I am a real estate broker in the US and I just thought of an idea. Hopefully it's not stupid. If you have two houses in Nigeria and you need a house in the US. Can you swarp? This is done already in the US. For proof check real estate section of the craigslist. We have good laws in US that protects all parties and there is no problem with extended family. I left Nigeria about 10 years ago, and don't know the real estate laws in Nigeria (hopefully there is). I gues my question to property / real estate experts in Nigeria is: Is it possible to swarp houses. Let me know your thoughts.

Why not 2 houses in US to get 1 in Nigeria? Shouldn't the swap be based on the values of the houses in both locations?
I bet you must be thinking that houses in US are always more expensive than in Nigeria, unfortunately not always e.g my 4bdrm detached duplex in Lekki will pay for 2 units of 4 bdrm detached duplexes in Richfield estate in Harris county , Houston.
All the same its a bright idea if you can make it work.

Thanks OJ2010. You are right sometimes two in US may go for one in Nigeria and vice versa. It depends on the location. I live in the sub-urb (village) where houses are generally assessed higher than the city (except downtown). My worry is about the feasibility vis a vis the legal issues in Nigeria. It would probably work better for Nigerians that are also US residents or new immigrants to US. I appreciate your thoughts.

@poster.bright idea.am game,let's see how we get this off the ground,my name is written all over nairaland.let's talk more:jumejames@hotmail.com.
Cheers.

Is it possible for a non-resident of the US/UK or Canada to own property? As in being based in Lagos but own a mansion in Florida?

Thanks Harakiri for your question. Yes for US, I am not sure for UK & Canada. But first, you have to be sure you will have appropriate visa to either visit regularly or a Green Card. Unless you can afford to have a mansion for vacation home. One other issue to consider is that every year you pay property taxes on your home/mansion in most states. If you owe 2 years (in my state), the city can foreclose on your house (take the house). The process may vary in other states. This idea just like every other idea may benefit everybody, but that are people that are sure bet:
1. You just won a green card or multiple visa that can become permanent, you don't want to rent in the US and you own a home in Nigeria.
2. Nigerians that are US permanent resident or citizen and vice versa
I appreciate your question.

Nice idea !! but the issue is terms and conditions oh. I mean the legal stuff