Once upon a time, I was chatting with a broker colleague, when his phone rang. He answered with a cheerful, almost melodic, “Hello.” Then he listened. It was only when he politely declined the offer that I realized it was a cold call from someone offering a bank product. What surprised me was how kindly he handled it. After the call, I asked him if he was irritated. He said no. He said what they were doing was hard, and being kind to the person on the other line did not reall

You probably saw the fire that happened in Eastwood last week. As of this writing, authorities are still investigating the cause. Initial reports said the fire may have started in the lower portion of the building, with smoke spreading through parts of the tower. What caught my attention was one detail from the videos: some residents appeared to break their windows just to breathe. And honestly, in that situation, I understand it. Many condo windows do not fully open. Some on

The first step to fixing a problem is admitting that the problem exists. RE is no different. Part of the reason we are where we are today is that the industry allowed misleading practices to become normal. Not necessarily because of bad intentions, but because the incentives were wrong, the language was loose, and the risks were not always explained clearly enough to buyers. Here are a few things the industry can improve: 1. Fix the language. Stop calling developer price incr

One thing that has always bothered me about real estate brokerage is the unpredictability of sales. Unlike in the corporate world, where salaries are usually fixed, brokerage income is uneven. In a good month, you can close a large transaction. In a bad stretch, months can pass with no sales at all. That makes planning difficult. One big sale can make the year look solved. A few quiet months can make it feel like everything is falling apart. So how should brokers track whethe

A lot of decorative light fixtures now look great in photos. They’re affordable, modern, and usually more interesting than the plain fixtures we used to buy. But for rental properties, I’d keep the lighting simple. Use fixtures that take normal, easy-to-find bulbs. Because the more elaborate the fixture, the higher the chance it uses a less common bulb, a special LED module, or some odd replacement part that becomes annoying to source later. I learned this the hard way. Befor

One question I’ve wrestled with since becoming a broker is this: Should I take professional photos and videos for every listing? Or should I just take quick photos with my phone, post the property, and move on? Early in my career, I thought the answer was obvious. Professional photos and videos. Better lighting. Better editing. At one point, I spent 3 hours manually removing electric wires from a house photo because they were blocking the facade. I thought better-looking ads

Did you know that the same subdivision can have different property values depending on which barangay the property falls under? Take Ayala Heights. Parts of Ayala Heights fall under Brgy. Pansol, while other parts fall under Brgy. Matandang Balara. On paper, it may feel like one subdivision. But for tax purposes, these areas may fall under different BIR Revenue District Offices and different zonal value schedules. That matters. For example, Ayala Heights in Brgy. Pansol is cu

A few years ago, I was in an outlet mall in the US. For some reason, one of the things on my “must buy” list was the iconic Polo Sport Eau de Toilette by Ralph Lauren. Maybe it was nostalgia. Maybe I smelled it somewhere years ago. But the scent instantly brought me back to my adolescent years. Strange how fragrances can do that. Anyway, I walked into the first perfume store I saw. The bottle was on sale, so I bought it immediately. Mission accomplished. After that, I went ba

Once upon a time, a broker received a call from one of his top clients. The client explained that she was already in the process of buying a pre-selling unit through an in-house broker who happened to be a family friend. But before finalizing the purchase, she wanted a second opinion. The broker gave his advice. The client listened. Some time later, the broker received an unexpected call from the in-house agent. Apparently, the client wanted the commission credited to him ins

One of the most common misconceptions I still hear in RE taxation is this: “A condo that has stayed vacant for more than 2 years automatically becomes a capital asset, so its sale is no longer subject to VAT.” I’ve heard this argument from brokers, accountants, and even lawyers. The confusion usually comes from BIR Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 7-2003, which discusses “idle” assets. Yes, the RR says that ordinary assets may be converted into capital assets if they have not bee