Living in The Philippines > Lodging: Finding A Place to Stay "for a while"

Buying Tips for a Manila Condo

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Turo:
Hello All,

My wife and I just completed a trip to the Philippines that included condo shopping. We originally had planned to look/buy in Bacolod, but she had a change of heart during our visit after prolonged exposure to family and small town chismis while in Negros and decided that Manila would be mas mahal. So, we went to Manila and looked briefly there as well prior to departing.
We looked in Makati, McKinley Hill, BGC and Bonifacio Heights and there is plenty available. Our next trip will almost certainly be to purchase. In the meantime though can anyone provide some general tips or do's and don'ts regarding condo purchase in the Philippines. Our agent seems solid, but I make it practice to gather all the information I can and do my due diligence twice.

Any advice/general direction/experience good or bad would be welcome. Thank you in advance for anything offered.

Turo

piozam13:
location is important.  oftentimes there are more disadvantages than advantages being near family.  i agree with your wife.

Turo:
Piozam, I laughed very hard when she reached the "not near family" conclusion. She had that look on her face like when you smell the milk in the fridge and can't decide if it has gone bad or not when she told me. I am ambivalent about her family. I have known them 30 years and am comfortable around them, but whatever makes her happy works for me, after all this is her home game not mine. Thanks for the reply.

starrt:
Hi Truro,

I can only give you some general tips, as you haven't given many details on what you are looking for.

There are 3 situations for buying condos here in Metro Manila, 1) the building isn't built yet and you are buying a new unit on specs and photos, with no guarantee of a move in date, 2) the building is built, and you get to choose what is left over, 3) you are buying from an owner and not the developer. Depending on where and what, these choices may be different.

Also, are you looking for a high rise, medium rise, ... ? Do you want/need amenities in the condo, or else close by?

And never forget that buying into a condo means additional expenses throughout the year for insurance, taxes, and repairs on the common areas.

Anyways, a good place to start looking is online, at the developers sites, at online search sites, etc, to give you a general idea of what types of units are out there and their costs.

Good luck in your search.

Thomas

Turo:

--- Quote from: starrt on March 10, 2019, 07:38:07 AM ---Hi Truro,

I can only give you some general tips, as you haven't given many details on what you are looking for.

There are 3 situations for buying condos here in Metro Manila, 1) the building isn't built yet and you are buying a new unit on specs and photos, with no guarantee of a move in date, 2) the building is built, and you get to choose what is left over, 3) you are buying from an owner and not the developer. Depending on where and what, these choices may be different.

Also, are you looking for a high rise, medium rise, ... ? Do you want/need amenities in the condo, or else close by?

And never forget that buying into a condo means additional expenses throughout the year for insurance, taxes, and repairs on the common areas.

Anyways, a good place to start looking is online, at the developers sites, at online search sites, etc, to give you a general idea of what types of units are out there and their costs.

Good luck in your search.

Thomas

--- End quote ---

Hi Thomas and thanks for your reply. We are looking to purchase and existing unit from a private seller for a variety of reasons. We are not opposed to purchasing from a developer if their offering meets our needs, but I find the practices of most developers on the shady side of unsavory. No high rises as we don't want eleventy thousand neighbors in a building that looks a lot like the ghetto buildings in Hong Kong so low to medium rise is the general goal.

We are no so concerned by what is close by other than the airport, but we would like a pool and the ability to lock up and leave without worrying too much.

We have a realtor who is solid, but I thought any insight gathered from the seasoned folks on this sight  couldn't help but assist in a smooth purchase. I would rather buy a tbone in the store than put my hand up a cows backside to feel it if you know what I mean.

Turo

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