Buying A Condo In The Philippines

[Mr Lee]

Buying a condo and where to buy it is a personal decision. Some people prefer to have a garden and everything in life is a trade off and I have found that I cannot have exactly what I want in the states and it is even harder to have exactly what I want in the Philippines. I have always gone by the adage location, location, location, so be sure to buy one that will put you in a good location which is central to the places you want to go to and use. ie banks, malls, restaurants etc because sometimes you may find a deal in an out of the way place but the taxi or car costs to get anywhere will be much higher, so you really should figure all that into the cost of the condo.You also need to look at size because I would go out of the little bit of mind I have left, if I had to live in some of these tiny 18 sq meter boxes. :thumbsup: Next, I am a chicken and I have seen people lose money in the states buying properties that were not already built, so I would especially never buy one in the Philippines that was not already up and built. There are now ghost towns here in south Florida because the builder went broke and people live in a house or condo with few neighbors and dirt and weeds all around them. Now if you can put down a small deposit on one that is not built of maybe p10,000 and afford to lose that, and you are a gambler, then try it, you may win the jackpot.The new condos going up offer very small units for the prices and again you would have to balance buying a smaller newer condo unit in a building that would be new and of course and unknown in respect to many things, or buying in an already developed building where you know things may not be perfect but know that you either accept the Filipino way of doing things or you will go out of your mind. My tip to anyone who is going to buy a condo or have a house built in the Philippines and does not know how to control or fix everything themselves, do not buy if you have a western mind set. If you cannot get used to the way things are done in the Philippines, IMO you will end up killing someone or commit suicide yourself, or die from ulcers. JMHONow, with all that said, life is good and we own a condo in Cebu and we are pretty happy with it because we can accept how things are done, or in many cases, not done here in the Philippines. Next, I wanted to post some important things I have learned to be aware of about picking a condo unit.As I already said about the building, location, but the location and direction the unit faces is also important. Try to pick a location that gives you a good breeze because that will save you a lot on electric because you will not have to have the aircon on all the time and try to pick one with the amount of sun you want to have, more sun will mean higher electric bills but also more light in the unit.Next, does the unit have a patio or can it be modified to have one, because to me a condo is only a place to sleep without a patio and not a place to really enjoy with friends. JMHO :thumbsup: Next remember what goes in must go out, so make sure to have enough exit windows in size for the air that comes in. In other words CFM cubic feet per minute. The air that comes in can only come into the unit in volume if it has a place of equal size or greater to exit, so in order to get a good breeze in, with your doors closed, you have to have good sized windows on the opposite side for the air to exit, or put in some fans that will pull the air in and push it out the windows. Next, where are your windows. If they are in a hallway, then you might have to put on bars to prevent a possible break in, but if they are in an air shaft then you would most likely be safe from that and prying eyes. Neither bars nor an air shaft will allow an escape if there should be a fire, so make sure there is an escape exit of some type. Next, where is the garbage chute, remember the Philippines is big for roaches, so the further you are away from the chute, the less likely you will be to get roaches. I also spray the chute with bug spray at least once a week, most building do not have pest control in their budget. So that is another thing to ask, is that included in your maintenance. Also many people who throw away garbage make a lot of noise and the garbage going down the chute for above can also make a lot of noise, stay away from them if you can.Next, where is the elevator in relation to your unit. Elevators make noise and it seems most of the people who rent condo units in the Philippines never seem to sleep and can be very noisy at time, so you really do not want to be near the elevator but you should make sure you are somewhere near the fire stairs or regular stairwell. Just in case.Next, what floor to pick. You want to be high enough to help deaden the street sounds but not too high that you could not walk down if a fire or total blackout was to occur. So picking would depend on the shape you are in and if you have any disabilities. Which brings up generators. Does the building have them and what do they give power to. Most will only power the elevator and hall lights but that is important because I sure would not want to be stuck in an elevator with a lot of people.Next how many elevators verses how many units. Make sure there are at least two because one will often go out or be shut down to be cleaned or serviced from time to time.Next, how is the unit set up for aircon and how much space do you actually need. Buy a unit only as big as you think you will need, bigger will cost more to keep cool. Many units have a hole in the wall for an aircon but it is usually at the bottom of the wall and cold air drops, so it really should be up high and the cold air should be aimed at the ceiling. Try to remember this if you make any modifications. I had split units put into our units and I did not know they push air down, but split units are a lot quieter than window shakers that shake rattle and roll and also not only allow noise from the outside to come in, but actually seem to suck the noise in with the air. Next, what does the condo maintenance or dues cover. Does it cover painting of the building and halls and how often will it be done and is that in writing. If not be prepared to accept that. This is however the Philippines and that may well be part of life.Next, is parking included and if not, how much does it cost to buy verses rent a spot. You can often rent one for maybe p1000 or so a month but you might have to pay over p500,000 for a parking spot. Some units or building include them and most do not, so if you think you will need one, be informed ahead of time,Next, is there any empty land around the building and what will be built there or what is already there. For instance IT Park has a big empty prison right there, what will be done with it and will it eventually be filled back up again and if so, do you want to live near a prison. Some may and some may not want their children near a prison and prisons usually have a lot of rats and mice. Last, and I am sure others might be able to add to this and I am sure I have forgotten some things but this post is already long enough. What are the walls and ceilings made of in the unit. If they are a dropped ceiling, where does it connect. In our building, some but not our unit, is connected to the hallways ceilings, so bugs can easily travel into the units, ours is made totally of concrete except pipe chases and they can also bring bugs, so they should be sprayed often because bugs like to travel along pipes.'Hope that helps and remember, you cannot have everything, so put down the pluses and minuses and use them to make the best educated choice you can.

[Travis]

great info thanks, anyone know any good condos for sale?

[Mr Lee]

great info thanks, anyone know any good condos for sale?

Where in the Philippines do you wish to buy a condo and live?

[Travis]

great info thanks, anyone know any good condos for sale?

Where in the Philippines do you wish to buy a condo and live?

Cebu seems like the place to be

[Mr Lee]

great info thanks, anyone know any good condos for sale?

Where in the Philippines do you wish to buy a condo and live?

Cebu seems like the place to be

Here is a link to a post that lists a lot of condos in Cebu http://www.welcometothephilippines.com/for...post&p=3113and I can give you the phone number and name of a nice young man that sells at Winland Towers. His name is Angelo, his cell is 09212 739 620 and the office number is (032) 256 2636There is also another condo list I found while doing a search http://www.southcentral2.com/category.php?...&type=houseHope that helps. Edited May 31, 2009 by Mr. Lee

[Travis]

great info thanks, anyone know any good condos for sale?

Where in the Philippines do you wish to buy a condo and live?

Cebu seems like the place to be

Here is a link to a post that lists a lot of condos in Cebu http://www.welcometothephilippines.com/for...post&p=3113and I can give you the phone number and name of a nice young man that sells at Winland Towers. His name is Angelo, his cell is 09212 739 620 and the office number is (032) 256 2636There is also another condo list I found while doing a search http://www.southcentral2.com/category.php?...&type=houseHope that helps.

ok great info, thank you for being so helpful. I will check all these out in the morning. time to sleep now :th_exactly: