Category: The Philippines

Philippines Real Estate Market Outlook 2020: A Complete Overview

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 1 Comment

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Philippines has become one of the hotspots for foreign property buyers in Southeast Asia. With favorable demographics and an increasing middle class, Metro Manila has undoubtedly seen the biggest interest.

Foreign corporations move to the region, setting up offices and operations in places like Cebu and Davao, where labor costs are low.

In this article, I explain how the Philippine property market has performed in the past years. I’ll also share my predictions on how I believe that the market will perform in 2020.

Keep in mind that foreseeing how a market will perform in the coming years is not the easiest task on hand. If you have any information you would like to share, you can share a comment at the end of the article.

Topics covered in this article:

The Property Market in Previous Years

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Buying Commercial Property in the Philippines: A Complete Guide

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The Philippines has emerged as one of the fastest-growing countries in Asia. Foreign investments in its Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector is one of the main driver.

Not only Metro Manila grows fast, but there are dozens of cities located outside of the capital and categorized as so-called next-wave-cities and upcoming emerging markets.

If you look for investment opportunities in the Philippines, you have plenty of options. Don’t only look for condo units in Manila.

In this article, we review the following:

  • Can foreigners buy commercial property in the Philippines?
  • The Commercial Property Market in the Philippines
  • Best Cities to Buy Commercial Property in the Philippines
  • Commercial Property Taxes

Can foreigners buy commercial property in the Philippines?

Philippines has reasonable foreign ownership regulations by Southeast Asian standards.

Here, foreigners can buy strata-title units such as condos on a freehold basis. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the foreign ownership quota which is set to 40%.

You can also own the physical structures built upon land, like bungalows and villas.

Buying commercial property, on the other hand, is a completely different undertaking and more regulated. Whether you can get access to commercial property or not depends on if you buy as an individual investor or through a local company. Continue reading Buying Commercial Property in the Philippines: A Complete Guide

Top 14 Real Estate Developers in the Philippines

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 3 Comments

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We’ve seen a big increase in prime real estate in the Philippines recently. Many local developers build these projects and target foreign buyers aggressively.

In fact, nowadays developers often hire in-house salespersons to bypass estate agents. They have good connections with banks, property lawyers, and can sometimes even offer help with financing.

That said, it’s important that you get a good knowledge about local property developers beforehand, before buying off-plan. Late completions and quality issues are just a couple of problems you might come across if not doing enough research.

In this article, I’ve listed some of the biggest and most popular property developers in the Philippines.

1. Ayala Land, Inc.

Ayala Land, Inc. is one of the biggest real estate developers in the Philippines, with its headquarter located in the famous business district, Makati.

It’s a real estate division of Ayala Corporation, which is a century-old company, but has operated independently since 1988. So, they have a long history and experience under their belt.

In 2016, it was the second-largest developer in terms of yearly revenue and its net income reached around PHP 21 billion (USD 400 million). That’s a 15% increase compared to 2015.

Property types

Ayala Land is involved in landbank management, build and manage shopping centers, hotels, and resorts.

Maybe most importantly, they also build plenty of residential buildings, focusing on condominiums and housing projects.

Current projects

Continue reading Top 14 Real Estate Developers in the Philippines

Buying Condos in Manila: The Ultimate Guide

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Suggestion: Watch the 5 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Do you plan to buy condos in The Philippines?
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Philippines is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and continues to attract foreign investors and companies in vast numbers.

Metro Manila deservedly gets the most attention as it’s the capital, business hub, and accounts for a third of the countries GDP growth. Simply put, most things happen here.

Buying newly built condos is the preferred option among foreigners. Yields can be exceptionally high, at the same time, the buying process is simpler and includes less paperwork.

Still, it’s important that you learn about the property market, the most promising areas, and what prices you can expect to pay when buying condos in Manila.

Topics covered in this article

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Condos for Sale in Manila: 10 Interesting New Projects

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Philippines is one of the fastest-growing countries in Asia, attracting foreigners in vast numbers. It’s not strange as the living costs are low, the quality of life is great, and you have a number of long-term visa options.

In this article, you’ll learn about some of the most interesting new condo projects for sale in Manila. We cover places like Makati, Taguig, Bonifacio Global City, Quezon City, and Pasig City.

The article is updated on a continuous basis, giving you the latest news about interesting investment opportunities.

Viewing the projects and surrounding areas in Google Maps (Street View)

To check the projects and surrounding areas in Google Maps Street View, simply zoom in the area of the marker and pull the orange-colored Pegman to the marker, or nearby areas. You can track the marker/project in Street View as well.

