Midnight viewing: the Lekki house that almost fooled me.

My phone rang at 11:47pm. "Faxyman, I have the deal of the year. Five bedroom, Lekki Phase 1, fully finished. The owner is travelling tomorrow. Whoever pays tonight takes it." The price he mentioned was half of what that kind of house goes for. My client, a young couple who had been saving for six years, were ready. They had already called me twice that week asking if I had found anything. Every part of me wanted to say yes. But something in my chest said, go and see it. Now. So I put on my coat and drove out in the rain. The gate was open when I arrived. The front door too. Warm gold light pouring out of the hallway like a movie set. Beautiful. Too beautiful. No security man. No neighbours peeping. Just a black jeep parked outside with its engine still warm. I walked in slowly. Marble floors. Chandelier. The kind of house you dream about. Then I noticed the little things. No family pictures. No fridge. A brand new lock on the door that did not match the old frame. And the "owner" who was supposed to meet me? His phone was suddenly switched off. I did not touch anything. I walked straight back to my car and made two calls. One to a lawyer friend who checks land registry documents. One to a man I know who manages properties on that street. By 1am I had the truth. The real owner lives in Canada. She had no idea her empty house was being "sold" to anyone. The so-called agent had copied a key from a cleaner and was collecting deposits from three different buyers that same week. My clients did not lose a single naira. Two other families were not so lucky. Here is what I tell everyone who comes to Faxyman Realtors. A good deal can wait till morning. A fake deal cannot. If someone is rushing you to pay tonight, that rush is the loudest red flag in Lagos. I see every property myself. I check every document. I talk to the neighbours. Sometimes at midnight, in the rain, in my good coat. Because when I hand you keys, I want you to sleep in that house for the next thirty years without one bad dream. Six weeks later, that same couple got a real five bedroom in Lekki. Fair price. Clean papers. They invited me to the house warming. I brought the jollof. Looking for a home, land or a property you can trust? Chat me up on WhatsApp. I will go and see it first.