Cement consumption was four per cent higher in the second half of 2012 than a similar period in 2011, signalling the construction sector’s return to health.

Paint maker Crown Paints Kenya has launched an anti-bacterial paint even as it moves to consolidate its position as a market leader.

Known as Medicryl Silk Emulsion, the new product targets health institutions and other work and living spaces that require high standards of hygiene. . .Read More

With the two main coalitions Jubilee and Cord having pledged far-reaching reforms in the lands sector in their manifestos, the new administration is under pressure to show commitment in reforming the sector by injecting substantial funds through the national budget. . .Read More

Credit to the private sector grew for the seventh consecutive month in January, having declined in three different months between October 2011 and last June.
Data for January shows outstanding private sector credit stood at Sh1.298 trillion, up by Sh14 billion from December 2012. . . .Read More

At some point in your life you have to make a decision whether to buy or rent a house.  While owning a home is perceived by most as a more prestigious form of tenure, others choose to rent as a step towards ownership while others simply prefer to rent rather than own their homes. . . .Read More

The real estate industry in Nakuru town is readying itself for a major — albeit gradual — overhaul, players in the industry have predicted. . . Read More

In a few days, Kenya is set to begin the journey to a devolved government. To the housing sector, this means that the demand for residential, commercial and industrial property will rise.

The housing deficit in Kenya is at 200,000 per year. This, therefore, poses the question; are there any alternative building technologies (ABT) that we can adopt to bridge the housing gap? . ,. .Read More

KCB Group is set to get a Sh12.9 billion seven-year loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for lending to mortgage borrowers and SMEs, giving it an edge over rivals who have to pay higher interest on deposits. . . .Read More

Is it wise to be a buy-to-let property investor in Kenya? Consider this: Housing prices have been steeply rising almost on a daily basis as developers cash in on the gaping housing shortage. . . .Read More

Kenya’s two largest mortgage lenders are optimistic that home loans costs may touch two-year lows after March 4 if the country goes through a stable transition. . . .Read More

The cost of a roof is mainly dictated by how much you want it to insulate against sun during hot days while remaining natural and rustic.

To achieve such features, roof manufacturers go to great lengths such as using acrylic paints that contain small sand granules on steel sheets. ....Read More

The aesthetic appeal of properties is everything as far as perceived value is concerned. It is the superficial attraction of a building. It asserts confidence of the authenticity of the unseen aspects and complexities of a building such as structural strength and the efficiency of services yet it only touches mainly on finishes....Read More

New blocks of flats or town houses have been coming up every other corner in the past two years. Old stand-alone bungalows in some of the city suburbs have been replaced by these new developments, which are not limited to residential use. . .Read More

The year has surely come to the end, and what a tough one it was in the real estate sector holistically. It was a year in which prices for everything looked up and up, ranging from land, construction materials, to interest rates. It had its fair share of highs and lows. . .Read More

As we start the New Year, 2013, there is every indication that we are beginning an entirely new ball game, new hope, fresh opportunities, a lingering fulfilment of a promise. . .Read More

For the last ten years, the Ministry of Housing has overseen a raft of policy developments that have guided players in the housing sector, making it one of the key drivers in the country’s economy. . .Read More

"What would you like to achieve in 2013?” asked Ipsos Synovate pollsters in their latest opinion poll. Twenty four per cent of the over 1,000 Kenyans interviewed in the poll released last week said they would like to save more. ...Read More

What is in store for Kenya’s real estate market in 2013, a year that has been described by many as a “make-or-break” for the country?...Read More

New high-end apartments have put up for sale in a trend that is targeting young middle class Kenyans.

Legacy Apartments, located on Naivasha Road, near Junction Mall, sits on a 0.5 acre plot, and is expected to be completed in the next 18 months. . ..Read More

Sometime in 2007, human resource professional Mary Kinyua walked into a bank and took a mortgage to purchase her first house. This year, she has just placed a deposit for yet another house she wants to buy.

“I am likely to sell the second home and perhaps use the proceeds to buy a more expensive one,” she says of the Sh5 million three-bedroom villa in Nairobi’s Ruai area. . .Read More

I recently read an article that talked about the need for Government involvement in the housing sector. The scribe penned the government support and backing as a necessary aide in the growth and development of the low to moderate-income housing. . .Read More

Kenya is among countries that will contribute to increased global cross-border investments in retail real estate in the next seven years, a new report by Jones Lang LaSalle says.

The country is likely to benefit mostly from South African investors seeking ‘first mover’ advantage in ‘frontier’ markets in sub-Saharan Africa. . .Read More

A private developer has unveiled a Sh3.5 billion luxury apartments block in Nairobi targeting high-income tenants and home buyers.
Construction of the 22-storey building along Waiyaki Way in the City’s Westlands neighbourhood has begun. . . . .Read More

Less than three years ago Thika town was simply an urban/Administrative centre that served the residents of Muranga, Gatanga and parts of the larger Gatundu Districts. .  . .Read More

Housing is a human right in just as much as air and water. Like food, even those who cannot afford it need it, only perhaps much more than those who can afford because the latter could be in it for investment returns. . . .Read More

Signs of transparency in Kenya’s real estate market are now evident as the country continues to draw more international investors to the sector, a newly released global index says. Kenya is rated among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that have recorded improved levels of transparency in their markets. . . .Read More

A jump in production and consumption of key construction commodities in the last few months has signalled a subtle recovery of Kenya’s flagging real estate sector. Fresh data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics for the month of July also show that the actual value of building plans approved by the City Council of Nairobi is on the increase, though still low compared to 2011 figures. . .Read More

Fear that the new land laws would change rights of ownership kept off commercial banks from lending to property developers and land buyers. . .Read More

Anxiety is high among property owners as the City Council of Nairobi tightens the noose around necks of land rate defaulters.
The rates department at City Hall has been a beehive of activity as property owners scrambled to pay up within the waiver period or risk public auction. . .Read More

A mortgage financier is now targeting the wealth of county governments to increase its market share.

KCB S&L has established a new department whose task is to create master plans for decentralised governments, said Mr Joram Kiarie, the mortgage director. . . .Read More