How it works
From the first call to keys in hand.
Two pathways with the same standards: invest in a Toivo Investment development for income, or have us design, permit, and build a private home for you. Both run on independent legal review, regulated escrow, milestone-based disbursement, and weekly site reporting in your inbox.
Pathway A
Invest in a T.I project
Buy a finished, tenanted, or off-plan unit from one of our developments. Income from quarter one. We source, vet, acquire, and manage.
- From $70,000
- 60 – 120 days to keys
- Quarterly USD statements
See the investment process→
Pathway B
Build privately with T.I
We design, permit, manage, and build a home to your brief — for you to live in, lease out, or run as a short-stay. Funds in escrow, released against certified milestones.
- From $90,000 build cost
- 12 – 18 months typical
- Independent engineer signs off every release
See the build process→
Pathway A · Invest
Source, vet, acquire, manage.
Most T.I investors are 60 to 120 days from first conversation to keys. Here is what each phase looks like — what we do, how long it takes, and what you should expect to receive.
01
Week 1
Discovery conversation
We meet by video to understand your goals, budget, timeline, risk appetite, and any prior experience with Ghanaian real estate. We are direct about whether you should invest right now — and we say no often.
You receive
- Written investment brief
- Short list of 3 – 5 candidate properties or build options
- Realistic budget including fees and reserves
02
Weeks 2 – 4
Independent vetting
Once you've expressed interest in a property, we commission an independent legal review (a partner law firm not affiliated with the seller), verify Lands Commission registration, and conduct an on-the-ground inspection by a T.I associate.
You receive
- Title and encumbrance search report
- Independent legal opinion
- Property inspection report with photography
- Existing tenancy review (if applicable)
03
Weeks 4 – 10
Acquisition
We coordinate purchase paperwork, escrow, and registration end-to-end. You sign once, remotely, with the help of an embassy notary or our local partner. Funds move through a regulated escrow account; we do not hold your money.
You receive
- Sale & purchase agreement
- Escrow setup and management
- Title transfer at the Lands Commission
- Stamp duty and registration fees handled
04
Weeks 10 – 16
Tenant placement
If the property isn't tenanted on signing, we market it through our diaspora-and-corporate network, vet applicants, and place a tenant on terms we agree with you. We never place a tenant under duress to fill a calendar.
You receive
- Tenant marketing and shortlist
- Background and reference checks
- Lease drafted and counter-signed
- Move-in inspection and inventory
05
Indefinite
Ongoing management
T.I handles rent collection, repairs, annual property tax, statutory inspections, and any tenant disputes. Major decisions (capex over $1,500, lease renewals, rent reviews) come back to you for approval — they are not made unilaterally.
You receive
- Quarterly statement with photography
- Annual maintenance plan
- Tax compliance and statutory filings
- Direct line to a named T.I manager
06
Every 90 days
Quarterly reporting
A clean, dated PDF lands in your inbox four times a year. Income, expenses, occupancy, photographs, and the next quarter's plan. No fluff, no marketing — just the numbers and the building.
You receive
- P&L for the quarter
- Photography of the property
- Tenant status update
- Forward-looking 90-day plan
Pathway B · Build
Design, permit, build, hand over.
A private build runs 12 – 18 months from brief to keys, depending on plot size and finish level. The escrow and supervision machinery is the same one our partner law firms use on commercial projects — applied at residential scale.
01
Week 1
Brief & feasibility
Discovery call — budget, lifestyle, family, where in Ghana you want to live or let, and whether you already own land. We'll tell you straight whether your number works in Cantonments, East Legon, or whether Tema or Kumasi would stretch further. We say no when a brief and a budget don't meet.
You receive
- Written feasibility brief
- Ballpark cost (low / mid / high) by location and finish level
- Realistic timeline including permits and rainy-season buffer
02
Weeks 2 – 8
Land — source or vet
If you don't own land, we shortlist 4 – 6 plots with title-clean Lands Commission registration in the location you want. If you already own land, we run an independent title search, soil bearing test, neighborhood walkthrough, and utilities check before any design work begins.
You receive
- Title and encumbrance search
- Soil bearing & site survey
- Zoning and setback verification
- Utilities and access report
03
Weeks 6 – 14
Design & costing
Architectural drawings via a licensed partner architect, structural and MEP engineering, then an independent quantity surveyor produces a line-by-line bill of quantities. You approve the design and the costing before a single block is laid. Changes after this point are priced and signed before work begins.
You receive
- Architectural drawings (2D + 3D)
- Structural, electrical, plumbing engineering
- Independent quantity surveyor's bill of quantities
- Fixed-price construction contract
04
Weeks 14 – 18
Permits & escrow setup
Building permit filed with the relevant Metropolitan or Municipal Assembly. The escrow account is opened in your name with a partner law firm's regulated trust account — not a T.I account. The milestone disbursement schedule is agreed and signed. T.I cannot draw funds until the supervising engineer certifies a milestone.
You receive
- Approved building permit
- Escrow account opened in your name
- Signed milestone disbursement schedule
- Independent supervising engineer engaged
05
Weeks 18 – 52 (varies)
Construction
Work on site every weekday. A weekly photo report and a monthly written progress report land in your inbox without you having to ask. Funds release from escrow only against milestone certification. Material substitutions, scope changes, and weather delays are flagged in writing the week they happen — never buried in the next invoice.
