Manila Philippines Real Estate

Many people underestimate how much money they will need to maintain their lifestyle in their retirement years. Factors such as inflation, a diminishing Social Security system and rising costs of healthcare can all quickly erode our hard-earned savings. With life expectancies increasing, many people spend up to one-third of their lifespan in retirement. This is why it?s essential for you take the necessary steps to prepare for these years, and put your investments to work to account for them. Actively planning for your retirement can be one of the most important choices you'll ever make, and it?s never too soon to start, or too late to make adjustments.  

In today's competitive real estate market, timing is everything. Investment opportunities come and go, and these days, it is even harder to predict the financial success of many investments. Real estate, however, continues to outlast any long-term investment. Now is the great time to take advantage of the real estate market because Real estate is a safety measure during an economic slowdown, it has always been considered an inflation-resistant investment.

University Belt Residential Condominiums, located at the center of Manila's top schools. The students? population in Manila alone is estimated to 2 million in different universities surrounding the city of Manila. Most of the prospect occupants of these residential units are students from neighboring universities; serving all students, professionals and families with world architectural housing facilities.

From University of Santo Tomas alone with a student population of 30,000+ to the multitude of educational institutions along Espana Avenue and the university belt, University Belt Residential Condominiums offers a prime investment opportunity with its strong leasing potential brought about by year round tenant demand.

Designed for student and young professionals, offers chic studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats complete with lifestyle amenities, Wi-Fi services and a set of retail choices.

Step out to Espana Blvd. and the nearby universities, fast food chains like Mc Donald's and Jollibee, malls, hospitals, nearby LRT station and public jeepneys, taxis are within reach. 

Reward yourself with the convenience of owning a piece of ubelt manila. University Belt Residential Condominiums walking distance to all major universities in Sampaloc, Manila. Students and professionals in the area are looking for this kind of safe and secure place to stay. Get your units and start investing...rent-it-out..."earn while you pay" your monthly amortization.

Great opportunities are right here, let me help you.

Visit our listings:  www.manilapremiercondos.com

Should you Rent or Invest?

The simple answer is “it depends”. We’ve all heard the comment “rent is dead money” and certainly if you are the sort of person who does not save, then buying instead of renting is a form of ‘forced savings’. However, if you are thinking about your financial future and are committed to investing then almost certainly renting will be a better option (so long as you invest at the same time). Remember, renting while saving...it will makes difference for your future.

For No More or Even Less than you are now paying in rent, YOU can own private NEW pads for your children in college, the Condominium ownership that will give you pride and peace of mind.

It's Time to Smarten Up! Why spend P10,000 to P15,000 each month in rent, when you can invest the same money and own a New University Belt Condominium.

Rent vs. Buy

Whether a student is living in a dormitory or a rented apartment, the benefits of owning rather than renting are significant.  The security and peace of mind that can be had in a safe and secure building of condominium cannot matched in a transient aprartment complex or dormitory.  Additionally, the cost each month as an owner can be about the same or less than what would be paid monthly to a landlord.  Adding to that the tax advantages of homeownership, the promise of gain in investment value, and the fact of not having a landlord to deal with - the benefits of ownership over renting are immense.

It makes no sense to flush P10,000, P12,000 or P15,000 each month down to drain in rent when for the same money or less you can buy an asset that can make you money.  Buying especially makes sense when the asset is a prize winning, our new condominiums with all the features and amenities that go with it.

3 Good Reasons to Buy

Security - Typical rental apartment complexes dont provide both a monitores security system in each unit and a guarded entry system for their tenants.  And when rental complexes do have some type of security, it is usually not well maintained - once installed, it is many times quickly forgotten.

Investment Value - As long as you have to pay for a place to live during college, wouldn't it be nice to have something besides rent receipts when you're done?  Condominium values best during the year for almost 40% increase.  Rental business of your unit is very much possible for the time you are not using your unit.  Money you paid for your condo unit could have return on investment through its yearly increase in value and through rental business.

No Landlords - Unlike a rented apartment, there are no unreasonable rules.  You can bring all stuff you wish with you to college, you can paint the rooms any colors you want, and you can hang shelves anywhere you like.  Because - You are the Owner!

If you are just starting out in real estate investment, you need to build your cash reserves and your savings. And likely you are not in a position to risk your savings or run up big debts to get the ball rolling.  

