Instruct your own professionals

Your own lawyer, your own surveyor, your own valuer — none of them introduced by the seller or the developer. Their independence is the product you are paying for.

The most common diaspora loss is not overpaying. It is buying something the seller did not own, or that was sold twice.

Verify the land, not the brochure

Search the title at the state lands registry. Confirm the survey plan and beacon numbers. Check whether the land is under government acquisition or committed. Ask specifically for the Certificate of Occupancy or governor's consent on any assignment.

Visit, or send someone whose loyalty is to you rather than to the transaction.

Move money traceably

Bank transfers to a named corporate or solicitor's account, receipts for every payment, and a contract that states what happens if either side fails to complete. Never cash, never a personal account, never a WhatsApp escrow arrangement.

Plan for currency and management

You earn in one currency and the property produces income in another. Currency moves can wipe out several years of rent, so treat the exchange rate as part of the risk, not a detail.

Decide who collects rent, who fixes the generator, and what they are paid — before you buy, in writing.

Consider the smaller version first

Listed REITs, or a documented share in a family property with proper agreements, give exposure without remote management. Not as satisfying, considerably harder to lose.