SM Development Corporation (SMDC) has always been committed to providing top-quality living spaces to its clients, and they have long held the motto "Home of the Good Guys." For them, this phrase encapsulates their values and principles as a leading property developer in the Philippines. So when it came time to search for a brand ambassador to represent the company, it was important that they choose someone who embodied these same values.

After careful consideration, SMDC found the perfect candidate in Lee Min Ho, a beloved South Korean actor and heartthrob. As a prominent figure in the Hallyu wave (the global popularity of Korean entertainment and culture), Lee Min Ho has a massive following that transcends borders and cultures. But it's not just his good looks and talent that won SMDC over; it's his reputation as a genuinely good person.

I think we all missed going out in an expo and exhibits, thankfully there are companies and organizations tht brings the feel of expo at the palm of our hands. As direct selling plays a vital role in building relationships, recent events have compelled the real estate industry to think outside of the box in reaching its clients. With the world going mobile, it is no surprise that virtual platforms become a commonplace as business tools and assets. EXPO PH Mobile App is a digital event and promotions app which offers access to the largest available showcase of project development that brings all aspects of property and real estate together!

Welcome to THE PROPERTY EXPO 2021, the first digital Property Expo in the country!

To help unlock potential business opportunities and give the construction and property development industry a reliable digital support, EXPO PH Mobile App serves as an exclusive B2B and B2C virtual platform providing marketing support for The PROPERTY EXPO 2021 and ensure its success thru the collaborative efforts of EXPO PH media partners providing the industry a Direct & Personalised channel among property developers, property consultants and potential investors.

Participating exhibitors include FEDERAL LAND INC., CENTURY PROPERTIES, GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, ALVEO, DMCI HOMES, AVIDA, EMPIRE EAST and MOLDEX REALTY.

 

How many times have I mentioned that I plan to buy a house? Well, I think I have been telling that for the nth times already. Since I started a family, I have been dreaming and planning of owning our so-called home sweet home. No matter how small it is, as long as we are protected, we can somehow adjust.

Ironically I have been attending events and talks about real estate conducted by Lamudi.com and Envision Expo. And I even visited some of the model units of rising real estate developers like Lancaster in Cavite. In the end, I still don't have my own house.

Now, the kids are growing fast, and it seems that the cute house that we are living in right now is not enough to accommodate us. We can't even have more than two visitors because it would be a bit crowded, especially now that we are experiencing the pandemic, we need to have social distancing. How can we implement this so-called social distancing if we can't move around freely in the house? It is like a small puzzle that every time you walk, you'll bump with each other.

If only I could bring back the time when we found a good price deal of lot somewhere in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. During that time, the place was all bare, and it's only starting its development stage. Now, look at the changes in this City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, there are constructions from left and right. It was affordable at that time, and the only problem we had was we don't know much about real estate. And perhaps we can also add that both of us are busy working, we don't have time to make an appointment in different agencies to verify the lot. I think that time there is no available mortgage calculator online that can help us estimate the expenses we may incur. Note that it was more than fifteen years ago.

Today, the areas near Metro Manila are developing and starting to be part of the Greater Manila Area. It is one move of the government to decongest the population in the capital city of the Philippines. I remember it was last year, right before the pandemic, I happened to accept freelance research work about the landscape of the construction and real estate development in the Philippines. It's not thorough research, but I was able to give the client what they wanted. It is a piece of information about the progress of constructions in the country.

Part of the research I did led me to the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) website, which shows data about the number of approved construction permits for infrastructures of the government. Some of the constructions are railways, bridges, schools, water sources, and highways, which happens to be the requirement of developing real estate. These constructions are from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. So, basically, the population is growing, and the Pinoy family like ours requires new houses.

In all of the property developers I know, probably for me, the best land developer is Ayala. Why? Well, I somehow have witnessed how they progress in developing their lands. They usually start their developing stage by conducting outdoor events on the estate. The main reason is to attract investors and potential clients. And I happen to be in these events like the Bike Night Carnival in Vermosa located in Cavite and the Sandbox Outdoor activities in Alviera located in Porac, Pampanga.

