We reviewed where our RE inquiries came from over the past few years. For a long time, the usual property platforms were the main battlefield: Lamudi, Dot Property, Carousell, plus other sources such as referrals, group chats, the RE/MAX Capital network, and tarpaulins. But the picture has changed. In 2025, we started spending more seriously on Meta Ads — mainly Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Marketplace. By 1H2026, Meta had become our biggest source of inquiries by a wide

There is now a YouTube interview of an actual tenant who lived in the condo building affected by the recent fire last week. Search “Trapped sila sa NASUSUNOG na CONDO” on YouTube. I watched the video and read some related accounts. To be clear, many details are still alleged. But even before blame is assigned, there are lessons here for everyone. Based on reports, the incident likely started near the garbage chute area. Some suspect a discarded lithium-ion battery. If it was

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

Just throwing ideas... What if one way to absorb excess rental supply is through employers? Not by asking rank-and-file employees to buy condos. That may not be realistic. Many do not have the cash for down payments, the credit profile for bank financing, or the financial flexibility to take on a long-term property commitment. But maybe ownership is the wrong lens. Maybe the more practical question is access. What if companies leased or purchased selected units near their off

Recently, a friend messaged me about listing a pre-selling lot he bought 2 years ago. His plans changed and now he wants to sell. I told him he realistically has 3 options: 1. Continue and treat it as a long-term hold This only makes sense if he can complete the purchase and is willing to wait MANY years. 2. Try to resell now at a loss A pre-selling resale has to compete with the developer’s own inventory. For his lot to sell, it would need a clear advantage: a meaningful dis

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

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