ONE VILLAGE, TWO VALUES

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 currently listed at around Php209K per sqm. Meanwhile, Ayala Heights Drive in Brgy. Matandang Balara is listed at around Php172K per sqm.

Same subdivision, different barangay, different zonal value.

You can see a similar issue in Loyola Grand Villas.

The Quezon City side, under Brgy. Pansol, carries a much higher zonal value than several parts of the Marikina side. Based on current published schedules, the QC side of Loyola Grand Villas is listed at around Php93K per sqm, while several Marikina-side LGV entries are around Php31K per sqm.

Why does this matter?

In practice, many sellers, brokers, and buyers use it as a price anchor.

When a seller is trying to decide whether a property is “cheap,” “fair,” or “too low,” one of the first reference points often checked is the zonal value. Even if market value should technically be determined by actual comparable sales, the zonal value still influences psychology.

If the zonal value is high, sellers may feel justified asking for more.

If the zonal value is lower, buyers may use that number to negotiate.

And when two properties inside the same subdivision carry different zonal values, that difference can subtly influence pricing expectations — even if the properties feel comparable on the ground.

This is why zonal value revisions matter more than people think.

When zonal values are updated, they can reset price expectations. But when revisions are delayed or frozen, sellers may lose one of the official reference points that usually helps justify higher asking prices.

And this may be one of several reasons why prices in some high-end villages have stagnated, or at least why sellers have found it harder to justify higher asking prices.