For now, it is probably easier to find your dream house, but the only problem would be how to finance it since most of the industries today are down and striving. Like me, I want a home for my family, but I couldn't afford it right now. Working freelance is not stable to finance that dream house.

What I can do right now is make a plan and probably check some mortgage calculators online to estimate the expenses. As my usual practice from the previous works, I always get three different sources to verify and compare the results. I got these three online calculators, one local (I think) - Security Bank Calculator, one is known locally and abroad - Bank of the Philippine Islands Calculator, and the last one is from abroad - Mortgage Calculator from the UK. You can also do this kind of process whether you're checking up the mortgage or even the prices of the pens you buy for your kids.

So, overall I will still have to plan everything first. How about you? Will you buy a new house at this time of pandemic?

This is just one of the many talks that I have attended recently, and most of them are all about taking action in climate change. Indeed, we are in a climate change crisis and we are ought to make an action that will course out a solution for our world to be still a habitable planet.

One of the real estate websites, Lamudi, just made a successful event "The Outlook Real Estate Conference 2019" which was held at the Makati Shangri-La. The company brought together industry thought leaders from all over the country to talk about the hot topics in the Philippine real estate sector, and one of the main focus is addressing the current issue of climate change.

The Outlook: Philippine Real Estate Conference 2019, with co-presenters Philippine Daily Inquirer Property and Holcim Philippines, provided an avenue for insightful discussion spanning a wide range of topics from sustainability to alternative ways of investing in real estate.

The major sponsors for the event are the International Workplace Group and SMDC, and the official TV partner is Cignal TV. The Outlook Conference has also teamed up with event partner Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), and media partners Philippine Daily Inquirer Property, Business Mirror, Business World, Malaya Business Insight, Manila Standard, and Philippine Star.

The Role of Developers in Making the Philippines More Sustainable

The Outlook Conference started strong with its first track, “Taking Sustainable Action: Addressing Climate Change Through Real Estate,” where moderator Cathy Saldaña, Managing Director of PDP Architects, steered the conversation into a topic dear to her heart. The panel revealed that though different companies are already pioneering efforts to use solar energy, waste management, and water recycling to be more sustainable, there is a need to adopt a more global, top-down approach to initiate change that will last.

The panelists for this track were Cecilia Domingo, Vice-President, and Head of Meralco; Gian Carlo Valerio, Chief Executive Officer of Solana Land; Ram Maganti, SVP for Marketing and Innovations of Holcim Philippines Inc.; and Gay Santos, a financial inclusion specialist/advocate.

The Philippines is blessed with sun and rain, Saldaña noted, both of which can be harnessed as sources of energy. Maganti also mentioned the scarcity of freshwater, prompting the company to use recycled water as part of their sustainability efforts. Domingo talked about the residential and commercial efforts started by Meralco and its subsidiaries, from solar panels to e-sakay as an initiative. According to Domingo, the Meralco compound has already banned single-use plastic, and are active in tree-planting initiatives for carbon reduction.

On the side note, I was surprised that one of the bosses of the company I worked before was the Keynote Speaker at this conference, Mr. Vince Dizon, President and CEO of BCDA. He was happy to present the developments in the New Clark City which will host this year's SEA Games. Two of the facilities, Aquatic Center and Athletic Stadium, that will be used in the SEA Games are already completed.  Aside from this, there are more have bee constructed that will soon attract others to make a living in this new arising city.

Real Estate Marketing for a Younger Market

The second track, “New-Age Customer Experience: Transforming Real Estate Marketing in the Age of Disruption,” moderated by Deborah Ong, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Lamudi, explored the role of disruption in shaping a new breed of real estate clients along with strategies that should be adapted to thrive in this new consumer environment. The panel discussed the “end” of the mall to give way to online shopping, and how this prediction years ago failed to take into account the adaptability of Filipinos to change. What could have ended an industry sparked disruption, giving rise to the changes in the way people do business and how consumers consume.

