Property Advice
Advice on buying, renting and selling property in Kenya, plus neighbourhood guides, decor ideas and market news.
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602 articles · page 8 of 51
A New Year, A Clearer Way to Think About Property
A new year often arrives with fresh hope and new expectations. Making major decisions at the beginning of the year can be deeply confusing. For buyers, this usually means focusing on affordability, long-term comfort, and peace of mind rather than rushing in, out of pressure. What matters most is not predicting every turn, but approaching decisions with clarity, patience, and intention. A new year often arrives with fresh hope and new expectations. You can almost feel the excitement in the air; the quiet determination to do better, choose wiser, and finally act on plans that were postponed. That house you’ve been eyeing. That piece of land you promised yourself. That apartment in a good neighbourhood you imagined your family settling into.
Same House, Bigger Budget: Why Building in Kenya Is Getting More Expensive
Recent data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) indicates that building a home has become significantly more expensive over the past ten months. A standard bungalow that cost KSh 48,750 per square metre previously has risen by 11% to KSh 54,730 per square metre , while high-end properties have also seen costs jump by 16% . Clearly, no segment of the market has been spared. Table of Contents What’s Driving the Increase? Implications for Developers, Buyers, and Homeowners Developers: Buyers: Homeowners:
How to Make Your Airbnb Earn More This December
Your guests aren’t booking four walls, they’re booking an experience worth remembering. Stage your space like it’s telling a story: a light throw blanket, a softly lit corner, a clean breakfast setup, a balcony moment that looks like healing. When guests feel taken care of, they book faster and review better. December is the one month where hospitality becomes part art, part business, part storytelling. December doesn’t knock softly, it arrives with suitcases, road trips, family reunions, weddings, beach plans, and people who suddenly remember they deserve a little joy before the year ends. It’s the month when everyone is looking for a place to rest, escape, romance, or reset. And for Airbnb and guesthouse owners, this is the moment when the right strategy can transform an ordinary listing into a December m
Karen Neighbourhood Guide
With its lush green trees lined on the road and huge garden compounds surrounded by mansions and beautiful apartments, Karen gives a feeling of peace and calmness. It is an isolated neighbourhood with middle to high-level income earners. If you want to shop, get a breather at an urban coffee house, or you’re eager to explore cosy hideaways that are only privy to the locals, there are a myriad of activities in Karen to enjoy with your friends. Karen has an affluent feeling which gives it a feeling of prestige and privacy to the people who live in this neighbourhood. Nature triggers happiness, which improves emotional health and relaxation. And everyone can do with more greenery in their life. The breathtaking view of Ngong Hills is a sight to marvel. You can also rekindle your relationship with nature and k
How to Budget for a Property Purchase in January — A December Discipline Guide
December has a funny way of loosening the purse strings. But the world doesn’t pause for our feelings. Markets move. Opportunities shift. Property isn’t just a roof and four walls — it’s security, legacy, and long-term peace. December has a funny way of loosening the purse strings. The parties start, the moods lift, and suddenly our budgets are somewhere out there, floating in the December breeze. Before you know it, January shows up, that famously long month, and reality taps your shoulder with a reminder: “Hey, that paycheck isn’t coming any faster.” With all that going on, the idea of buying property can feel laughably out of reach, something you tell yourself you’ll think about “next year… maybe.” It’s easy to shelve big dreams when you’re caught between holiday spending and January’s fi
How to Add a Touch of Festive Magic to Your Home This Season
December has a way of stirring something gentle inside; a quiet excitement that feels both new and familiar, like an old song you forgot you loved. The year slows, the air softens, and suddenly the festive season isn’t just on the calendar, it’s in the glow of Christmas lights along the streets, the flicker of fairy lights in your living room, the smell of warm spices in the kitchen, and the soft comfort of family gathered nearby. Whether it’s a sunlit escape to Diani or a quiet trip to the countryside, December carries a warmth that settles deep in the heart. That warmth naturally spills into our homes. There’s an instinct to match your space to the season, to make it cozy, inviting, and festive. The best part? You don’t have to break the bank to do it. Small, thoughtful changes can completely transform your home and bring that warm, fuzzy feeling to life. Here are a few simple tips to make your space feel instantly f
Makongeni: What the Demolitions Reveal About Nairobi’s Housing Future
