply sits) and title quality (unclear title dramatically reduces the qualified buyer pool). Once a serious buyer is engaged, the transaction — due diligence, negotiation, and documentation — typically takes four to eight weeks.
Yes, but the documentation process is more complex. You will typically need a Letter of Administration or Probate from a High Court confirming you have legal authority over the estate of the deceased. Family consent letters or statutory declarations signed by all family members may also be required. Consult a property solicitor before advertising inherited land — buyers will require sight of the probate documents, and if these are not in order, the sale will stall. Processing probate or letters of administration before advertising saves significant time.
The cheapest and most effective combination: list for free on Cabans (no cost, verified, good Google rankings for land searches) and share the listing link on your personal WhatsApp network and relevant WhatsApp land investment groups. Many land transactions in Nigeria are still driven by personal referrals — your WhatsApp share costs nothing and reaches motivated buyers directly. Add a Jiji listing for volume reach if needed. Paid advertising on social media is rarely cost-effective for individual plots below ₦50m.
Take a minimum of six to eight photos for a land listing: (1) the access road approaching the plot, (2) the plot entrance from the road, (3–4) the full plot from front-left and front-right corners showing depth, (5) any boundary markers or beacons visible, (6) neighbouring development for context, (7) the plot looking back toward the road from inside the plot. If the land is in an estate, photograph the estate gate and any communal facilities. If you can access a drone, an aerial overview shot adds significant value.
List your land on Cabans — free, verified, and visible to serious buyers across Lagos, Abuja, and beyond.