December 14, 2023
Diversifying Your Portfolio: Real Estate Investment Strategies for Ghanaians
Investing in real estate can be a smart financial move if you’re looking to build wealth and diversify your portfolios. With strong economic growth and a rising middle class, demand for quality housing continues to increase across Ghana. Savvy investors have taken notice of the opportunities here for attractive returns on real estate investments.
However, breaking into real estate investing can seem daunting without the right guidance. Different property types, locations, and investment strategies need to be considered to match your goals and risk tolerance. By learning the fundamentals and understanding the Ghanaian real estate market, investors can make informed decisions when building a property portfolio.
This guide covers core strategies and tips to begin taking advantage of real estate investment while avoiding unnecessary risks. Follow along to learn how you can add housing assets to your broader investment plans.
Overview of Popular Investment Strategies and Property Types
Several real estate asset classes are available to add to your portfolio as an investor in Ghana. The most common property types bought include:
Residential Properties
- Single-family homes
- Condominiums/apartments
- Multi-family properties
Commercial Properties
- Office spaces
- Retail stores
- Hotels
- Warehouses
- Mixed-use buildings
Specialty Properties
- Vacation rentals
- Self-storage units
- Medical/healthcare buildings
- Industrial properties
- Land or agricultural land
The type of property you invest in should match your knowledge, skills, financial situation, and target returns. Review the pros and cons of each asset class below to decide what works best for your real estate investment strategy.
Single-Family Homes: Flexible Investment With Appealing Cash Flow
Purchasing single-family houses to rent out or “flip” (buying, improving and selling for profit) is an accessible starting point to gain experience with physical property investments here in Ghana.
Pros
- More affordable properties available to buy
- Can be rented to families or students
- Potential to add value through renovations/upgrades
- Flexible investment timeline for buying/selling
Cons
- Can require extensive maintenance/repairs
- Risks from rent payment defaults or vacancies
- Lower returns than commercial properties
- Difficult to scale beyond 5-10 properties
Single-family homes make solid “bread and butter” additions to an investment portfolio with their cash flow and appreciation over time. Investors should factor in 8-12% returns on average.
Condominiums and Apartments: Hands-Off Income Stream
Condominiums and apartments involve buying individual housing units within larger complexes. They offer built-in amenities and shared maintenance costs across all owners.
Pros
- Established amenities like gyms, pools, security
- Tenants handle own unit repairs
- Shared costs and responsibilities
- Improved cash flow with bundled units
Cons
- Requires large upfront capital
- Limitations on changes by owner
- Overall building condition issues
- Lower appreciation than houses
Condo and apartment investments provide attractive income streams that are less involved once leased. Expect average returns in the 10-15% range for multi-family unit ownership here in Ghana.
Multi-Family Dwellings: More Units Equal Bigger Profits
Owning the entire apartment building or collections of single-family rentals allows investors to maximize rental income. Economies of scale make these very appealing.
Pros
- Cost efficiencies from pooled resources
- Improved cash flows from multiple units
- Property manager handles oversight
- Mix smaller/bigger units as needed
Cons
- High upfront capital of $500K+
- Can be complicated to self-manage
- Costly maintenance of entire building
- Concentrated risk if vacancies spike
Major upside exists with multi-family dwellings, although bigger loans are usually required. Target 18-22% returns based on locations and property management.
Office Spaces: Stable Demand With Long Leases
Investing in office real estate taps into the growing services and tech sector tenant needs across Ghana. Modernized buildings draw top rents.
Pros
- In-demand sector with limited supply
- Long 3-5+ year tenant leases
- Tenants cover operating expenses
- Appreciation from location/renovations
Cons
- Significant transaction, closing costs
- Partial building ownership complex
- Costly tenant build-outs
- Risks if employment picture shifts
Secure an anchor tenant for your commercial office project and enjoy consistent triple net leases. Forecast 20%+ returns for well-run office assets.
Retail Spaces: High Visibility Locations With Traffic
Retail centres generate foot traffic that converts to sales revenues for tenants. Positioning near highways and populated areas is key. Some offer a residential component.
Pros
- Benefits from signage visibility
- Share costs among tenants
- Growth from increased consumer spending
- Retail activity drives higher valuations
Cons
- Persistently high maintenance
- Promotional costs to attract shoppers
- Thin margins and tenant turnover
- Rapidly shifting consumer behaviours
Plan for hands-on management and between 15-18% returns for neighbourhood retail spaces. Larger regional malls can hit 20% or more.
Hotels: Hospitality Promises Solid Occupancy Rates
Hotel assets benefit greatly from Ghana’s expanding tourism industry as travelers seek accommodations across the country.
Pros
- Reliable customer demand
- Contracts with major hotel brands
- High occupancy from tourists/business
- Competitive long term land leases
Cons
- Costly frequent upgrades
- Intensive maintenance needs
- Staffing challenges
- Risks from global travel declines
Partnering with known hotel brands gives your property legitimacy and built-in reservation systems. Top locations should clear 20-25% in annual returns.
Warehouses: Growth From Distribution/Logistics
Warehousing supports manufacturing and freight businesses by providing buildings for inventory storage and distribution. Online retail and logistics firms aggressively lease these spaces.
