Every serious buyer we meet asks the price first and the paperwork second. Every serious buyer we meet who has been in the market ten years asks the paperwork first.\n\nA Certificate of Occupancy tells you the state has recognised your right to occupy the land for a term (usually 99 years). A deed of assignment tells you a private owner has transferred their rights to you. Neither alone is enough for a house that costs more than a Lagos office block.\n\nWhat you want, in order: (1) a registered C of O in the developer's name, (2) a deed of sub-lease or assignment to you, registered at the state lands registry, and (3) governor's consent to that assignment. If your developer cannot show you the first before you pay, and cannot commit in writing to the second and third within a defined timeline after handover, do not buy the house. We do not care how beautiful it is.