Most people agree that buying an investment property is a good investment, but many don't know where to start, who to turn to for advice, or they are afraid of doing the wrong thing so they do nothing.  Anybody can succeed with property ownership, but most people never try because of their fear of failure. 

If you ready to buy your first piece of property, such as an apartment complex, house, condo, or maybe a townhouse,  if you ready to get started with something that will have long term benefits to you financially, then fear not. It’s important to think about the long term benefits of property ownership. When approached with the right frame of mind, you not only can succeed at owning property but you can also get much more out of it than what you put in.

Why Invest?

People’s needs for investment are as varied as the investment vehicles themselves. Some want to own their home outright, pay the kids’ university fees, or take world trips; while others want to start their own business or retire on a comfortable income.

The reality for most of us is that we won’t be able to afford these things on our salary alone (unless you’re fortunate enough to be the CEO of a major corporation). The key to successful investment is to leverage, that is, to use borrowed funds to improve your capacity and increase your return.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Would I like to be worry free about anything financially related?
• Can I confront ever increasing costs?
• Can I afford to carry out my basic responsibilities as a parent?
• Do I have adequate financial flexibility to create a better quality of life?
• Could I fund re-education in the event of becoming unemployed?
• Will I have adequate financial independence to really enjoy life and retire with financial confidence?
• Do I trust in the outcomes of superannuation?

Then now, think!  I believe that the safest way to invest is through property.  Properties allows you to leverage.  With only few thousands cash invested, with our long-term investment plan, it will help you make your earning potential greater.

A hard asset such as real-estate property can provide a much more stable and reliable investment - for those who can afford it property is a finite resource. There is only a limited amount of it in the world - but demand for property is always rising so the values of prime property are driven up naturally. Property is a smart way to invest while enjoying the benefits of your investment -- by living at a great address, earning from rentals or managing your wealth for your dependents future use.

You tips, suggestions, advices and other related topics regarding investments' goes here.  Thank you.

According to Department of Education, undergraduate college enrollments are expected to rise over the next 10 years by 15 percent, while graduate and professional students will grow by as much as 25%. This means that no matter what the rest of the real estate market does in Manila, university belt will continue to have some sort of housing demand. If you are looking to invest in real estate, it might make sense for you to check out your nearby university housing market.  There are many reasons for checking out this apparent gold mine but pay attention to some of the drawbacks.

For starters, university belt with a continuous draw for more students also have a continuous housing supply problem. Granted schools will build more dorms and developers will build more apartments and condominiums, but there will also be an increase in residential housing like single family residences to multi units say up to 4 units.  Older students, graduate students, additional professors, and faculty will place a demand for housing near school campuses which is an ideal place to own an investment property. If you do it right, you should always have tenants.

Along with increasing students and faculty, university belt will continue to be a key location for business research and development facilities due to the availability of educated help at cheap prices. This will obviously help sustain demands on the housing market with the increased non student employee housing needs.

Parents, if you have kids heading off to college this could be a great way to pay for your child?s room and board. A recent study by the National Association of Realtors showed that approximately 8% of second homes were bought in university belt area by parents to provide a place for their kids to live.

In spite of the cons to renting to an ever changing tenant base, owning real estate investment property in a university belt can be a great investment to keep and to turn over. There will always to be someone to rent or sell your property to. These are strong pros to consider.

Investors are making it big by Investing in well located Residential Rental Properties (condos, townhouses, single-family and small apartments) near State Colleges & Universities. Some Investors are helping to pay a big part of their son or daughters college costs through these investments. Nationally large apartment building firms have student rental apartments in operation or under construction near most major colleges.

State College/University applications surge. Nationally, more students than ever before -3.3 million- will graduate from high school this year, said David Hawkins of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Two-thirds of the graduates are expected to seek some form of higher education. The trend is expected to plateau next year, then decline slightly. State Colleges/Universities have not kept up. How can you join this opportunity?

Follow our "9 Tips for College/University Rental Investments."

1. State Colleges/Universities not private schools. Private schools are usually smaller with more available on campus housing. Alumni endowments help fund campus building projects. We want the choice of a large school student population found more at State Colleges & Universities.

