Developer invests P1.5B

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By Katlene O. Cacho

Sunday, January 27, 2013

A REAL estate player is allocating some P1.5 billion for the construction of 1,500 houses in the Visayas and Mindanao this year.

Of that investment, the bulk will be set aside for three projects in Cebu with a total of 800 units. The remaining 700 units will be distributed in Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Iligan cities.

According to Richard Lim, president and chief executive officer of Johndorf Ventures Corp., the capital expenditure (capex) share for Cebu is the biggest so far since the company’s entry in 2004.

“Cebu is becoming progressive. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

In fact, its growing population and bullish property market have attracted big players to expand their projects here,” Lim said. Their presence in Cebu is a manifestation of how optimistic and confident local players are about Cebu and the booming real estate industry.

A total of nine hectares of land will be developed into affordable subdivisions under the Johndorf and Prohomes brands. Two of these projects will be located in Mactan and one in Carcar, Cebu.

Different segments

Meanwhile, the Mindanao projects will have a total of 35 hectares of land to be developed into socialized and mid-range housing projects.

Late last year, Johndorf announced it has taken full control of the management of Prohomes Development Inc., a former subsidiary of the company. Prohomes, Lim said, will maintain its role in developing affordable residential units. Johndorf will focus on building residential units for the middle-income market.

Lim said they have already started building one of the Mactan projects. Construction of the two remaining projects will commence, the company hopes, in the third or fourth quarter this year.

Lim stressed that despite the presence of big and new players doubling efforts in serving the housing requirements, there are segments that are not fully served. He believes demand is still present in all segments, particularly in the low and middle-income market, spurred by Cebu’s growing population and thriving businesses.

Cebu’s three-million population is one factor that developers consider in terms of putting up projects, he said.

CBRE Philippines noted that the affordability of housing units brought about by the intense competition in the market, low interest rates and easy financing schemes offered by banks have led the country to experience “democratization” in the housing sector, from a nation of renters to nation of owners.

Condo ventures

Lim also announced that his company is building up its land banking activities in Cebu in preparation for the continued demand in the property market.

“We are starting to look outside Cebu City because nearby cities and the countryside are showing progress. The developments here are gearing toward the south of Cebu,” said Lim.

Aside from building horizontal projects, last year Johndorf also ventured into condominium development through 148 Residences, the studio-type and dorm-type project located on Pelaez St. near University of San Carlos.

Lim said the company has no plans yet of building another condo project but he is not closing doors on building another one, given the huge demand for condos.

Johndorf has already built more than 10,000 homes in Visayas and Mindanao since its establishment in 1986.

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+ and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.

Developer begins Calatagan leisure tourism venture

Developer begins Calatagan leisure tourism venture

Apple One logs P100 million in sales

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By Katlene O. Cacho

Thursday, January 17, 2013

IN less than a month, Apple One Properties Inc. was able to record P100 million in sales for its newest project in Banawa, most of it in the three 12-storey condominium project.

Apple One targets to sell all the units of Apple One Banawa Heights in three years.

The project, which sits on a 2.8-hectare property in Banawa, will have three residential concepts with a total of 1,311 units.

Executive vice president Yvet Andalis said she is confident they will be able to hit the target because of the affordability of the units. She said she is pleased with the sales performance given that the buyers are end users.

Apple One Banawa Heights will have six three-storey mansionettes, 10 four-storey villas and three 12-storey towers that are divided into private clusters to provide residents privacy and exclusivity.

Residential units for the towers are priced from P1.3 million to P3.1 million; villas at P2.5 million to P2.9 million; and mansionettes at P3.6 million to P4.2 million.

She said Apple One Banawa Heights is inspired by residential units found at the San Francisco Bay Area Pacific Heights in California. The units will have Victorian themed house designs.

Andalis said she is urging owners to do landbanking for future projects.

“Now is the best time to go into landbanking, given the bullish property market,” she said.

She is also optimistic that sales will continue to increase amid the affordable housing and condo units being offered in the market.

The boom in the property sector has resulted in a buyer’s market, she said.

Andalis, however, said local players are not afraid of the tough competition because the Cebuano market is still anchored on relationships and track records.

“Cebuanos opt to do transactions with Cebuanos, giving us an edge in selling. There is trust factor that is involved,” she said.

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+ and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.

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Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on January 18, 2013.

Former high-end realtor casts his lot on affordable homes outside Manila

By Oscar A. Gomez Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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THIS 50-sq m townhouse on a 50-sq m lot in Cavite has three bedrooms and typically sells for P980,000.

There are two sides to the current housing boom. The more visible side is the flurry of high-rise condominiums that are transforming Metro Manila’s skyline. Their prominence is matched only by their own giant billboards and splashy newspaper ads.

Inside the mall or supermarket, you won’t miss the smart-dressed agents showing scale models of their trendy properties.

But the vibrant housing market has a lesser-known side, too. It’s driven by another kind of sales agent-the ones who are spending much time in front of the computer. They could be housewives or employees surfing on their break time. Day and night, they prowl the Internet in search of home buyers. They post, update and monitor constantly on multiple free websites. To add a personal selling touch, some even create their own website.

Their products—mid-priced homes tucked away in suburban Cavite and Pampanga—are runaway hits, according to the founder of a successful realty marketing firm. His agents have cashed in by selling these affordable homes to the vast and hardworking Filipino middle class based here or working abroad.