Pros
- Huge beneficiary of ecommerce boom
- Large tenant size improves terms
- Demand for storage outstrips supply
- Easy to upgrade/expand buildings
Cons
- Very high construction costs
- Few amenity offerings to tenants
- Difficult to sell fractions of buildings
- Increased regulations on development
High tenant retention and long leases make warehouses a sound bet within real estate. Investors can aim for 15-22% yields from warehouse assets.
Mixed-Use Buildings: Combination Retail/Office For Flexibility
Some investors construct unique buildings featuring both ground-floor retail with office spaces/residences on upper floors to cater to market needs.
Pros
- Multiple income streams
- Built-in amenities like gyms, parking
- Anchor tenant lowers risk
- Flexible uses over time
Cons
- Higher development costs
- Parking requirements with retail
- Complex property management
- City approval delays
Blending property types hedge risks, although you sacrifice potential specialisation rewards. Forecast 18-25% returns from mixed-use assets done properly.
Specialty Properties: Higher Risk But Increased Rewards
Unique real estate types like self-storage units, medical offices, land parcels or agricultural farms also hold opportunities for you to tap into highly specific property upside.
Pros
- Specialization brings tax incentives
- Less competition from other investors
- Utilize land not suited for housing
- Farm exports benefit from currency
Cons
- Niche markets have a smaller demand
- Difficult to finance/resell
- Requires operational experience
- Higher chances of vacancies long term
For investing in speciality properties, target aggressive returns of 25%+ to justify the increased risk and relative illiquidity. Lean on experienced partners to mitigate downside exposure.
By better understanding the range of options, investors can narrow down one or more real estate assets matching their priority financial goals and knowledge limitations.
Geographic Markets Offering Strong Fundamentals
Gaining familiarity with attractive regions and cities helps investors purchase properties situated to see greater demand from renters/buyers along with valuable appreciation over longer holds.
Analyze market size, employment opportunities and infrastructure development when deciding locations on which to focus real estate investing efforts in Ghana.
Accra
As the capital city, Accra houses 25% of Ghana’s urban population and serves as a major tech/innovation hub and tourism gateway. The city contains a quarter of the nation’s service jobs and boasts extensive transportation links for distributing goods. These dynamics fuel strong demand for housing, office spaces and retail.
- Neighborhoods Seeing Investment: Cantonments, Airport Residential Area, East Legon
- Average Price Per Square Meter: $1,800
- 5 Year Price Appreciation: 45%
With its density and relatively high prices, Accra offers a base for higher rental income potential and steady property value increases over longer holds. Investors must carefully assess any rehabilitation costs within older buildings.
Kumasi
Known as the commercial hub of Ghana’s middle belt, Kumasi benefits from substantial public infrastructure spending along with private development. Education and healthcare investments position the city well for continued expansion and real estate prospects.
- Neighborhoods Seeing Investment: Ahinsan, Asuoyeboa, Kaase
- Average Price Per Square Meter: $850 USD
- 5 Year Price Appreciation: 33%
Kumasi provides fabulous value for investors looking to acquire newer properties or engage in fix-and-flip residential rehabs. Retail and mixed-use assets also indicate strong yields from the city’s solid corporate tenant mix.
Takoradi
Coastal Takoradi serves as headquarters for Ghana’s oil production industry. Major infrastructure upgrades at the Takoradi Port also help position the city as an emerging logistics hub. These factors led many economists to project an acceleration in development over the next decade.
- Neighbourhoods Seeing Investment: Kweikuma, New Takoradi, West Tanokrom
- Average Price Per Square Meter: $500 USD
- 5 Year Price Appreciation: 55%
Takoradi offers intriguing early mover advantages before wider investor recognition of the city’s potential kicks in. The lower costs and massive projected growth make for substantial rewards for properly timed projects.
Alternative Ownership Structures To Consider
Beyond directly owning investment properties, you can expand your real estate holdings through unique legal structures providing different tax treatments and ownership benefits:
The Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
This public market investment vehicle consists of bundled assets like hotels, medical buildings and storage facilities aggregated under professional management. By purchasing shares in Ghanaian REITs as they launch, retail investors gain exposure to returns from large-scale commercial properties without needing to individually source and operate each one. As with stocks, REIT values fluctuate so examining the trust’s assets and leverage ratios helps in assessing quality.
Key Factors Impacting Real Estate Investing In Ghana
Several positive macroeconomic trends fuel the real estate markets across Ghana for investors to monitor:
- Consistent GDP growth averaging 5% annually
- Rapid urbanization as young workers migrate into cities
- Major investments into ports, roads and energy
- Large tech employer investments driving professional jobs
- Surging middle class disposable incomes
However, investors should also track areas that may constrain housing supplies or rents over the coming years:
- Lagging housing construction against population growth
- Rising interest rates cooling mortgage borrowing
- Potential shifts in government housing policies
- Intermittent shortages of cement/building materials
- Gaps in consumer access to bank financing
Having awareness of supportive conditions as well as risks allows investors to factor potential changes into their return expectations and property selection.