2. Small City/Big Town. Not large metropolitan city population, stay with low commuter schools. Large cities have fewer college type rental opportunities based on the normal high cost of residential properties. Tends to push rental rates above what Mom & Dad can afford. Remember Mom & Dad are also going to be on the lease they are your guarantee for payment.

3. Large Out-of-State student population. Out of State students can't live at home with Mom & Dad. Their choice is to live on campus (which in most cases is only available for Freshman not for 2nd, 3rd & 4th year students) or large off campus apartment complexes, small rentals or the Animal House. Don't rent as an Animal House be the small easy access to campus property.

4. High Student Population versus number of on campus housing Dorms/Suites. Availability is easy to determine all schools publish either written or on line the number of units vailable. The school will also suggest alternative housing solutions the more solutions from the school shows the more opportunity for investors.

5. High off-campus Rental Costs for student apartments/suites. A comparison of available properties can help you determine the viability of your potential investment. Current high off campus rental costs will allow you to charge more for your property. An example is here in Charlotte NC at UNCC which has a high commuter population ta 2 bed 2 bath condo starts at about $500 per month where in Columbia SC at USC the same 2 bed 2 bath condo starts at $925 per month both are plus utilities. I like higher rental rates.

6. New Construction or High End Rehab versus older cheaper properties. Mon and Dad want the best for their kids and are not afraid to pay for it within reason. The students expect to live like they do at home (microwave, dishwasher, disposal, high speed internet ready, air conditioning, modern baths, parking). Older cheaper properties usually require constant maintenance and do not have the modern appliances without a big cost outlay by the owners. We tend to buy new properties directly from the builder.

7. Easy Commute to Campus whether walking, driving, using the local or campus bus service make sure your tudents can get there safely without a lot of trouble. Safety is the biggest concern with off-campus living. What is between your rental property and campus? It is a wise decision to walk the neighborhood yourself, would you want your own student having to walk the same area to school?

8. Part-time Job Opportunities many students in today's world actually do work part-time. Having your properties near the retail districts, hospitals, downtown restaurants/offices can make a big impression on the student worker.

9. High Graduate School Population is where you can find your long term renters. These students have proven themselves are in there for the long haul usually signing leases that cover the full term of their education 2 years, 3 years and will accept a nominal yearly increase. Med School, Law School you get the point.

We have invested in student rentals for years. Our oldest daughter went out of state to the University of South Carolina. During our search to get her qualified for in-state tuition we found that owning rental property with her was the key. This in effect actually lowered our out of pocket room & board expenses. Rental properties may also offer the owners tax write offs for depreciation and expenses (please see your tax professional as to how or if this may apply to your investment situation).

-Bill Carey

The College Rental Investment Guy 

http://www.CollegeTowneProperties.com

Click here to access to our university listings

What is the formula to figure out how much house a buyer can afford? Two- times the yearly income or 3 times the yearly income?

While the price of a house someone can afford may coincide with their income times a multiple of two or three, the actual determination of "How much can I afford?" is somewhat more complex. Income is definitely a factor. There are several others.

Here's the "Reader's Digest" version of how it works:

Lenders typically establish guidelines for what loan applications they will and will not accept. Among other things, those guidelines establish a minimum down-payment for which a borrower will qualify. Right now, just about everyone out there has eliminated "zero-down" financing. So, if your credit score dictates that you need a down payment of at least 10%, and you only have 5%, your yearly income will not factor into the equation until you save up the required 10% or improve your credit to the point that you will qualify for a down payment that you can afford.

The next factor that has to be determined is the interest rate for which the borrower qualifies. As a general rule, the better someone's credit score, the lower the interest rate for which they will qualify. This is very important, as we will see below.

Once a lender determines that the borrower has a down-payment that meets its requirement, and once the lender determines the interest rate for which the borrower qualifies, the next factor that the lender looks at is the "debt-to-income" ratio.