“This middle market seems bottomless.  About 80 percent of our buyers are first-time home owners, while the rest are looking for a bigger, better home,” says Gabriel “Billy” Dominguez, president of Green Circle Realty, a marketing arm of 12-year-old developer ProFriends, which has completed 52 projects to date and is riding the uptrend with another 34 master-planned communities in progress north and south of Manila.

ProFriends builds an array of three-bedroom models, the most popular of which are priced between P850,000 and P2.5 million.

Green Circle sold a total of 255 homes last November 2012 alone, the best month ever in its six years of operation. During his jampacked monthly sales meeting last Dec. 4, Dominguez introduced the previous month’s biggest producer, a soft-spoken accountant in her 20s who contributed 10 home sales. She had resigned from a commercial bank only three months earlier.

Dominguez credits the Internet proficiency of his agents for generating a high volume of OFW buyers. Most of all, he’s proud of how Green Circle agents overcame early fears to embrace their status as “realty entrepreneurs.” Not a few have already left secure nine-to-five jobs for the opportunity to multiply their incomes.

“It’s the full-time agents who do much better,” Dominguez says, although many part-timers are also hitting a more modest goal to augment their current income.

GOVERNMENT employee-turned-real estate entrepreneur Billy Dominguez

“We’re winning the battle of mindsets,” adds Dominguez, who now recruits about 200 new agents each month. He acknowledges that many Filipinos still dislike working with no fixed salary or simply lack the confidence to get into sales.

In Green Circle, these worries are quickly addressed during the short but lively orientation seminars. “We remind everyone that they are natural sales people. As teenagers, they already convinced their parents to buy them stuff, and didn’t they also sell their way into the hearts of their spouses?”

Dominguez maintains a marketing organization with little frills and no quotas to meet. He adopts a clear commission structure and recognizes top performers with incentives. Green Circle meetings are not confined to fancy suites. The last one, for example, took place in a fast food outlet where he reviewed sales performance using easy-to-read slides. With his usual jokes, parlor games, and inspirational stories, Dominguez cajoles his troops to storm the market in 2013. Finally, together with his wife and business partner Helen, they handed out cash incentives like game show emcees.

A government employee for more than a decade before he went into high-end real estate, Dominguez insists he’s a far cry from the typical image of a sophisticated, well-connected salesperson.

The UST communication arts graduate attributes his success to organization-building skills rather than slick, face-to-face salesmanship.

These days, he draws greater fulfillment from seeing ordinary folks enjoy the purchase of their dream home. The feeling cannot compare with closing a sale for a golf share or a high-rise apartment.

“Some of these upscale properties I sold before are never used by the owners,” he quips.

He’s also inspired by many Green Circle agents who have achieved financial security from selling affordable homes. One may need to work harder to sell 10 homes worth P1 million each, versus clinching a deal on a P10-million condo unit, Dominguez admits. “But you have a lot more buyers in the mid-market than in the high-end. Thus, our sales people realize their success faster.”

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+ and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.

Megaworld condo project in Mactan 95% sold, says company

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Monday, January 14, 2013

MEGAWORLD has announced that it has sold 95 percent of One Pacific Residence condominium in Mactan, Cebu. This success has called for the upcoming launch of the development’s new cluster on the first quarter of this year, the company said in a press statement.

Located in Lapu-Lapu City, the new cluster will have the property’s amenities. These include a 20-meter-long pool, aqua gym, rock climbing wall, yoga/taichi area and pocket gardens. The condominium will also include One Pacific Square, a retail area at the ground level, which will feature stores and boutiques.

“We are bringing luxury and lifestyle convenience to new heights. One Pacific Residence will showcase the best of ‘Newtown’ living,” said Noli Hernandez, president of Megaworld Cebu Properties, Inc.

Formally unveiled to the public last August, One Pacific Residence “was met with positive response from the Cebuanos, including Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza,” Megaworld said.

“Megaworld’s investment in Lapu-Lapu City is the bright beacon that will catapult the metropolis to become an economic force to reckon with,” Radaza said.

This residential project is part of Megaworld’s newest township in Cebu, The Mactan Newtown that incorporates the company’s pioneering ‘live-work-play’ concept. “This formula has spawned the unprecedented triumph of its townships in Manila–Eastwood City, McKinley Hill and Newport City,” the company said.

The 16-hectare township will be home to IT and BPO offices. The company said it aims to turn Mactan into one of Cebu’s bustling IT business hubs.

“The success of the recent grand launch of the McDonald’s The Mactan Newtown, serves as a precursor to the series of upscale entertainment hotspots, five-star hotels and posh shopping spaces which are all soon-to-rise within the township,” the company said. (PR)

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+ and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.

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Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on January 15, 2013.

Cereb honors 10 grads of masters course

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

THE Cebu Real Estate Board Inc. (Cereb) recently produced the first batch of graduates in master in management, major in real estate management program, in response to the call of the Philippine Association of Real Estate Boards Inc. (Pareb) to tie up with local universities for the group’s drive of professionalizing the real estate industry.

Cereb was the first local board to heed the challenge. The 10 graduates, who finished their studies at the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) , were honored in a ceremony last Nov. 10 at the Laguna Garden Café, Ayala Terraces, Cebu City.

The graduates are Ruth Paredes, Jocelyn Jamero, Emily Amie Cabillada, Eva Miñoza, Noel Avila and Sheila Francisco, Richard Azares, Marilou Canizares, Boler Binamira and Tonette Fritzchie.

Officials from USJ-R led by Rev. Fr. Enrico Peter A. Silab, OAR, university president, were present to confer the degree to the graduates.

The course is a program launched on June 11, 2011 by USJ-R in cooperation with Pareb-Cereb.

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+ and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.