The Impact of Ethno-Religious Crisis on Location Decisions and Values of Residential Properties in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Location is among the main determinants of residential property value. It has been realised from the existing literature that location could either be tangible or intangible in nature. Tangible location factors include accessibility, transportation, closeness to central business districts etc. On the other hand, intangible location factors are those attributes of location that are invisible in nature. They include race, ethnic background, crime, safety, skin colour, native inclination, apartheid, cultural background, security, religious inclination, socioeconomic background, indigene ship and the like. This study is intended to examine the effect of these intangible location attributes on the values of residential properties in the study area. The data for this research was sourced through interviews, field survey and questionnaires. Tables and charts were employed in order to analyse the data for the research.  Pictures were also taken in order to give pictorial information of what is on ground. In order to arrive at the required sample size for the research, stratified random sampling was adopted. The study area was divided into two clusters, that is, Jos North and Jos South. The outcome of the research revealed that areas that are classified as violent free neighbourhoods command high rental and sales value of land and landed properties. The research discovered that people prefer areas that are predominantly of their religious and ethnic extraction. As a result of that, the residential pattern of the study area was drastically altered. It can be concluded that intangible location attributes play a vital role in dictating the price of land and landed properties. Investors and real estate developers should take into consideration intangible attributes of location when determining the worth of land and landed property in the study area.

Keywords: Intangible Location Attributes, Landed Property, Rental Value, Residential Property and Sales Value