Mitigate Downside By Following Core Guidelines
All real estate investments carry risks that can erode projected returns. Keeping these tips in mind can thoughtfully build their property portfolio while minimizing costly blindspots:
Conduct Extensive Due Diligence
Leave no stone unturned across location analysis, comparable valuations, property condition assessments, rent roll audits, expense benchmarking and tenant credit checks. Verify all developer claims or promises.
Maintain Sufficient Liquidity Reserves
Have access to at least 20-25% of the property’s value in available capital for unexpected repairs or periods of vacancies. Too little reserves can force fire sales or undesirable financing if issues arise.
Secure Experienced Partners
Working alongside dependable legal advisors, surveyors, brokers and property managers with regional market knowledge proves invaluable. Don’t assume all roles as an owner/investor alone.
Obtain Adequate Insurance Coverage
Full landlord coverage helps hedge against major repair bills from fires, flooding or other disasters that disrupt rental income. Review limits and exclusions closely each renewal period.
Stress Test Budgets & Financing Terms
Model out worst case scenarios with higher vacancies, added costs and lower rents to confirm acceptable risk parameters. Lock in fixed interest rates and longer amortizations for stability.
Invest Early In Relationships
Take time to understand key property stakeholders like lenders, tenants, brokers, vendors and government officials. Those ties smooth operations and add value for years to come.
Diversify Across Property Types, Partners and Locations
As with other investments, real estate portfolios stay safer when owners spread exposure across different assets in varying geographies with unique risk profiles. Combining both residential and commercial buildings improves stability and long term yields.
Adding older properties already producing income along with a new development project helps balance revenue streams without excessive risk concentration. Investing in Accra while also holding assets in Takoradi or Kumasi insulates against downturns isolated to any one regional economy.
Working with different investor groups, contractors and property managers leverages specialized expertise while reducing overreliance on a sole firm. Revisit weightings annually and adjust based on market conditions and portfolio performance.
Proper diversification allows for attractive real estate returns without maximizing the chances of catastrophic losses. Lean less on speculation and more on fundamentals when structuring your holdings.
Partner With Credible Local Experts For Success
Navigating Ghana’s real estate landscape poses myths and challenges for even seasoned property investors. Connecting with trusted groups intimately familiar with regional legal practices, contractor reputations and market histories safeguards your financial interests over the long-term investment horizon.
Landmark Homes – Luxury Redefined
As an emerging real estate developer based in Accra, Landmark Homes stands ready to guide investors seeking rewarding property ownership opportunities. With an exclusive focus on developing premium multi-family residences and apartments in Ghana’s capital region, the Landmark team offers:
- Meticulously designed living spaces for optimal functionality and aesthetics
- Unparalleled amenities like fitness studios, swimming pools and media centres
- Responsiveness to ever-evolving resident expectations and conveniences
- Seamless, stress-free property management and ownership experiences
Those looking for a rewarding real estate investment aligned to Accra’s tremendous growth should explore ownership at Landmark’s prestigious Madison Apartments development. This luxurious 27 residence project in the heart of Accra provides investors with spacious floor plans ranging from Studio Apartments, 1 to 2 bedrooms and a 3 bedroom penthouse alongside a wealth of indoor/outdoor community spaces for effortless living.
Investors enjoy extensive customization options to tailor each unit to discerning tenant preferences along with robust security protocols and responsive on-site maintenance staff handling inevitable upkeep needs. With high current occupancy rates and lengthy waitlists given pent-up demand near central business districts, Madison Apartments promises reliable performance as part of a balanced Ghanaian property portfolio.
Get in touch today to schedule a personal tour and have all your questions answered by the Landmark Homes Ghana team of real estate experts. Their passion for delivering exceptional quality drives lasting value for each proud Madison Apartments owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What returns can investors expect from Ghanaian real estate projects?
Returns vary substantially based on asset class, location, and effectiveness of the property management. However, realistic targets for annual cash-on-cash returns fall between 15-25% for both residential and commercial investments. Certain speciality assets or luxury rentals in core urban neighbourhoods can reach 25-35%.
How much capital is required to get started in Ghanaian real estate investing?
Individual investors can purchase single-family homes or condominiums for $50,000 to $150,000 in emerging neighbourhoods to start out. Small multi-family buildings run from $250,000-$500,000. For larger commercial assets like hotels, retail centres or Class A offices, minimum investments exceed $1 million.
What due diligence is critical before buying investment property in Ghana?
Conduct tenant credit checks, contract reviews for stand-up provisions, third party property assessments, expense ratio analysis, comparable market valuations, and broker reputation reviews at a minimum. Also, confirm all zoning regulations and property tax assessments pre-purchase.
Why diversify across property types, partners and locations in Ghana?
Diversification hedges against concentrated risk exposure if any single asset, ownership group or regional market faces a sudden disruption. Blending property offerings also allows for varied expertise and improved chances of rental income stability long term.
How can foreign nationals invest in Ghanaian real estate?
Foreigners can purchase residential or commercial property in Ghana via freehold interest after incorporating a local company with majority Ghanaian ownership above 51%. Many global investors partner with trusted local developers through joint ventures or revenue share structures without needing full property titles.