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Philippines is one of the most popular investment destinations in Asia at the moment. Here, many foreigners mainly buy property in Manila, thanks to its rapidly growing economy and quickly developing infrastructure.

Fortunately, you’ll be able to find plenty of international franchised agents, as well as local agents, who help foreigners to buy real estate on a daily basis.

Yet, it’s not easy to find summarized information about the top agents and what properties and services they offer.

Therefore, I’ve written this article where I present some of the most popular real estate agencies in the Philippines. Let’s have a look.

KMC Savills, Inc. (KMC MAG Group)

KMC MAG Group was founded in 2009 and an associate of one of the biggest real estate agencies in the world, Savills.

The company employs around 100 professionals and targets mainly foreign buyers. The founder, Gregory Kittelson, has run a number of companies and lived and worked in the Philippines for over a decade.

Michael McCullough currently serves as the company’s Managing Director. He first went to the Philippines in 2007 and has over 6 years experience in the real estate industry. Michael previously worked in Silicon Valley and represents a number of big clients, for example:

• Canon
• Huawei
• ANZ
• E-Bay

The company has won a number of awards over the years, where some include:

• The 2016-2017 International Property Awards – 5-Star Best Real Estate Agency for Marketing in the Philippines
• The 2014 International Property Awards – 5-Star Best Real Estate Website in the Philippines

Property types

Include both residential and commercial properties, for example:

• Condos and apartments
• Houses
• Land
• Office space
• Retail properties

Services offered

• Tenant Representation
• Project Marketing
• Capital Markets
• Consulting and Research
• Offshoring Corporate Services
• Asset Management Services
• Residential Services
• Serviced Offices
• Hotels & Leisure

Office address

11th Floor, Sun Life Centre, 5th Avenue corner Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City 1634, Philippines

Colliers International Philippines

Colliers International has around 15,400 employees in 69 different countries, hence it’s one of the biggest real estate agencies in the world. The company was founded in the United States and is headquartered in Seattle.

David A. Young acts as the company’s COO (Chief Operating Officer) and has almost 30 years experience in the real estate industry in both Europe and Asia. He previously lived in Hong Kong and Singapore and serves many well-known clients.

Richard Raymundo serves as the company’s Managing Director and has more than 15 years of experience in research and consultancy. Richard manages clients like Sumitomo Mitsui Bank, Ashmore Investment, United Nations (UNDP), Lotte Hotel, Caesar’s Palace, SITA Far Eastern Group Taiwan Ascendas.

Colliers International Philippines has won a number of awards, for example:

• Euromoney 2016 – Best Overall Advisor & Consultant Award in Philippines
• Euromoney 2014 – Best Overall Advisor & Consultant Award in Philippines
• International Property Awards Asia Pacific 2012-2013 – Philippines : Highly Commended Property Consultancy Award

Property types

Include both residential and commercial properties, for example:

• Condos and apartments
• Villas
• Land
• Retail properties
• Office space

Services offered

• Landlord representation
• Investment services
• Valuation and advisory services
• Sales and leasing
• Project management
• Others

Office address

Colliers International | Manila, 11F Frabelle Business Center, 111 Rada Street Legaspi Village, Makati City 1229 Philippines

Colliers International | Cebu, Unit 703A FLB Corporate Center, Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines 6000

JLL Philippines

JLL is one of the biggest and most reputable real estate agencies in the world. Founded in the US, the company has more than 50 years of experience in Asia Pacific and over 32,000 professionals working in 83 countries.

Christophe Vicic is heading the operations in the Philippines, he has worked for JLL since 2007 and previously earned an MBA from London School of Economics.

The company has won a number of awards over the years, some examples are:

• The Asia Pacific Property Awards 2011 in association with Bloomberg Television
• Asia Retail Congress – International Property Consultancy of the Year for Excellence in Retail 2011

Property types

According to JLL’s website, they focus mainly on office leasing.

Services offered

The company offers a number of services, for example:

• Tenant representation
• Leasing
• Consulting
• Valuation and advisory
• Investment sales and acquisitions

Office address

Equitable Bank Tower, 8751 Paseo de Roxas, Makati, 1200 Metro Manila, Philippines

Santos Knight Frank

Santos Knight Frank established when CBRE Santos decided to partner together with Knight Frank. Both CBRE and Knight Frank are two of the biggest and most reputable real estate agencies in the world.

Rick Santos (thereby the company’s name) headed CBRE’s operations in the Philippines and started their first local office in 1994. He studied at Oxford University, London School of Economics and serves as the first Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce.

Knight Frank has around 1,200 professionals that serve most parts of the Philippines and has won a number of awards in the region.

Property types

Include both commercial and residential properties, for example:

• Villas
• Apartments
• Hotels
• Land
• Office space
• Others

Services offered

• Tenant Representation & Office Agency
• Research & Consultancy; Valuations
• Investments & Capital Markets
• Facilities Management
• Technical Services
• Property Management
• Project Management
• Asset Management
• Residential Services and Group Business Services

Office address

10F Ayala Tower One Exchange Plaza, Ayala Triangle, Ayala Avenue, Makati City, 1226, Philippines

RE/MAX Philippines

RE/MAX is one of the biggest franchised real estate networks in the world, it was originally founded in 1973 in the United States. The company currently has more than 110,000 professionals working in over 100 countries.

