Buying a condo in the Philippines

**Mr Lee** · 02-10-2012

I am by far no expert but my wife and I bought a condo in Cebu and there are some things that a person might wish to look for when buying one. These are just my opinions and members are not only welcome to give theirs but I too would appreciate them.

How is the buildings upkeep.

Buy away from the elevator or stairs to keep the noise down. Try to buy at the end of a hall so less people will go by your door.

Buy the best view you can get, since you will be looking at it daily, so for me sitting out on our balcony is so relaxing that I would not own a condo without a balcony and a view.

Don't buy near a garbage chute unless you like bugs in your unit. Although bugs are a fact of life in the Philippines, the garbage attracts them and possibly even rats, so the farther away the better. Yes there are rats all over the Philippines.

Look for value but also understand the Philippines, so while one building may look better than another, know the monthly costs and what you get for the extra monthly expenses and extra cost to buy.

Cross breeze is very important, so if you can find a unit with the same size windows or sliding doors on the opposite sides, then you will need less aircon. A corner unit would be ideal. I have found two large sliding doors on one side does us no good to get breeze through our unit unless we open an exit equal to the volume of air coming in.

Where the sun rises and sets is important to the amount of electric it will cost you too cool your unit.

Anyone else like to add their tips?

**Admin** · 02-10-2012

I am by far no expert but my wife and I bought a condo in Cebu and there are some things that a person might wish to look for when buying one. These are just my opinions and members are not only welcome to give theirs but I too would appreciate them.

Don't let him fool you folks. He is an expert. Maybe he doesn't want me to tell anyone that. Sorry Lee, you don't need to spend any more time here than you have to spare my friend.

Does he know as much as a real estate attorney, no but he knows more than most expats.

Buy the best view you can get, since you will be looking at it daily, so for me sitting out on our balcony is so relaxing that I would not own a condo without a balcony and a view.

A good few is is nice. I remember countless hours in Atlanta watching the "string of pearls" in the night. That is what ATC's call the planes landing at night one right after another a busy airport. I was renting a condo there for a couple of months while working there temporarily. Geesh I had fun there. That view though kept me occupied often.

Don't buy near a garbage chute unless you like bugs in your unit. Although bugs are a fact of life in the Philippines, the garbage attracts them and possibly even rats, so the farther away the better. Yes there are rats all over the Philippines.

While the rats here are no bigger, perhaps a little smaller than the ones I've seen in the southern USA, I have seen some disgusting things with rats while at the BBQ. Yuck. I'll have to talk about that sometime.

Where the sun rises and sets is important to the amount of electric it will cost you too cool your unit.

That is a real issue in my bedroom during the hot months. Its not to bad the rest of the year but it is cooler then. This time of the year, the sun shines right on my bedroom. With power bills going up during the cool months, I'm kind of dreading the "summer."

I would say living out in the province removes any reasonable chance of a condo. You'll need to be in the larger cities. Probably limited to Manila area, Cebu and MAYBE Davao. Surely there are condos in Davao but I don't know for sure.

Living out in the province offers more security. I can walk the streets any time of night with my cell phone in my hand. You do that in Cebu City or Manila and it is just a matter of time before someone takes it from you. When you're on the street in Cebu the best place for you phone is hanging around your neck or hidden under your clothes. The pickpockets are experts. Oh my, I've gotten off topic huh?

**Allen** · 02-13-2012

Originally Posted by Admin

Don't let him fool you folks. He is an expert. Maybe he doesn't want me to tell anyone that. Sorry Lee, you don't need to spend any more time here than you have to spare my friend.

Does he know as much as a real estate attorney, no but he knows more than most expats.

A good few is is nice. I remember countless hours in Atlanta watching the "string of pearls" in the night. That is what ATC's call the planes landing at night one right after another a busy airport. I was renting a condo there for a couple of months while working there temporarily. Geesh I had fun there. That view though kept me occupied often.

While the rats here are no bigger, perhaps a little smaller than the ones I've seen in the southern USA, I have seen some disgusting things with rats while at the BBQ. Yuck. I'll have to talk about that sometime.

That is a real issue in my bedroom during the hot months. Its not to bad the rest of the year but it is cooler then. This time of the year, the sun shines right on my bedroom. With power bills going up during the cool months, I'm kind of dreading the "summer."

I would say living out in the province removes any reasonable chance of a condo. You'll need to be in the larger cities. Probably limited to Manila area, Cebu and MAYBE Davao. Surely there are condos in Davao but I don't know for sure.

Living out in the province offers more security. I can walk the streets any time of night with my cell phone in my hand. You do that in Cebu City or Manila and it is just a matter of time before someone takes it from you. When you're on the street in Cebu the best place for you phone is hanging around your neck or hidden under your clothes. The pickpockets are experts. Oh my, I've gotten off topic huh?

I don't know if you guys class Subic / Olongapo as part of Manila, but there are condos available there, including refurbished base housing units; also a few at Clark.

**Admin** · 02-14-2012

Its not part of Manila really. Yeah I should have thought about that area and AC too. There are likely to be condos there as well.

**Admin** · 02-10-2012

The quotes are horrible. I'm going to have to fix that. Its not coloring them or indenting, I can't tell where the quote starts an ends. I'm a bit color blind, minor but I can't see anything. It all looks like one message to me no matter what I do.