This is not for the faint-hearted. When people talk about the Metro Manila condo oversupply, one number keeps getting repeated: “Almost 8 years’ worth of inventory.” It sounds dramatic. But what does it actually mean? The math is surprisingly simple: 79,200 unsold Metro Manila condo units divided by 10,100 units sold in 2025 = 7.84 years Rounded off, that becomes roughly 8 years. In plain English, this means that if developers stopped adding new supply today, and if buyers co

Once upon a time, a sale transaction had just closed, and the buyer’s broker was tasked to handle the title transfer. During the BIR stage, the property was classified as an ordinary asset because it was used for business, which meant the sale was subject to VAT. But that wasn’t the horror story. The buyer’s broker raised the issue with the seller’s broker. No reply. She followed up again. Still no reply. Eventually, she found out why. The seller’s broker had passed away. ...

Not too long ago, one document could quietly make a property almost impossible to sell: the previous BIR Certificate Authorizing Registration (CAR). See, before June 2016, sellers were required to present the CAR from when they originally acquired the property. So if you bought a condo from a developer years earlier, you were expected to keep that CAR indefinitely. When you eventually sold the unit, the BIR will require you to present it as proof that the proper taxes had bee

Once upon a time, a broker had a client looking for a pre-selling condo unit. The broker spent weeks searching for options. He shortlisted multiple projects, coordinated showroom visits, compared layouts, discussed payment terms, analyzed locations, and patiently walked the client through the pros and cons of each property. Some projects were too expensive. Some had poor layouts. Others simply didn’t feel right for the client. After several viewings and follow-ups, the broker

Once upon a time, a broker (let's call him MB) was handling the sale of a condo unit. Like many listings in the PH, the listing was non-exclusive, so several brokers were marketing the unit. The keys remained with MB and he simply lent the keys to other brokers. MB handled the listing professionally. He advised the owner that the asking price was too high based on market feedback. He marketed the property in all platforms using gross pricing terms instead of “net to seller” p

Once upon a time, on a quiet December afternoon, just as the long holiday break was beginning, a broker received a call from a tenant. Foreign Tenant: “[Broker], the aircon in the second bedroom stopped working. The ones in the living room too. Three out of the four units are down. Please make sure this gets fixed as soon as possible. My son is arriving before Christmas.” Broker: (Already sensing the problem) “Yes sir. I’ll arrange it.” The broker immediately called their tru

Once upon a time, a broker leased out a condo unit. The process was smooth. Papers signed, unit turned over, everything in place. Then the call came. It was the building administration. They had flagged the tenant after finding online records linking him to estafa and fraud cases. Naturally, they were concerned. No building wants that kind of reputation inside its premises. The broker checked for himself. A quick search showed the same cases. So he confronted the tenant. The

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

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

Once upon a time, a unit was leased out under a standard contract—no pets allowed. Everything seemed normal at first. Until one day, the building admin reached out to the owner. There had been complaints from neighbors. A strong, unpleasant odor was coming from the unit. “Oh no,” the owner thought. When was the last time he heard from the tenant? Could something be wrong… or was he overthinking it? So he went to check. The moment the elevator doors opened, the smell was alrea