RE/MAX Philippines was established in 2012 and currently has around 20 offices with 200 professionals working in different cities. Elizabeth Duenas is the president of RE/MAX Philippines, she’s been in the industry for two decades and managed to build up a good track record and won a number of awards, for example:

• Member, National Association of Realtors
• Past President, Guam Association of Realtors 2012
• REMAX Hall of Fame Award
• REMAX Platinum Awards
• REMAX 100% Club Awards

Property types

Include both mostly residential properties, such as:

• Condos
• Apartments
• Villas
• Land
• Townhouses
• Others

Services offered

Sales, leasing and renting.

Office address

25/F Citibank Tower, 8741 Paseo de Roxas St. Makati City, Philippines

Sotheby’s International Realty Philippines

Sotheby’s first started as an auction house in 1744 and currently has more than 13,000 professionals working world wide. Sotheby’s opened it’s first Philippines branch in 2013, the company only deals with luxury real estate.

Darius Tenerife is the current COO of the company and previously held a number of senior management positions in different companies.

Property types

Include mostly luxury residential properties like apartments, condos, penthouses and villas.

Services offered

Sales and procurement of luxury properties.

Office address

Unit 802, EcoTower, 32nd Street corner 9th Avenue, BGC, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila, Philippines

CBRE Philippines

CBRE is one of the biggest and most reputable real estate agencies in the world and was originally founded in the US. The company employs around 80,000 professionals worldwide and one of the biggest real estate agents in the world.

Rick Santos started CBRE Santos that later merged to become Santos Knight Frank, as explained above. Rick has decades of experience in the real estate industry and has an impressive track record (see above).

Property types

Include both commercial and residential properties, for example, apartments, condos, office space, retail properties and more.

Services offered

• Relocation management
• Business and capital planning
• Due diligence
• Sales and leasing
• Others

Office address

Unit 1002 To 1005, 10/F Ayala Tower 1 And Exchange Plaza, Ayala Triangle, Ayala Avenue, Makati City, Metro Manila

Top Realty

Bien Singson is a licensed Real Estate Broker with 11 years of experience with the Real Estate Industry. She established Top Realty Corporation in 2017, an all-around real estate partner which helps clients make the most of their hard-earned investments.

The company has been given recognition from various award giving bodies including:

• The No. 1 Fast Growing Real Estate Company 2018 from the Philippines Buyers Choice Awards

• Trusted Real Estate Brokerage Firm in Metro Manila 2018 from the Best Choice Awards

• Best Trusted Real Estate Brokerage Firm 2018 from Golden Globe Annual Awards

• Premier Real Estate Brokerage Firm 2018 from the Elite Business & Leadership awards 2018

• Top Trained Brokerage 2019 from Lamudi.com.ph

Property types

The company currently focuses on residential and commercial properties within Makati, BGC, and Alabang areas.

Services offered

Top Realty partners with clients to buy, sell and rent properties and pull off the best results their clients can experience.

Office address

22nd Floor, Unit 2218 High Street South Corporate Plaza Tower 1, 26th St. corner 9th avenue, Bonifacio Global City

Phil. Property Expert

Phil Property Expert, Inc. is a well-established real estate agency that first started as a listing website in 2012.

The company was founded by Joanne Almaden and incorporated in 2015. It currently has around five employees, many with a long experience in the real estate industry.

In 2016, the National Consumers Affairs Foundation voted Phil. Property Expert as the “Most Trusted Brand by Consumers”.

You’ll also find much valuable content on their website, they claim to always educate and put their clients needs first.

Property types

Includes both commercial and residential properties in the whole of Philippines, for example:

• Condos
• Apartments
• House with lots
• Land

Services offered

Phil Property Expert offers a wide range of services, including juridical ones:

• Sales and leasing
• Property management
• Real estate titling
• Loan application assistance
• Appraisal services

Office address

10-01 One Global Place, 5th Ave cor 25th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila

How much do I need to pay my real estate agent in commission in the Philippines?

Commission rates differ depending on if you hire a broker or an agent. Brokers usually pocket a commission of 3% – 6% while agents pocket 2% – 3%.

Should I hire a Solicitor in the Philippines?

Philippines is a developing country and it’s recommended to hire a solicitor, at least if you deal with large transactions. Solicitors often have a deep knowledge about what regulations that apply to foreigners. They charge a fixed fee upfront, which reduces the risks of getting “tricked” into deals that you won’t benefit from.

In addition, they can guide through important steps in the conveyancing process, communicate with your seller, and help you with a number of services, for example, registering the property in your name.

If you find a solicitor, you can check the State office of Court Administration’s website, they can help you to confirm whether the Solicitor is credible and provide information about his or her experience.