Losing your property title sounds like a nightmare—but it happens more often than you think. Fires. Floods. Theft. Or simply misplaced over time. So what actually happens when your title is gone? -- First, understand this: Under the Torrens System (land registration system), every titled property has two copies: 1. The Original Certificate of Title (kept by the Registry of Deeds) 2. Owner’s Duplicate Certificate of Title (what you hold) This setup protects ownership even if o

Once upon a time, a lessor rented out a unit to a lessee. The lessee, in turn, subleased the unit on Airbnb. Then the pandemic hit—and the subleasing business collapsed. When the lessor tried to deposit the tenant’s checks, they bounced. Attempts to contact the lessee became increasingly difficult, with communication turning inconsistent. As the lease neared expiry, the lessor repeatedly reached out to ask whether the tenant intended to renew. There was no response—until a fe

Every cycle feels different when you’re inside it. The stories change. The headlines change. The reasons always sound new. But step back, and the pattern becomes familiar. Periods of easy money lead to rising prices. Rising prices lead to confidence. Confidence leads to leverage. And somewhere along the way, risk gets ignored. Until something shifts. — The Philippine market today is not facing the same structural risks as past crises. Banks are better regulated. Currency risk

In the early 1990s, the Philippine property market was booming. Developers were building. Capital was flowing. And dollar loans made everything look cheaper. Then something broke— not in the Philippines… but in Thailand. A currency peg failed. The Baht collapsed. Capital fled emerging markets. And in a matter of months, the Philippine peso followed. From Php 26 to Php 42 per US dollar. That was all it took. Because while revenues stayed in pesos… debt was in dollars. Suddenly

Everyone talks about real estate like it only goes up. History says otherwise. Japan was once the blueprint of economic dominance. Low interest rates, aggressive lending, and rising property prices created one of the biggest real estate bubbles in history. Then policy tightened. And everything unwound. Companies defaulted. Markets crashed. Property prices collapsed. Decades later, the story still isn’t over. Because while prime areas recovered… the broader market never fully

In case you missed it, Ayala Land Premier announced on April 17 that, in light of “challenging global conditions,” it is putting The Laurean Residences on hold. You can view the official statement here: https://www.ayalalandpremier.com/our-portfolio/laurean-residences/ For those unfamiliar, Laurean Residences is located on the site of the former parking building behind the BPI Head Office in Makati, along Dela Rosa Street. Why does this matter? There’s a simple shortcut peopl

Broker: Juan, I have a client who’s a lessor but not VAT-registered. If he sells the property, shouldn’t the sale be exempt from VAT? Juan: What kind of property? Broker: It’s a building with rooms being rented out. Juan: Then the sale can still be subject to VAT. See, VAT isn’t determined solely by your current registration status as “non-VAT registered.” It’s based on whether your transactions cause you to breach the VAT threshold. Since the property is used in business, it

Remember this story? My client had a simple fix for it. From Old Post: Once upon a time, a broker closed a deal and was tasked to transfer the title to the buyer’s name. The sellers were based abroad. Years prior, during a visit to the Philippines, they executed a Special Power of Attorney (SPA), authorizing a relative to sign on their behalf. Everything was complete. Documents were in order. Then came submission. The person in authority glanced at the SPA… paused… and said:

Decades ago, there was a small store that sold milk. At the time, nearly all milk came from a single importer sourcing from NZ. Most distributors bought from the same source and sold at similar prices. Except for one store. This shop sold milk significantly cheaper, often even below what others paid for it. Naturally, people bought from them. The big distributors noticed their sales dropping and complained: “Why are they getting better prices?” The answer: they weren’t. Every