Congress may have passed a bill to revive and extend the Estate Tax Amnesty until 2028—but don’t expect a full surge in estate settlements just yet. Two years ago, we invited Atty. Jojo Mejia to speak on Estate Settlement Taxation and Planning in the Light of TRAIN Law. His talk focused less on theory and more on the uncomfortable truth: the real bottleneck isn’t the tax. It’s the people. In practice, estates remain unsettled not because heirs refuse to pay, but because famil

Once upon a time, a family stood on the brink of letting go of their beloved seaside estate—an ancestral sanctuary stretching six hectares, complete with its own quiet cove where generations of kids once chased tides and built sand castles. A large portion of the land wasn’t even beach real estate at all; they were humble fish ponds that fed the caretaker for years. But when the sale was finally completed and the taxes were computed, reality hit hard: the government assessed

What’s the usual due diligence process—and why wouldn’t it have caught this mess? 1. Secure certified copies of the Title and Tax Dec. a. Everything matched perfectly. The names appeared consistently across the CCT, Tax Dec, and passports. b. No liens or mortgages were annotated. Title was clean. 2. Verify the TINs. a. The TINs matched the numbers provided. 3. No CENOMAR was required. They already submitted a Canadian marriage certificate, meaning they weren’t claiming to be

ALERT: Here’s a red flag your due diligence process probably won’t catch. (We would’ve missed it too if this were our transaction.) A Filipino couple was set to buy a condo from a foreigner and a Filipina partner. No brokers involved. On paper, everything looked clean. Facts: Sellers disclosed: “We got married in Canada.” They presented a Canadian marriage certificate. Title: shows John Doe (foreigner) and Luz B. Reyes — both listed as single. Luz’s passport: Luz Borromeo Rey

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

How much income do you really need to buy that property and bank finance 80% of the purchase price? Banks quietly follow a simple rule: Your monthly amortization shouldn’t exceed 40% of your gross household income. So the question becomes—given a certain condo price, how big should your income be for a bank to say yes? Here’s the Excel formula that does the math: =PMT(7.5%/12, 180, -0.8*C2) / 0.40 What each part means: 0.8 × Price → Banks typically lend 80% of the property va

Once upon a time, a tenant called in a panic: water was overflowing in his basement backyard. (Day 0) Day 1. Broker booked the owner’s trusted plumber (Plumber 1). Diagnosis: water pump + backup pump probably died. They agreed on a Day 4 visit. Day 2. Plumber 1 suddenly asked the owner to send P9K for a submersible pump—plus another P9K to siphon the tanks. Broker checked online and found the exact same pump at 50% off, so he bought it himself. He also learned the siphoning s

Broker: “Juan, quick one. I was checking something on ChatGPT. My lessor-client wants to lease out his unit, but then he wouldn't be able to get a Certificate of Non-Tenancy. And that would mean the future sale will be VAT-able…but then ChatGPT said this: ✅ 1. VAT on Rent Depends on the Lessor — Not the Condo Corp. VAT is based on the lessor’s tax status (seller/landlord), NOT the condo corporation. VAT applies when the lessor: A. Is VAT-registered, OR B. Earns > P3,000,000/y

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