Metro Manila Land Value After Typhoon Ondoy

Last year, my wife and I seriously considered getting a loan from Pag-Ibig Fund to get a small house for our family. Among the sites we considered were Antipolo, Marikina, Pasig, Cavite and Fairview in QC. Most of the houses we liked placed on ads were a bit expensive and we were not able to start because we need to save for the 10-20% downpayment. I guess it was a blessing in disguise, if we had the money then, we could have bought a house in Marikina or Pasig area. Although they were a bit more expensive than houses in Antipolo, the locations were near to our place of work. After Typhoon Ondoy, Marikina and Pasig were the hardest hit within Metro Manila and after the casualties and death, many are still in the hospital fighting for their lives from diseases they got from the floods.

I could just imagine people who were selling the houses in new subdivisions in Pasig and Marikina which were priced between 2-4 million. A similar townhouse we liked in Antipolo priced at 1.6 million was priced around 2.5-3 million in Pasig. The townhouses were almost sold out and I pity people who just bought their house in Pasig. Pasig area was priced high because of its proximity to Makati, Mandaluyong and Quezon City area but after the floods, what will be the land value per sq. meter in Pasig. Even in Marikina, houses in Provident Village were upscale since it is one of the prime properties in the city. Definitely, people who are looking to buy a house would definitely avoid Pasig and Marikina areas now.

There were also several areas in Quezon City that were flooded during Typhoon Ondoy. Manila, Malabon, Kalookan, some parts of Makati and Taguig were also flooded. I did not hear any serious flooding in Cavite and Laguna areas except Sta. Cruz which was too far. Does this mean it is safe to consider investing a property in Cavite and Laguna?

Land values started to increase whenever a mall, school or an upscale subdivision gets constructed. This is a factor to consider but realty companies should also consider elevation, good drainage and proper zoning. Ordinary people like me do not know these things and we get to be carried away whenever the land is developed by a well known real estate company. How about condominums? Is it now safe to say that it is better to invest in a condo so there is a less chance of being flooded? What if the area gets flooded too? Is it better to be stranded than to see your house gets flooded?

Planning to buy our own Home

Its been a couple of months since my wife and I decided to plan to buy our own house for our family. We decided to attend a seminar provided by Pag-ibig Fund, an organization who provides affordable housing loans to the average Filipino. After the seminar, we then proceeded to look for a house that we can afford with our limited budget and a place that is not too far from our workplace.

We currently live in Quezon City and our workplace are within 15-30 minutes away from our house. Since the prices here in Quezon City are way above our budget, the nearest locations are Antipolo, Bulacan, Novaliches or Cavite (definitely not near). We began searching thru classified ads, internet and we even asked our friends for recommendations. Finally after a week or two, we decided to look at the sites, get the feel of the communities and see if the houses we chose would suit our needs.

My wife, who is inclined to live in Antipolo fell in love with a small townhouse consisting of 3 rooms, 2 t&b and a 1 car garage. The site is okay, a 30-45 minute drive from our home without traffic and the design is also okay. We talked with 2 agents who were very accommodating (anticipating a sell, i presume) and toured the place twice. We knew, if we have the money for the downpayment during those days, we could have transferred early this year. Unfortunately, we got into a couple of unexpected expenses so we decided to postpone a little.

We also visited a couple of other sites in Novaliches and San Mateo, but the one in Antipolo is the one we liked. Hopefully by this year, if the Antipolo units are already sold out, we can still find a house for our family, better if possible. This is our primary goal for this year and if God willing, we will be able to settle to our new home by the yea 2010.

Looking forward this 2009

It has been quite a while since i posted a blog, i have been busy with the office and our business since january 5. I regularly check this site and log in at blogcatalog and mybloglog to build my network but this will be my first post for this year.

Our office is busy with our clients lately, catching up for the long vacation last weekend and getting new clients to start the year right. We are also in the process of making our own brand so every detail should always be checked and evaluated. My wife and i also added a few products to our food store in mendiola, manila to increase our revenue. We also talked to a few friends, purchased and borrowed equipment for the store.

Leon, our son is growing up fast and will turn 2 this March. You could just imagine our situation at home where he always make it a point to enjoy all his toys and books, play with our cats and try to enjoy eating while playing. Our room is his playground everyday, playing with his 3 girl cousins and his yaya. His favorite toys are balls, balloons and toy cars. He is also learning to speak a few words which is very nice to hear when we go home after a hard day's work.

We have a lot of plans for this year but our priority is to expand our business and to look for a new home. Another priority is to focus more on blogging to learn more and eventually earn from it. We know that this year will be very busy for us since we are trying to balance work, business, family time but we also need to focus on our health. We plan to schedule regular exercises like jogging, walking and running and hopefully play more badminton this year. Hopefully this year will be better for us and Leon will grow up well and always be healthy all year round.