This number is a measure of someone's total monthly debt obligations - including the proposed housing payment - divided by their gross monthly income. The housing payment includes not only the monthly mortgage payment, but also real estate taxes and property insurance. If the property is a condominium, the figure will include association fees. If the property is in a flood plain, flood insurance has to be taken into account. If the down-payment is less than 20%, the lender may require mortgage insurance, which would also be included in the total monthly housing payment. As you know, for a given loan amount, the higher the interest rate, the higher the payment. The higher the payment, the higher the debt to income ratio. Some lenders consider only the total monthly debt obligation. That is to say, they figure out the housing payment, add up your monthly revolving debt (minimum credit card payment s, car loan payments, student loan payments, child support, etc), put the two together and if that number divided by your gross monthly income is less than the required percentage, you pass that part of the test. Most subprime lenders use a 50% debt to income ratio as their maximum. So, if the lender requires that the debt-to-income ratio not exceed 50% and your housing payment, plus all your other monthly obligations add up to.

Other loan programs, such as those for loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration, look at debt ratios differently. Not only do they establish a maximum total debt ratio, they also establish a maximum housing debt ratio. For FHA loans, absent compensating factors in other aspects of the loan, the housing payment-to-income ratio may not exceed 29% and the total debt-to-income ratio may not exceed 41%.

Conventional/conforming loans are a different animal altogether. Because those loans applications are underwritten by a computer program (referred to as an automatic underwriting system or automatic underwriting engine) that looks at the totality of the borrower's application, there is some "give" in terms of maximum debt-to-income ratio. For instance, if a borrower is making a large down-payment and will have significant savings left over after the purchase, the program's algorithm will be more tolerant of high debt ratios than it would be for someone making a small down-payment who will have little money left after the purchase.

To get the heart of your question, how much you can afford depends on alot of things. Your credit score determines the down payment you have to put down and the interest rate for which you are eligible. The interest rate, in turn, determines the mortgage payment. On top of that, the real estate taxes for the house you want and insurance rates common in your area get factored in to determine the total monthly housing payment. Those are all *variables* which need to be taken into account. The other variable is your monthly debt.

Given all of that, we see that two people who have identical savings, credit scores and yearly income may not be able to buy the same house because one has $1,000 in monthly credit card debt and the other doesn't. Similarly, all else being equal, a person might "be able to afford" a $150,000 house on one side of town, but not a $150,000 house on the other side of town because of higher taxes and insurance.

If you asked this question because you are in the market to buy a house, my best advice to you would be to seek out the services of a knowledgeable and experienced mortgage professional. That person will be able to analyze your finances and give you a very accurate picture of what you can afford. And, if you have issues which affect your buying power, your mortgage professional can give you advice on how to improve your credit and pay down debt so that you can qualify for the kind of house you want.

So what exactly should you look for in a high-rise condo?

First: location, location, location! Choose a condo situated in a premiere city center as the property values here will continuously appreciate. Malate & Makati is your best bet for family living.  However, students and professionals working and preferred to study in Manila area like University of Santo Tomas, your best bet is to acquire condominiums near or walking distance to university belt, saving your time, effort and trans fare could mean a lot. Condominiums in these areas are within walking distance of corporate, entertainment, and leisure facilities, as well as hotels, schools, and banks.

Condo allows you to expand your living experience beyond your unit and caters to your lifestyle is the best investment you could ever find. Look for amenities such as a swimming pool, gym, spa, and childcare facilities.

Finally, a condo that is well-designed will increase your pride of ownership and will guarantee that ever single peso you invested in it is well worth the price.

Greetings of Peace and Prosperity!

I know that you are very busy with a lot of things right now but please do take time to read this mail. This will only take few minutes of your precious time.

It is really my utmost desire to help you acquire an asset that will be worth your hard earned money and will surely boost your future needs.

The financial crisis in the United States could mean opportunities for the Philippines, particularly in medical and real estate tourism.

Tourism in the country could still grow despite belt-tightening measures worldwide. One of the key industries that offered such opportunities is medical tourism, which invites foreign patients to avail themselves of quality but cheaper health care services in the country. With the expected increase in the cost of services in the US and other countries and reductions in the incomes of their citizens, those needing health care may look to other countries for cheaper services.

US and Japan have a significant aging population that would look for ways to stretch their budgets to for less costly treatment and affordable housing.

Real Estate tourism was another growth area.  ?Live Your Dreams? ,people are continuously searching for a home to stay in the Philippines especially those near the hospitals and markets.

People with extra incomes usually invested in real estate as a safety measure during an economic slowdown because it has always been considered an inflation-resistant investment.

Refreshing your memory about our projects would mean great opportunity to invest at very reasonable pre-development price and flexible payment terms. click here