Here’s a scenario every landlord and broker knows too well. Old tenant moves out. We deep clean the unit. We stage it. We make it look perfect. Weeks (or months) later, a new tenant finally commits. Then comes the request: “Sir, can we have it cleaned again before move-in?” Even if no one touched the unit. Even if it’s been locked and unused the entire time. 🤦🏻‍♂️ And honestly? I get it. Tenants want to see cleanliness — not just assume it. Recently, I walked into a unit fo

Lately, most of my property showings and meetings have been out of town. And every drive came with the same small but annoying ritual: reload EasyTrip… reload Autosweep… double-check balances. 😅 So when people started asking how the EasyTrip–Autosweep unification actually works, I got curious too. I had a colleague call both hotlines to get a straight answer. Here’s the no-nonsense version 👇 Step 1: Decide which RFID you want to keep You can only retain one: EasyTrip, or Au

The Makati City Assessor has begun public consultations for the Schedule of Market Values (SMV) that will take effect in 2028 — and the increases are eye-opening. Example: Dasmariñas Village Lot values jumped from Php 13.5k/sqm (1997) to Php 220K/sqm. Surprisingly, this is still lower than BIR’s zonal value of Php 300K/sqm (issued in 2021) — which already tells us something important: RPVAR values are not automatically higher. They’re meant to be more accurate. So what’s real

Once upon a time, an in-house broker sold a pre-selling condo to a walk-in buyer. The buyer was pleasant, easy to talk to, and decisive. The deal closed in a few weeks. File done. Commission earned. Life moved on. Months later, the broker met someone with the same last name as his buyer. It was an uncommon surname, the kind that makes you pause. So he asked, if they were related. She smiled. “That’s my father.” What a small world. Thinking nothing of it, the broker casually m

When a property owner dies and leaves real estate to their heirs, most people — even brokers and lawyers — assume one thing: 👉 The new title must list every single heir by name. Sounds logical, right? I used to think so too. Until recently, when I came across a title that proved me wrong. The registered owner section listed multiple individual names… and then, in one line, simply stated: “Heirs of [Decedent’s Name]” No names. No breakdown. Just that. To be more specific, the

Read this now. You’ll thank yourself later. You know that awkward moment during contract signings? Everyone’s seated. Pens are out. The other party is making small talk. And you’re flipping through a thick contract… pretending to read… while actually skimming. Because let’s be honest: No one truly reads a contract properly when the other party is staring at you. We all tell ourselves: “I reviewed this already. This should be fine. Wala naman changes di ba?” Last night, I lear

“Sino water provider dito?” When I was a young real estate broker, this question caught me off guard. A buyer would be inspecting a house—checking the layout, finishes, price—then suddenly ask: “Sino water provider dito?” I remember thinking it was a strange thing to worry about. Mind you, this was a village developed by one of the country’s biggest names. This isn’t the 90s anymore, right? No rationing. No drums of water. No midnight filling schedules. Or so I thought. A dec

Once upon a time, a guy with more confidence than experience decided it was a good idea to bomb the downhill road in Tagaytay on a skateboard. He had been skateboarding for exactly ONE week. He pushed off. At first, it felt incredible — the wind, the speed. Halfway down, he realized he was going way too fast. Instinct took over; he jumped off the board at probably 50 km/h. He tried to catch himself but physics disagreed. His collarbone smashed into the asphalt and snapped cle

Here’s a better alternative to Time Deposits. Most people park idle cash in Time Deposits (TDs)—and for good reason. Capital is protected, interest is predictable, and principal doesn’t go down. The downside? You’re locked in. Once you choose a tenor (3 months, 6 months, 1 year), withdrawing early usually means: - Loss of accrued interest - Plus a penalty (often a % of principal or a fixed amount) In many cases, you still need to formally pre-terminate at a branch, which adds