The panelists for this track were Thomas Mirasol, General Manager of Federal Land; Marco Antonio, President & CEO of Century Properties; Tek Samaniego, Property Editor of Philippine Daily Inquirer Property; Jose Soberano III, CEO of Cebu Landmasters; and Eugene Lozano, First Vice President for Sales and Marketing for Megaworld Corporation.


Lozano, who has witnessed the transition from traditional to digital marketing, said there is now a focus on Google Analytics. To successfully implement these changes, Lozano mentioned the importance of informing key people in the team. “We’ve been very busy re-training, providing lectures and materials to different key people just to keep up with the digital transformation of marketing strategies nowadays.”

“The consumer today is more demanding,” Ong noted.

“And they really want to get their money’s worth,” Samaniego added. Uncovering New Real Estate Sales Strategies

“Fresh Perspectives: Mapping Evolving Real Estate Sales” was moderated by Bhavna Suresh, Chief Executive Officer of Lamudi. The third track leaned towards preparing the sales team for new business models, strategies, and practices that improve how real estate is offered to customers. The panelists mentioned the importance of likability and trustworthiness, the human touch, malasakit, and thinking beyond after-sales.

The panelists were David Rafael, President & CEO of Aboitiz Land; Beth Ventura, President of Anchor Land Holdings, Inc.; Ricardo Lagdameo, First Vice President of Damosa Land; and Raphael Felix, President of Phinma Properties Inc. and Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA).

Rafael admitted to wondering about the future of real estate. “Will we ever reach a point where people would buy property the way they buy food from Foodpanda or they buy a shirt from Lazada?”

Upon pondering, however, Rafael has come up with an answer: “At the end of the day, the human person buying property will really still need to talk to a human person.” Startups and Their Exploration of the Sharing Economy

“Paradigm Shifts: Exploring the Sharing Economy in Philippine Real Estate” explored the changing Philippine conditions and the rise of startups that have led to the growth of the sharing economy. Eric Manuel, of Arch Capital Management, moderated the track, which discussed the commute as a major pain point for residents who eventually decide to move to co-living spaces. The very young population of the Philippines wants to be measured by their performance, not their timesheet. Co-working spaces, on the other hand, allow young professionals to expand their network.

The track’s panelists were Jelmer Ikink, Group Director of MyTown; Nick Padilla, Co-founder, CEO & Space Captain of Kahon.ph; Paul Rivera, Co-Founder & CEO of Kalibrr; and Lars Wittig, Country Manager Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, S. Korea for International Workplace Group.

Shared spaces answer the tenants’ need to escape the commute. Ikink further noted that the future of work, especially its definition, will change over time and to address this, they are working towards a zero-commute lifestyle. This means working, living, and all amenities will be in the same space. Choosing Investments: From POGO to Property

“Changing Face: Uncovering Alternative Ways to Invest in Real Estate” zeroed in on the drivers of investor demand, the new investment opportunities available in the market, and how the market can tap into these to encourage a robust real estate economy. The moderator, Cignal TV’s news anchor Danie Laurel, asked about the viability and sustainability of POGO as an investment. Panelists also recommend diversifying as a smart way to invest.

The fifth and final track’s panelists were Richard Raymundo, Managing Director of Colliers; Mikko Barranda, Associate Director of Leechiu Property Consultants Inc.; Iluminada Sicat, Assistant Governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; and Noel Rapadas, Senior Vice President and Chief Finance Officer of Torre Lorenzo.

Sicat presented an interesting fact that will help guide investors in diversifying their portfolio: “We did an assessment of the impact of POGOs on the price of our residences. There was a sudden increase in the price of rent, but if you look at the net contribution of POGOs, it’s not that big, actually.”

Raymundo also noted that if POGOs did not come, “the rents would have corrected anyway.”

