Buying land comes with its own vocabulary. Here are the words you will hear most, explained simply.
Beacon. A survey marker that shows a corner or boundary point of a plot. Knowing your beacons means knowing exactly where your land is.
Title (title deed). The document that shows who the registered owner of a piece of land is. When you finish paying, the title for your plot is transferred into your name.
Ready title. The title for the plot already exists, so it can be transferred to you once you complete payment, without waiting for subdivision or registration.
Mother title. The title for a large piece of land before it is divided into plots. Each plot then gets its own title.
Subdivision. Dividing one large piece of land into smaller plots, each with its own survey and title.
Official search. A check at the lands registry, or online through Ardhisasa, that shows who owns the land and whether there are loans or restrictions on it.
Sale agreement. The contract between buyer and seller that sets out the plot, the price, how and when you pay, and how the title will be transferred.
Deposit. The first payment that secures your plot under an instalment plan.
50 x 100. A common plot size in Kenya: 50 feet by 100 feet, often called an eighth of an acre.
Murram road. A road made of compacted red gravel. Common on new estates before tarmac arrives.
Gated community. An estate with a fence and a controlled gate, so only residents and their visitors come in.
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