alp

Anyone wants to buy condominium units (apartments) in the Philippines. I'm a Filipino thinking about going into selling real estate. I was in Australia before and a retired aussie wanted to buy 2-3 condo units and asked help from me. So right now I'm planning of becoming a real estate agent and/or broker and sell condominium units.

Property is so affordable in the Philippines, and the weather is just perfect. It always stay in 26 degrees. Also Philippines is a newly industrialized country and set to become the 17th largest economy by 2050. Its always best to invest right now while the price is still low.

bakedbean

Don't you just LOVE property salesmen

alp

^ im not a property salesman bakedbean. I just came from Australia on a 457 visa and met a retired aussie who wanted to buy 2-3 condominium units in Manila. If I compare the weather and climate with Australia (I have been in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane), Manila weather and climate is just right.
It does not change quite often. No wonder while the rest of us wants to move to Australia, the Aussies want to move in the Philippines. I also have a property in the Philippines, a house and lot, and I should say compared with the price of property in Australia, it is very reasonable.

I'm happy staying in Manila (my birthplace). I can't exchange it for anything else. You got the biggest malls, the cheapest food. Move further north and south and you get the best beaches.

I'm currently typing this outdoor and its 8:44 PM here. I'm on an outdoor bar in SM North Edsa (world's 2nd biggest mall), having a beer, and listening to live music. Free wifi. This is good living.

DumbFalang

Anyone who buys a property in Thailand is, well erm.... a dumb falang

Money that goes into Thailand STAYS in Thailand

Kooky.

Tell that to those people who lost everything in the recent succession of typhoons and super typhoons!

alp

those were only like less than 1% of the entire population around metro manila. And they are either squatters who put up a shanty beside the river or purchased a cheap house on a catch basin (you get what you paid for). The floods around 99% of metro manila subsided the next day.

Typical of news media, bad news and disasters sell. They don't give news about how fast the development is happening around metro manila. Or how well the economy is doing well (Philippines didn't experience a recession and world bank forecast it to grow 1-2% this year 2009, unlike its other neighbors like thailand, indonesia which fell into a recession)

the philippines gets good amount of rain, but it is better than not getting enough, like Melbourne, which has to implement water saving measures, and planned to put up desalination plant. Wasting water in Melbourne is a crime. The rains cleans the roads,rivers and bays. And the air is filled with positive ions which is so much nice to sleep.

Kooky.

I have a friend in Manila, I don't need to read the papers to know how it was. Her company had 900 people stranded in the office all weekend a couple of weeks ago, without power, water or food.

I'm not saying don't go there, I'm not saying don't buy there, I'm saying let's be honest about the place.

bakedbean

That's complete tosh. I know 'cause I've just moved a LOT of money out of Thailand, thanks.

John Speed

Yes it is complete Tosh, not good to spread alarm and despond.

alp

Philippines seems to be different. foreigners can own condominium units. That's a rip-off.

some parts of the Philippines are even developed and being developed as retirement villages for foreigners. A lot of koreans are already living in the Philippines.

Just let me know if you guys need help on this one and I may just spend some time with this, and give you the best bang for you buck. I'm not actually into real estate (im a computer guy).

I believe if you put a land into a corporation, then foreigners can buy stocks of the corporation and essentially own a piece of the property.

We also have this REIT or real estate investment trust, where you can buy shares of a company and the company invests this on commercial and prime real estate and have it rented.

frogblogger

Well yes it's tosh as far as liquid assets are concerned, but less toshlike if you've bought a property in your wife's name, for example...

fantastic1

We have lived in Thailand for three years have a Villa which is for sale. It has a Company and a Chanote Title. Foreigners can hold property in Thailand as long as they do not try to 'fly under the radar' and do everything legal.

frogblogger

Still you never know what is around the corner in Thailand, the recent crackdown on farangs on the coast buying massively into property via the system you mention, or by putting several properties into a Thai wife's name, being a case in point. The Thais don't like farangs using 'loopholes' in the law, and there's some concern that the authorities might overreact and that bona fide husbands and wives with their single property investment might suffer the consequences.

I doubt it personally, but I find the whole system a bit anarchic, the company 49% shareholding route a touch vulnerable, and would rather rent, especially given the low rentals one can find.

fantastic1

We are both Foreign no Thai wife/husband. There is always a lot of talk around but the last thing to do here is listen to Bar Room Barristers. Usually a lot of drunk Farangs that don't remember which planet they are on...

the troubadour

That is fine as long as the relationship is solid. But you must have met them as have i,a number of men getting badly stung if it all goes belly up?