To go back to Google Maps, press the arrow in the top left corner.

Latest Update: 2020-01-16

Continue reading Condos for Sale in Manila: 10 Interesting New Projects

How to Buy Property in the Philippines: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 10 Comments

Suggestion: Watch the 5 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Do you plan to buy property in The Philippines?
Click here to get in touch with an experienced agent

Philippines has become a preferred destination when foreign investors buy real estate in Asia. It’s not strange as it has low living costs, cheap real estate, many long-term visas, and a quickly growing economy with preferable demographics.

Still, investing in real estate in a developing country like the Philippines always bring some risks. You must have a good knowledge of local regulations beforehand.

In this article, you’ll learn about foreign property ownership regulations, property taxes, visa options, and which places that should be of interest when you buy real estate in the Philippines.

Can foreigners buy property in the Philippines?

Philippines is similar to other Southeast Asian countries in terms of foreign property ownership. Here, individuals can buy and legally own condominiums and houses, but not the land that these structures are built on. Simple as that.

Continue reading How to Buy Property in the Philippines: A Complete Guide

The 6 Cheapest Places to Buy Real Estate in Asia: A Complete Guide

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A commonly asked question among property buyers is where they can find the cheapest properties.

One should bear in mind though that it’s not easy, nor very important, to discuss property prices on national levels. It’s better to focus on a handful of cities, or the capitals, places where a big part of investors tend to go.

In this article, I list the countries with the cheapest land, houses, and apartments in Southeast Asia/Asia.

Before we deep dive into, I want to mention that I haven’t taken countries such as Mongolia, Brunei and Sri Lanka into consideration.

6. Thailand

Continue reading The 6 Cheapest Places to Buy Real Estate in Asia: A Complete Guide

The 3 Best Places to Live & Buy Real Estate in the Philippines

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 2 Comments

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The Philippines is big in terms of population. Still, there are not as many options available when buying property, compared to Thailand or Malaysia, for example.

Investors tend to go to the capital Manila, while other foreigners look for more relaxing places, located more towards the South. You’ll notice that the real estate market and prices differ much between different areas.

If you plan to buy property in the Philippines, but not sure where, this article is a must read, where I list the 3 best places to buy property.

1. Metro Manila

manila-property

Continue reading The 3 Best Places to Live & Buy Real Estate in the Philippines

4 Asian Countries with Long Term & Real Estate Investment Visas

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 2 Comments

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Before you pick a location for your next Asian property investment, it’s important that you do some research about the visa options available.

Having a long term visa, might it be an investment visa, will bring relaxation and not forcing you to leave a country every month, or so.

Luckily, you’ll find a handful of countries in Asia who have understood that foreigners want to stay there long term, bringing decent cash to the local economy.

In this article, I list 4 Asian countries that offer long term and real estate investments visas to foreigners. Let’s have a look.

1. Thailand

thailand-investment-visa

Thailand is the most visited country in Southeast Asia for many reasons. Expats, travelers and other foreigners alike can easily get accustomed to the high quality of life.

Personally, Thailand is one of my favorite countries to visit in Asia, I often make a trip once in a while, to recharge my batteries.

Even if Thailand might not be the best place for investors with a high risk appetite and to maximize yields, many foreigners (for example example Hong Kongers and Japanese) want to have property in a place that’s ‘livable’.

Proximity to their home countries is also of importance.

Continue reading 4 Asian Countries with Long Term & Real Estate Investment Visas

The 4 Best Countries to Buy Real Estate in Asia

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Investing in overseas property is one of the biggest decisions that many foreigners make.

Before you prepare for success, it’s important that you understand your overseas market, what ownership regulations that apply, if you can easily transfer your money out of the country, what taxes that apply, and more.

To give you a helping hand, I decided to write this article, where I give you my own personal reflections, backed by data.

Let’s review the 4 best countries to buy real estate in Asia.

Remark

In this article, I don’t only take yields into consideration, or target investors with a high risk appetite. I also take property taxes, land ownership regulations, capital controls and the easiness to get long term visas into my assessment.

This article is not for people who look for investment properties merely.

Market cycles, and where countries stand right now, is also of importance, of course. Many news channels and experts say that Singapore, Indonesia and India looks promising at the moment.

The Singaporean market has seen a downturn in the past years, and has started to recover. India is getting increasingly more interesting, as it grows fast economically, while Indonesia follows a similar path, with much investment in infrastructure. Continue reading The 4 Best Countries to Buy Real Estate in Asia