Here's how to take better property photos using your phone. 1. Light everything up. Turn on all the lights — even if the room already has great natural light. A well-lit space looks bigger, warmer, and more inviting. 2. Clean your lens. A single fingerprint can make your photos look hazy or dull. Wipe the lens gently before every shot. 3. Use the ultra-wide lens (if your phone has one). It captures more of the room and gives a better sense of space. This is your secret weapon

The share prices of the Philippines’ two largest property developers — Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPH) — have now fallen below their pandemic-era lows. The broader market in the Philippines isn’t far behind. You can interpret this in several ways: 1.⁠ ⁠Pandemic-level panic When COVID-19 first hit, global markets collapsed almost overnight. Investor psychology shifted from “growth forever” to “what if everything stops.” Fast-forward to today: the Philip

Once upon a time, a foreign med-tech company was looking to move into a bigger office. After months of viewings, they finally found one that seemed perfect — right size, right floor, right price. The lessor was thrilled. A multinational in the med-tech space — stable, recession-proof, and punctual with rent — what more could you ask for? But there was one tiny wrinkle. A small portion of the office was going to serve as a product showroom. Some of the machines they wanted to

Intern: Sir, for us RE Management students, what would you suggest — join a developer or a brokerage firm? JPRE: Let’s weigh the pros and cons. 🏢 Working with a RE Developer Pros + Built-in clients. You’ll get warm leads and walk-ins — perfect if you don’t yet have a network. + Structured training. Developers provide formal sales programs and clear systems. + Early access. You’ll know about new launches before the rest of the market — a real first-mover advantage. + Allowanc

Client: What do you think about Bulacan? JPRE: I’m still a bit cautious about Bulacan. When you drive around, much of it still feels rural — and in some pockets, rough around the edges. What’s fueling optimism is the upcoming airport and its proximity to NCR. If things go well, it could evolve into something like Clark City in Pampanga — a large-scale urban development with government backing. But in the near term, upside looks limited. The area isn’t anchored by a strong bra

Have you ever noticed how almost every Tax Identification Number (TIN) ends with “000”? It’s not a random set of zeros—it’s what the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) calls the branch code. A TIN has twelve digits. The first nine identify the taxpayer, while the last three digits tell the BIR which branch filed the tax return. For instance, if ABC Food Corp. operates three branches, the head office might be 123-456-789-000, while its other branches would be 123-456-789-001 and

Once upon a time, a landlord leased a unit to a tenant who later subleased it. Everything went smoothly—until the pandemic hit. The tenant’s sublease income dried up, and from then on, communication with the owner became nearly impossible. Despite repeated follow-ups, the tenant only replied after the lease had expired, saying they’d renew and pay “in a few days.” Those few days turned into weeks. No payment came. Then came a new excuse: they’d sell their furniture to pay the

Here’s a new development. We’ve always made manager’s checks payable to “Registry of Deeds of [City]” when settling registration fees. Apparently, not anymore. In a recent Makati title transfer, we discovered that the correct payee is now “Bureau of the Treasury.” I checked with our Documentation Services team if this applies to all cities — and the answer is no. So before asking clients to prepare manager’s checks for registration and IT fees, wait for the official computati

Here’s the recap. While I was away, my colleague forwarded a letter from the Bureau of Internal Revenue. The letter claimed that I failed to file several tax returns listed in an attached “Annex O.” Except… there was no Annex attached. Naturally, I was confident. I’ve always been meticulous with filings. “Probably a glitch,” I thought. But just to be sure, I had someone check what those missing returns were. And that’s when the plot twist came in: the BIR was asking for 8 tax

Once upon a time, a couple sold their condo through a bank-financed deal. The sellers were a Filipina and her foreign husband. When the transaction finally closed, the mortgagee bank released the proceeds: a Manager’s Check payable to “Spouses A & B.” That’s when trouble began. The wife went to deposit the check into their joint “and/or” savings account—only to be told: “Ma’am, we need both your signatures at the back before we can accept this.” Her husband had just flown abr