You receive
- Weekly photo report
- Monthly written progress report
- Variation log with priced change orders
- Live access to the supervising engineer
06
Weeks 52 – 56
Snagging & handover
Final walk-through with you, in person or by video. An independent surveyor produces a defects list. T.I closes the snag list before the final 5% retention is released. The 60-day defects-liability period runs from handover — anything that fails is fixed at our cost, not yours.
You receive
- Independent surveyor defects list
- Closed snag list signed by you
- Asset register and warranty pack
- 60-day defects-liability cover
07
Post-handover
Optional — let, manage, or short-let
Hand the keys to family, lease the home on a long let, or run it as a short-stay residence. We move you onto the same management track as our investment clients — quarterly statements, named manager, USD reporting.
You receive
- Tenancy or short-let setup
- Quarterly USD statement
- Annual maintenance plan
- Single point of contact
How escrow works
We never hold your money.
On both investment acquisitions and private builds, your funds sit in a regulated third-party trust account — opened in your name, with a partner law firm acting as escrow administrator. Toivo Investment is a co-signatory only for the purpose of releasing funds against agreed milestones.
On builds, every release is tied to a certificate signed by an independent supervising engineer that you appoint. No certificate, no release. A 5% retention is held back through the 60-day defects-liability period after handover.
Read the full escrow procedure →Sample disbursement schedule · build pathway
- 10%
Signed contract & permits filed
Mobilisation: site set-up, hoarding, materials initial order.
- 20%
Foundation poured & certified
Released after supervising engineer signs off the foundation pour.
- 25%
Slab, frame, roof structure complete
Structural milestone — visible from the street, photographed.
- 25%
Walls, plumbing, electrical, roofing
Building is weather-tight; first fix complete.
- 15%
Finishes, fittings, landscaping
Tiling, joinery, sanitaryware, paint, garden — second fix.
- 5%
Snag list closed (60-day retention)
Released after the 60-day defects period closes with no outstanding items.
Schedule shown is typical for a 4-bed residential build. Final schedule is signed at the contract stage and tailored to the project.
Common questions about escrow on builds
The questions diaspora clients ask first.
What if you need my money to actually fund the build?
We don't fund builds from your money in advance — we fund against work completed. Each milestone (foundation, slab, frame, finishes) only releases after an independent supervising engineer signs it off. Your capital sits in a regulated trust account in your name until that certificate is issued. T.I bridges any short-term gap between certification and the next phase from working capital.
Who actually holds my money during the build?
A partner law firm's regulated trust account, not a Toivo Investment account. The account is opened in your name. We are a signatory only for the purpose of releasing funds against signed milestone certificates — and you can revoke that signing right at any point.
Who certifies that a milestone is complete?
An independent supervising engineer that you approve at the start of the project. They are paid directly by you (typically 2 – 3% of construction cost) and report to you, not to T.I. We see the same report you see.
What if there is a defect after handover?
A 5% retention is held in escrow for 60 days after handover. Anything that fails inside that window — leaks, electrical, finishes — is fixed at our cost before that final tranche is released. The roof, structure, and waterproofing carry longer warranties from our subcontractors.
Can the cost change mid-build?
Only with a signed, priced change order. The fixed-price contract you sign at week 14 is the baseline. If you change the spec, the additional cost is priced by the QS and signed by you before work continues. Weather delays, import disruption, and government-driven cost shifts are disclosed upfront with a contingency line in the BoQ.
Fees
Plain about what we charge.
Statutory costs (stamp duty, Lands Commission registration, building permits) are billed at cost. We do not earn referral commissions from any third party — architects, engineers, the QS, lawyers, and your supervising engineer all invoice you directly.
Investment pathway
- Acquisition fee
- 2.5%
- One-time, on the purchase price. Covers sourcing, vetting, legal coordination, and registration.
- Residential management
- 8%
- Of monthly rent collected. Covers tenant placement, repairs coordination, statements, and direct contact.
- Commercial management
- 3%
- Of monthly rent for commercial assets, where the work profile is lighter.
- Independent legal
- $650 – $1,200
- Paid directly to the partner firm, not to T.I. We do not mark this up.
Build pathway
- Project management fee
- 12%
- Of construction cost. Covers feasibility, design coordination, permitting, escrow administration, weekly reporting, and on-site management.
- Architecture & engineering
- At cost
- Paid directly to the licensed partner architect and structural / MEP engineers. You see every invoice.
- Independent supervising engineer
- 2 – 3%
- Paid directly by you to your appointed supervising engineer. They certify each milestone before any escrow release.
- Quantity surveyor
- $1,500 – $3,000
- One-time. Independent QS produces the bill of quantities and verifies completed work at each milestone.
- Building permit
- At cost
- Statutory permit cost, billed at cost from the relevant Metropolitan or Municipal Assembly.
Risk
What can go wrong, and what we do about it.
Currency
The cedi can move. We index leases in USD where possible and report in USD always.
Title disputes
Rare in our segments, but real. Independent legal review and Lands Commission searches are non-negotiable on every transaction.
Vacancy
We underwrite to a 75% occupancy assumption, not a 100% one. Statements show real, not optimistic, numbers.
Construction overruns
Fixed-price contract on signed scope. Change orders priced and signed before work begins. Final 5% held until snag list closes.
Delivery delays
Rainy-season buffer baked into the build calendar. Import disruption disclosed upfront with a BoQ contingency line.
Counterparty risk
Your funds sit in a regulated trust account in your name, not a T.I account. We can be removed as co-signatory at any time.
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