Renting or buying a home in Nairobi can be so stressful, and those who've tried can attest to that. If you're looking to renting an apartment or a home in Nairobi, you should be aware of all the scumbags in the "unreal estate" business.

It seems thieves are getting cleverer by the day, most of them have now shifted to social media to steal from Kenyans. But how do they pull this off? It doesn't matter if you're a professor or a hawker, you just have to be street smart to avoid these people.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine decided to relocate and move somewhere closer to his workplace in a bid to cut costs. Because the internet makes work easier, my friend David visited an online classifieds marketplace and looked for an affordable house near Ngong Road. Fortunately, he found one, even cheaper than what he had budgeted for.

Very early on a Sunday morning, David was already in Kilimani to see his new house, the agent and the caretaker were there, actually even the watchman. So definitely from that point it looked somehow legit. They showed him around and all the good things that come with the house. My friend was happy.

For some reason, the agent asked to be paid 2 months deposit in cash, and since he had wanted to move out in a rush, he gave him the money. The following day, David hired a truck and started moving his stuff to the newly rented house, regrettably, the REAL agent, caretaker, and the watchman were not ready for him.

After paying Ksh100,000 and moving out of his house, David realized he was dealing with swindlers who had by then disappeared and went Mteja.

Now, this is a true representation of being stranded. He used all the money he had and he couldn't go back to his house since his notice had actually expired.

This is just one of the common obstacles many Nairobians go through when looking for houses. Even the real agents can also con you, some will tell you to pay for something that does not even exist. Others promise free Wi-fi and free DSTV, but once you get into the house, they stop working.

It is advisable that you deal with certified agents when looking for an apartment or buying anywhere, many have been conned millions and you don't want to be one of them.

You can also share with us some of the struggles you or your friend had to go through to find a house in Nairobi on the comment section below.