Purpose The pricing of professional service has been identified as one of the factors influencing the quality of service and willingness of clients to pay. However, the issue of service pricing is hardly seen as an object of discourse in real estate literature, especially among valuation studies, as it is obtainable in other fields. In Nigeria, it has become the practice for some sets of clients, especially financial institutions, to fix valuers’ remuneration based on the fact that these clients have market advantage. This practice and some other issues around pricing of valuers’ services have been going on for some years with little or no research insights from academics. The purpose of this paper is to examine the pricing system of valuation services within the Lagos property market with the aim of providing information to better valuation practice. Design/methodology/approach This study assumes an interpretive paradigm and adopts a qualitative research approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 registered valuers practising within the Lagos property market. Snowballing sampling technique was employed in selecting the registered valuers who were active in the practice of valuation in the study area. Data collected were analysed using thematic analysis with the aid of NVivo 12 software. Findings This study finds that the pricing system for valuation services in the study area can be broadly categorised under “negotiation” and “fixed rate” systems while the use of the “professional scale of charges” is more or less non-existent. The study also reveals various forms by which these systems are practised, and issues associated with them as well as the effects they have on valuation practice. The study further reveals the factors responsible for the continuous striving of the present pricing system which includes valuers’ inability to enforce the professional scale, competition in the market, buyers’ market syndrome, the game of numbers and the banks’ strategy to protect their customers. The authors also found that the low pricing of valuation service poses challenges to valuation practice and encourages unprofessional conducts that affect the quality of valuation output. The study also provides, albeit limited, an evidence of the relationship between valuation fee and quality of valuation. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to Lagos property market and only the practising valuers. Insights from other major cities and stakeholders in service pricing like clients and regulatory authority may produce more insightful results. Originality/value This study provides important insights into valuers’ experience in the area of service pricing and how this affects the delivery of professional services. It also serves as the research blueprint in giving research attention to the service pricing in property valuation practice.

PurposeConsidering the changing dimensions of client influence in the emerging sub-market in Nigeria, different from previous general insinuations, this article examines the new strategies adopted by clients to influence estate surveyors and valuers (ESVs), factors that predispose ESVs to client influence and the effects of clients' influence on valuation outcomes and real estate markets in emerging sub-market, using Ibadan market as the study area.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is situated within a client influence assessment framework, modified to reflect contextual incidents. Contextualization was made possible with the involvement of both practitioners and academic researchers. Validated copies of the questionnaire were administered to the registered practicing ESVs in an intact group during their monthly state (provincial) meeting and through direct delivery at their firms. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsContrary to the previous studies, the authors found no significant relationship between ESV professional qualifications, the firm's staff strength and the frequency of clients' influence in valuation assignments. Hiding important information and clauses, begging, lobbying, and seeking undue favor and promises for future jobs or appointments are the influencing strategies clients employ to pressure valuer. The topmost factors are emerging sub-market and economic-induced factors, lack of due process, and adequate transparency on the parts of firms and Valuers. It was established that the new dimension of client influence leads to the mortgage valuation accuracy dilemma, discredit of professional confidence, default and financial distress, and generating mistrust in the property market.Practical implicationsThe implication is the new dimension of client influence, different from the previous studies, thus calling for professional and policy attention. As real estate investment and transactions transcend globally, understanding the local sub-market condition is imperative.Originality/valueThe novelty of the paper is the exposition on the dimensions of client influence within the economy and the implication for the professional body regulatory policy.

Purpose Real estate professionals are a vital resource to the property firms and the industry at large. Employees’ skills, knowledge and competence contribute in great measure to organization’s business performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the adequacy of core knowledge and soft skills possessed by professional employees within the Nigerian real estate practicing firms. It also assesses the performance of the employees and establishes the correlation among the soft skills possessed by employees. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were elicited through the administration of questionnaires on principal partners/branch managers (the employers) of the practicing estate surveying and valuation firms in Lagos metropolis. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-sample t-test and correlation analysis. Findings The result indicates that employees of estate firms in Nigeria demonstrate adequate knowledge in ten out of 21 core areas of real estate practice, while real estate agency has the highest mean, and inadequate knowledge in six others with least mean score in environmental impact assessment. The study also revealed that employees possess good listening and communication skills but are deficient in courteousness and writing skill, among others. It was also found that real estate employees were performing the best in inspection functions but below average in report writing and handling of transaction. The study also established a significant relationship among all the soft skills except communication skill and courteousness. Research limitations/implications Further study that looks at the performance of real estate graduates working in other sectors/organizations other than estate companies is required to establish their competence level in global employment market. Further study is also needed to cover the views of the employees in Nigerian market as this study focuses on the views of the employers. Originality/value This study provides an important feedback for the policy makers in the design/review of curriculum for real estate education towards enhancing employability of the graduates. This study also serves as the research blueprint in giving attention to assessment of soft skills among real estate employees in Nigerian real estate industry.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which variations in gender, socioeconomic and academic background influence real estate students’ academic performance in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Data for the study were collected using self-administered questionnaire, served on final year real estate students in two of the three Federal universities offering real estate as a course in Southwestern Nigeria. Data collected were analyzed using mean, frequency count, percentages, independent t-test, correlation and analysis of variance. Findings The result of the study suggests there is no statistically significant difference in the academic performance of Nigerian real estate students based on gender and socioeconomic background. Research limitations/implications The study has been limited to the sensitivity of either gender to possibly constraining socioeconomic and academic factors that might have served as barriers, especially among female students, in achieving outstanding academic performance. Originality/value This paper presents one of the few attempts examining gender and socioeconomic perspectives to factors influencing real estate students’ academic performance, especially from the perception of an emerging African country like Nigeria.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the influence of socioeconomic characteristics as well as organisational profile as predictors of the organisational and career commitments of real estate employees in the employment of private estate surveying and valuation firms. Design/methodology/approach A total of 333 closed-ended questionnaires were administered on estate surveyors and valuers practicing in private real estate firms in Lagos State, Nigeria, out of which 124 (37.2%) were retrieved and found suitable for analysis. The data were analysed using frequencies, percentage, mean rating, one sample t-test and ANOVA. Findings The findings showed that though the male real estate employees rated a higher level of organisational commitment than their female counterparts, the female employees showed a higher level of career commitment. Besides, the results showed that across both genders and on an overall basis, there was a significant relationship between career commitment and organisational commitment. Also, while demographic factors such as age, management level and professional qualification have a statistically significant relationship with career commitment, factors relating to marital status, academic qualification, management level and firms’ year of the establishment were statistically significant with employees’ organisational commitment. Practical implications The study deepens the understanding of the influence of demographic and firms’ correlates in explaining the performance of real estate employees in Nigeria, an emerging African market, where issues of absenteeism, poor remuneration and low retention appear prevalent. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt at examining the influence of demographic variables on the organisational and career commitment of real estate employees in Nigeria.