Makongeni has dominated headlines lately, and not for anything celebratory. One of Nairobi’s oldest estates, built in the 1920s for African railway workers, now lies in ruins after the latest round of demolitions. For decades, it offered stability to low-income families, a rare place where people could live close to the city without being crushed by escalating rent. Today, its long history is scattered in heaps of broken brick. For many residents, Makongeni was far more than cheap housing. It was a community stitched together over generations, a short commute to town, and rent as low as Ksh 1,500, numbers that feel almost mythical in today’s economy. Families stayed for years, even lifetimes, because Makongeni gave them what the wider market rarely provides: affordability with dignity. But Nairobi is changing. And change, especially in a crowded city, rarely arrives softly. <
BuyRentKenya Acquired By African PropTech Leader RushBox In Strategic Expansion
Nairobi, Kenya — 28 November 2025 BuyRentKenya, the country’s leading online property marketplace, has been acquired by Rushbox Ltd, a company with deep experience in operating digital real estate platforms across emerging markets. The acquisition supports Rushbox’s strategy to grow its footprint across Sub-Saharan Africa and comes at a time when ROAM is streamlining its portfolio to focus on its core verticals in jobs and general classifieds. The transition ensures continuity for buyers, sellers, and real estate partners who rely on BuyRentKenya’s trusted platform. All current services and partnerships will continue uninterrupted, and the company remains committed to delivering the dependable, high-quality experience its users expect. As BuyRentKenya enters this new chapter, it remains focused on strengthening the value it
Affordable Ways to Elevate Any Space
Elevating a space is often portrayed as an expensive endeavour. The moment someone mentions a gypsum ceiling, wainscoting, or fluted TV panels, the mood shifts and so does the budget. It’s no wonder many people hit pause on refreshing their homes, telling themselves they’ll do it “someday” when the wallet is friendlier. But that idea sells you short. Transforming a room doesn’t always require grand installations or heavy spending. With a few thoughtful, affordable touches, you can breathe new life into any space. Here’s how you can start, even with the smallest budget: Table of Contents Start With Small, Intentional Finds Lighting — the Cheapest Makeover You Can Do Give Old Items a Second
Kenya’s Next Housing Revolution: The Rise of Precast Homes.
Precast homes are changing how we build; quicker, cleaner, and far more predictable than the traditional brick-and-mortar dance we’ve known for decades. A build that normally drags for a year can now rise in a few months, sometimes even weeks. Precast offers a way to build quickly without sacrificing strength or design. Homeowners need to do their homework, i.e, visit factories, inspect samples, and ask tough questions. If you’ve ever followed someone’s construction journey, you’ve seen the full spectrum, excitement, frustration, delays, and tiny wins. Some people watch their foundations sit for weeks, hoping the sun behaves. Others wait months for a slab because the rains came early, the materials came late, or the fundi decided life had other plans. And then there are the lucky few whose hom
How Fresh Billions for Affordable Housing Could Reshape Kenya’s Property Market
Kenya is set to receive a significant financial injection aimed at giving the affordable housing agenda real momentum. About 547,000 adults, a mere 2% of the population, have signed up on Boma Yangu . Out of these, only 52,000 have managed to save consistently. If this money is used the way it’s meant to be, Kenyans could start seeing real changes in the way mortgages work. Kenya’s housing deficit is an open truth we walk past every day. The numbers often paint a flattering picture, a 61% homeownership rate, but that headline leans heavily on rural inheritance, not urban opportunity. In the towns and cities where the cost of living bites hardest, only about 21.3% of residents own the roofs above their heads. The rest belong to a restless renting class, drifting between rising rents and shrinking options.
Real Estate Powers Kenya’s Most Competitive Counties
Kenya’s booming real estate and construction sectors have emerged as major engines of growth in the country’s most competitive counties, underscoring how property development and infrastructure expansion continue to reshape regional economies. A new County Competitiveness Index (CCI) 2024 by the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry ranks Nairobi, Kiambu, Nyeri, Murang’a, and Nakuru among the country’s most competitive counties — with real estate and related industries playing a central role in their rise. The report shows that Nairobi, which scored the highest with a competitiveness index of 77 percent, remains Kenya’s real estate powerhouse. The capital’s property market, buoyed by a growing middle class, rising demand for commercial spaces, and an expanding transport network, continues to attract both domestic and foreign investors. The city also