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

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

One of the first things people notice when dealing with transactions in the Philippines is how uncertain timelines can be. Buy an appliance from a mall and ask for delivery to your condo. More often than not, they will not give you a specific delivery time. Instead, they will block off the whole day. Sometimes, the delivery does not even happen. Then you get a vague explanation: traffic, scheduling issues, the driver could not make it, or some other reason that may or may not

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

Once upon a time, a sale transaction had just closed, and the buyer’s broker was tasked to handle the title transfer. During the BIR stage, the property was classified as an ordinary asset because it was used for business, which meant the sale was subject to VAT. But that wasn’t the horror story. The buyer’s broker raised the issue with the seller’s broker. No reply. She followed up again. Still no reply. Eventually, she found out why. The seller’s broker had passed away. ...

Here's one thing I learned recently about selling income-generating commercial properties. When a commercial building that has been previously leased out is sold, the transaction doesn't always end with transferring the title and tax declaration. If the previous owner was operating under a business permit, they will also need to formally close their business registration with the local government unit (LGU). Why does this matter? Because when the new owner eventually applies

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