Unknown to many, there’s a non-obvious way the BIR can subject the sale to VAT and CWT to a real estate transaction. ...when the seller has more than 5 real estate transactions in one year. Why this matters Once BIR classifies someone as "habitually engaged in real estate transactions", they will no longer be taxed like a regular individual selling personal assets. Instead, they WILL be treated as someone selling in the course of trade or business — which will open the door t

Let’s play a game of “Never Have I Ever…” I’ll go first. 1. Never have I ever seen a buyer appreciate a supot-shaped lot and say: "Wow, papasok lahat ng suwerte dito!" 2. Never have I ever heard a buyer say: “Solid nito ah… buhos yung foundation!” 3. Never have I ever seen a buyer read a sign that says “SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY” and think: “Naku, bawal pala ako dito. Di ako serious eh.” 4. Never have I ever seen a buyer fall for a “discount” that’s literally just the gross price

Can a Philippine property sale be settled in a foreign currency, with the proceeds remitted to a foreign bank account? Most bank relationship managers will tell you: “Not possible.” But...it IS possible. Bank RMs usually say no because the process is a hassle. It requires back-and-forth between the branch, the RM, and the bank’s Treasury Department. It also carries real regulatory risk (AMLA scrutiny) for the remitting branch—while earning the bank almost nothing. So for many

What Happens If You Pay CGT + DST to the Wrong RDO? This is one of those BIR landmines that looks harmless… until it isn’t. Let’s use a real-world example: A property in Ayala Heights was sold. And not a lot of people know this, but the village actually sits under two different RDOs: + RDO 28 (Matandang Balara – Novaliches) + RDO 39 (Pansol – South QC) So before you file and pay, you’ll need to request a tax map to confirm which RDO the specific property falls under. So What

A difficult situation just happened in one of our rental units. And this is one of those rare cases where the security deposit — even at two (2) months’ rent — simply wasn’t enough to cover the damage. It was an expensive lesson. So moving forward, we added a clause to our lease contract to avoid any misunderstanding on the tenant’s side — and to make it clear that they remain liable for any amount exceeding the security deposit. Yes, some might say it’s “common sense.” But i

A client recently asked if I could prepare a market report comparing property prices in two neighboring towns in Bulacan—areas being reshaped by several major developments: + The Philippine Arena and the INC estate in Bocaue + The upcoming New Manila International Airport + The Northrail project, with a planned station in Bocaue The client’s actual concern was very practical. They own a former agricultural parcel—several hectares, idle for over a decade—located just a few hun

Once upon a time, a teenage girl went ukay-ukay shopping in Baguio. She spotted a skirt she liked and asked the saleslady, “Magkano ito?” “Php5, ma’am.” Without missing a beat, the girl replied, “Php2.50 na lang.” End of story. Now—what does a Php2.50 discount have to do with real estate? See, when it comes to buying, some people—most notably Filipino-Chinese buyers—don’t negotiate primarily to save money. They negotiate for the win. The pleasure isn’t in the amount saved, bu

Once upon a time, a foreign tenant leased a condo unit just before the world shut down. Then the pandemic hit. He flew back to his home country—but kept paying rent, kept the lease alive, kept everything exactly as it was. The unit stayed locked, quiet, untouched. Until one day, it didn’t. A water leak appeared. The condo admin tried calling the tenant—no answer. Time was ticking, water was running, so they escalated to the unit owner. With the owner’s consent, they entered t

Here’s a scenario every landlord and broker knows too well. Old tenant moves out. We deep clean the unit. We stage it. We make it look perfect. Weeks (or months) later, a new tenant finally commits. Then comes the request: “Sir, can we have it cleaned again before move-in?” Even if no one touched the unit. Even if it’s been locked and unused the entire time. 🤦🏻‍♂️ And honestly? I get it. Tenants want to see cleanliness — not just assume it. Recently, I walked into a unit fo