A Thought Experiment in Real Estate (and Daydreaming) The US Powerball—the American equivalent of the Philippine Lottery—has climbed to a staggering USD 1.1 Bn as of December 14, 2025. But as with all lotteries, the headline number is fiction. If you actually win and choose the lump-sum payout, after US federal taxes (and assuming you’re in a no-state-tax jurisdiction), what lands in your hands is roughly: USD 275–340 Mn net or equivalently Php 15–19 Bn Still absurdly life-ch

Are developers legally required to deliver the title within six months? No. Many people recall a supposed “6-month rule” under Presidential Decree No. 957 (Subdivision and Condo Buyers’ Protective Decree). But that memory is usually misplaced. What PD 957 actually says, under Sec. 25, is this: “The owner or developer shall deliver the title of the lot or unit to the buyer upon full payment of the lot or unit…” Once fully paid, the developer must initiate the transfer and deli

Why do some developers take forever to process title transfers—when an individual doing it alone can wrap things up in 3 months? It’s one of the great mysteries of Philippine real estate...but the reasons, while frustrating, are surprisingly simple: 1. The Batch-Processing Bottleneck Developers don’t process titles one-by-one; they move in batches. If their internal rule is “start processing once 50 units are sold,” and you happen to be Buyer No. 1… congratulations, you’re no

Dear LGUs, Paying real property taxes shouldn’t feel like an obstacle course—but right now it does. Here’s why: Taxpayers must personally visit city hall just to get a billing. For those with properties outside Metro Manila, that means entire days lost to travel. Parking is a nightmare, forcing taxpayers to bring a driver just so they can attempt the errand. Cash or Manager’s Check only—except for Taguig and Pasig—means people are literally withdrawing stacks of money just to

“Can’t you just lease a condo and use it as an office?” People quietly do the math—especially when office rents sit at Php900–2,400/sqm, with the Php900/sqm options usually bare shells that require expensive fit-outs. Add the usual 2–3 year lock-in, and the commitment feels heavy for a small or early-stage team. So the next question becomes: why not get a residential unit instead? A 30-sqm studio rents for Php20k–25k/month, already usable, airconditioned, and realistically fi

Php 970,000 per sqm. Yes, you read that right. We just got wind of a property sale that closed at that jaw-dropping price. I can’t reveal the specifics, but here are your clues: Not inside any ultra–high-end village Not a commercial lot Supply is tightly regulated and extremely scarce This property type even performs well during economic downturns Still guessing? The total area is just slightly bigger than a parking slot (dead giveaway) At this rate… I’m seriously considering

The next few years will reshape how Metro Manila and nearby provinces connect — but not all projects are moving at the same pace. 1️⃣ Solaire QC Opened in May 2024, this P50-billion entertainment complex drew initial buzz but hasn’t meaningfully lifted real-estate values in Quezon City’s fringes. The area’s market remains more dependent on office recovery than casino foot traffic. 2️⃣ Bulacan Airport (NMIA) San Miguel’s New Manila International Airport is now slated to begin

BROKER: A client is asking if real estate prices will go down anytime soon because of the current political unrest. Any thoughts? JPRE:...

News broke from Bangkok this week: a massive sinkhole—30 x 30 meters wide and 50 meters deep—swallowed an entire road. Officials traced...

Foreigners love the beaches...but hate these about the Philippines. Here’s my collection of the many complaints foreigners have made...