← All templates | Real Estate business
Pages:HomeListingsNeighborhoodsAgentsSell & BuyContact
Use this template →
Sell & Buy with Northstar

How a Northstar transaction works.

Whether you're selling, buying, or doing both at once — here is how we work, what we charge, and what to expect at each stage.

Selling your home

  1. 1Valuation visitA founding partner walks the home with you. We bring three comparable sales and one short report. Free, no obligation, no pressure to list with us.
  2. 2Prep & photographyWe cover professional photography and (when useful) light staging. Our average prep budget per home: GHS 12,000, fully reimbursable at closing.
  3. 3Off-market previewWe circulate the listing to our buyer list (about 1,400 active buyers) for ten days before going public. Last year 31% of our homes closed off-market.
  4. 4Tours & negotiationWe accompany every tour. Offers are written and presented within 24 hours. Counter-strategy is agreed with you before the first conversation with a buyer.
  5. 5ClosingOur in-house conveyancing team handles paperwork end-to-end, including Land Title verification. Average time from accepted offer to keys: 47 days.
A photographer's view into a Northstar listing kitchen prepared for marketing
Commission: 2.5%

Our standard listing commission. Typically about a full percentage point below the Accra market norm. No hidden marketing fees, no franchise add-ons — what we quote is what you pay.

Average DOM: 38 days

Our 2025 average from listing to accepted offer. Accra market average for the same year: 87 days. We move fast because we price right and market wide.

A buyer's perspective on a refined Accra living room
Commission: 2%

Buyer representation commission — paid by the seller on closing. You pay nothing to have us on your side. We never accept a referral fee that creates a conflict.

Buying a home

  1. 1Discovery conversationAn hour over coffee — budget, neighborhoods, timeline, must-haves vs. nice-to-haves. We are honest if your budget and wish-list don't line up.
  2. 2Curated tour listWe compile a shortlist of 6–10 homes, including off-market opportunities. Tours happen over two or three sessions, with notes after each.
  3. 3Due diligenceLand Title verification, structural review, plot history — we run every check ourselves before we let a client write an offer.
  4. 4Offer & negotiationWe benchmark the offer against five fresh comparables and present it within 24 hours. Counter-positions are agreed with you before we negotiate.
  5. 5Keys & aftercareWe're with you on closing day and for the 30-day move-in window — connecting tradespeople, helping with snag lists, and following up with the seller if anything's outstanding.
FAQ

Common questions.

What's your commission and when is it paid?

2.5% for listing representation, 2% for buyer representation. Both are paid by the seller at closing — buyers pay no commission. We accept no franchise fees, marketing add-ons, or referral kickbacks. The number we quote is the number you pay.

Do you handle land sales too?

Yes — and they require extra care in Ghana. We run independent Land Title verification on every plot before our clients sign anything, even when the seller insists they have clean papers. We've walked away from several deals where the papers didn't match the ground.

What about new-construction purchases?

We represent buyers on most of the top Accra developments. Daniel Quaye leads this work — his architecture background makes him excellent at spotting which off-plan promises are realistic and which aren't. Our representation costs you nothing extra; the developer pays the commission.

Can you help with relocation from abroad?

Yes. Yaa Bonsu runs our relocation service. We handle remote tours via video, help with school placement, and have a pre-vetted list of moving companies, decorators, and household staff agencies. We also support repatriating Ghanaians returning home.

What if I want to sell privately but use you for help?

We offer a "consultant package" for sellers who want to manage their own sale: comparable-sales report, contract templates, conveyancing referral, and an hour of advice. Flat fee of GHS 12,500. About one in fifteen of our seller engagements goes this way.

How do you handle conflicts of interest?

If we already represent the seller of a home you're interested in, we tell you upfront — and recommend you use a different brokerage for buyer representation. We've referred clients to two competing firms (Bridgewater and ClaridgeHomes) more than a dozen times over the years.

Ready to start a conversation?

An informal thirty-minute chat with a Northstar partner is the best place to begin — whether you're a year out from selling, or trying to figure out whether buying makes sense at all.

Schedule a conversation →