Rapadas mentioned that there is still a long way to go for these kinds of investments to be sustainable. He urged investors to look at what drives prices up, and suggested ing a fixed plan to see growth. Rapadas also said that despite the increase in the prices of real estate, the Philippines is still relatively cheap compared to other places for investment in Asia.

Projects Shaping the Filipino Community

Keynote speaker Vince Dizon, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), shared the plans for New Clark City as part of the Build, Build, Build program. New Clark City is planned to be the Philippines’ first smart, green, and resilient metropolis.

The Outlook Real Estate Conference also gave a platform to Virlanie Foundation, a private, non-profit and non-sectarian organization reaching out to marginalized children and communities in the Philippines. Lamudi and Virlanie launched a partnership program, Cherish-A-Home Fundraising, to help the disadvantaged, abused, neglected, and abandoned children through in-kind and cash donations that will improve their quality of life in any of the foundation’s eight homes.

The Outlook Conference: Future Forward

Lamudi’s The Outlook: Philippine Real Estate Conference 2019 gathered real estate thought leaders to share their insights on the pressing topics facing Philippine real estate today. The event leads up to Lamudi’s Outlook Awards: The Philippine Buyers’ Choice Property Awards scheduled on November 14, 2019, at the Makati Shangri-La, where property developers from all over the Philippines gather to celebrate the outstanding achievements that shaped the country and steered it to a greener future.

The winners of the awards are determined by a panel of judges and a survey involving 10,000 active property seekers.

To know more about The Outlook Awards 2019, head to lamudi.com.ph/outlook2019.

One of the most innovative Proptech solution for buyers, sellers, brokers and developers, Housal.com, will be having its first exposition in the Philippines. Bringing and inviting all stakeholders in Realty and Construction to this very first exposition which will be on July 19 and 20, 2019 at SMX Mall of Asia.

Mr. Yogesh Mathur, CEO of Housal and creator of Envision 2019 gave a warm welcome and a short speech to the bloggers and media present during the conference. According to him "2018 marked the year of the launch of our innovative digital Real Estate platform, 2019 marks the next step towards bringing all stakeholders together."

So what is Envision 2019? It is the upcoming event created and formed by Housal to finally bring together all the prime stakeholders in Realty in one event. From developers to banks, from contractors to insurers and from brokers to buyers, this is where all the dots in Real Estate will be connected. This is one way of having the big picture by connecting potential clients and business partners.

Mr. Mathur expresses that "Real Estate and Construction in the Philippines are main contributors to the 77 quarters of uninterrupted growth in GDP. Although the economic outlook remains positive, more can be done to accelerate industry growth. To keep up with the demand of an ever growing population and all the challenges that come with it in terms of infrastructure and sustainability, more collaboration and better cooperation amongst stakeholders is key in moving forward, hence us organizing Envision 2019."
During the bloggers and media conference, few questions were asked to the organizers and one of the executives of Housal, Mr. Maarten Pennings happily and gladly delivered the responses to the queries.

To give a glimpse about Envision 2019, the two-day event offers two different settings. First there is the expo, which covers 140+ booths and is open to the general public, accommodating thousands of visitors. Free registration is already possible via the event website. The second setting focuses on business matching. In a VIP area, dedicated to business leaders, the Envision team organizes several curated sessions linking participating companies with one another based on their business goals. Complimenting the business matching and expo, Envision 2019 will have a line up of top-notch speakers from the industry and continuous live entertainment to ensure that all visitors will have both a productive as well as a delightful experience.

The event is in collaboration with event organizer PMCM Events Management, Envision 2019 invites all Real Estate Stakeholders from the Philippines and beyond to attend, exhibit and sponsor. For more information kindly visit www.envision.ph.

Community living in an urban setting has been an elusive concept with the flurry of high and low-rise developments currently taking place in the busiest of locations. As an advocate of making life more meaningful via community-living, the Lions Park Residences lives by this ideal.