THE NEED TO STAND BEFORE THE CORNER

You've seen this in Manila: a traffic enforcer parked just past a no-left-turn intersection, waiting for someone to make the illegal turn so he can flag them down.

I've never understood that. Why not stand before the intersection and stop the driver from turning left in the first place?

Sure, the sign is right there. Drivers should know better. But if the point is to keep traffic moving and cut down on violations, catching the mistake before it happens beats catching it after, every time.

It's the same thing that bothers me about certain real estate brokers.

They spot a problem early — while there's still time to fix it, or at least prepare the buyer for it — and they sit on it, because raising it might scare the buyer off or slow down the sale. Then it resurfaces later, usually right after the documents are signed and the buyer has nowhere left to go.

A broker suspects VAT might apply because the property was leased out, but doesn't bother digging into it until it's too late to plan around.

A seller is told bank financing is "practically the same as cash," with no mention of how long release of proceeds can take — three months, sometimes more.

Pre-selling condos get sold to buyers with zero check on whether they can actually fund the balance when it comes due.

A good broker's job isn't to catch you after you've already turned the wrong way. It's to be standing at the corner, telling you what's ahead before you get there.

The fix before the closing date is always cheaper than the fix after.