Should I buy a house in metro manila?

You should spend a few days in the area where you want to buy.  Never know about the noises and other local factors until you spend a week there.

Very important : be sure your area will not a flood prone area even in rich subdivision

I thought if its a rich subdivision, it is not supposed to be flooded?..

my friend bought a house in versallies village  Alabang , it cost 38M ,nice air there , very quiet ,surroundings is not developed very well , hard to go out without a car .There are some good modern town house in Qc,Las pinas metro manila is worthy to buy  and fit to your budget , 6-8M .

I bought a vacation house in Tagaytay & I luv it !!!!

matthew5254 wrote:

I bought a vacation house in Tagaytay & I luv it !!!!

Would you mind if I ask for a price range? and also is it safe to live there? Since I mostly stay in metro manila so I have no idea

A rich subdivision can be flooded !! Like any other ! When there was typhoon Ondoy in 2009 a luxury subdivision was under water in Marikina ! Rich people there, mostly showbiz personalities did not imagine that the water could reach 3 to 4 meters in few minutes.. generally real estate people forget to talk about that. They did everything to stop the news that the Marikina Fault Valley is passing under many subdivisions in Metro Manila. One day there will be a big earthquake in Metro along this fault ! So check natural disasters potential in the area you target. Rich or poor, the same !

We bought a place 5yrs ago in paranaque and now are in the process of selling. In addition to location, structural nuances like indoor plumbing, water pressure, build quality equally important if buying pre built. Transaction price is approximately 15% to 20% higher than what a bank appraisal is, in current environment broadly speaking. Property prices will trend higher in 2019 and into 2020, driven by Chinese money and a growing domestic wallet.

geolefrench wrote:

A rich subdivision can be flooded !! Like any other ! When there was typhoon Ondoy in 2009 a luxury subdivision was under water in Marikina ! Rich people there, mostly showbiz personalities did not imagine that the water could reach 3 to 4 meters in few minutes.. generally real estate people forget to talk about that. They did everything to stop the news that the Marikina Fault Valley is passing under many subdivisions in Metro Manila. One day there will be a big earthquake in Metro along this fault ! So check natural disasters potential in the area you target. Rich or poor, the same !

I heard about that too. I heard that one guy actually brought out their jetski going around in that area during Ondoy haha

Vivnay wrote:

We bought a place 5yrs ago in paranaque and now are in the process of selling. In addition to location, structural nuances like indoor plumbing, water pressure, build quality equally important if buying pre built. Transaction price is approximately 15% to 20% higher than what a bank appraisal is, in current environment broadly speaking. Property prices will trend higher in 2019 and into 2020, driven by Chinese money and a growing domestic wallet.

Did you buy in a subdivision? Also, did it appreciate well? Like 20-50% after 5 years?

Yes in a subdivision. Approx 33% appreciation though keep in mind there are taxes/fees on the way out..

it matters where you work...traffic can be tiresome. living not far home is important

BSP will most likely cut rates in May..A policy rate cut will lower the cost of funds for banks and temper mortgage rates, supporting demand for residential..both property prices and property stocks will trend higher..

kindawn wrote:

Pretty straight forward question: should I buy a house in Metro Manila? (Yes it will be under my filipina wife's name and I totally trust her)

Anyone has experience living in a house or subdivision in metro manila? I have been here for 3 years and have been staying in condo since then. So I just wonder if life is different when living in a house here.

If you have recommendation about subdivision that is worth living in a budget around 6-8 Mil PHP, that would be even better!

I think the biggest advantage in living in a house in a subdivision / gated community versus a condo complex is flexibility. You don't have restrictions on what appliance you can put in your home (you can't bring a gas stove in most condos). You can set up a water tank or bring in an electric generator if you want.

Homeowners association dues at subdivisions are less than those in condos. (We pay only PhP700 per month.)

You have more privacy. As to whether it is quieter would depend on what kinds of neighbors you have.

We live in a subdivision near SM Fairview. It's not classy like the subdivisions in Ortigas or Makati. Bit it's nice and quiet, and we like it here and our area in general.

We are near SM Fairview, Robinson's Novaliches and Ayala Terraces malls, a hospital, car service / dealerships. However the price for a house and lot in this subdivision is over your budget.

There are other subdivisions nearby such as Bloomfields, New Haven Village, Sacred Heart Village among others where you might be able to find a sùtable house which would fit your budget. You could rent a condo unit at Redwoods for a few days to see if you would like this area.

As to flooding, this area is generally not prone to flooding. Still it would be wise to avoid buying lots in low areas in the subdivision as water can accumulate faster there as well as lots near a creek.

As to price appreciation, we bought our lot ten years ago .for around PhP5,500 per sqm. The price has more than tripled since then.

FilAmericanMom wrote:

kindawn wrote:

Pretty straight forward question: should I buy a house in Metro Manila? (Yes it will be under my filipina wife's name and I totally trust her)

Anyone has experience living in a house or subdivision in metro manila? I have been here for 3 years and have been staying in condo since then. So I just wonder if life is different when living in a house here.

If you have recommendation about subdivision that is worth living in a budget around 6-8 Mil PHP, that would be even better!

I think the biggest advantage in living in a house in a subdivision / gated community versus a condo complex is flexibility. You don't have restrictions on what appliance you can put in your home (you can't bring a gas stove in most condos). You can set up a water tank or bring in an electric generator if you want.

Homeowners association dues at subdivisions are less than those in condos. (We pay only PhP700 per month.)

You have more privacy. As to whether it is quieter would depend on what kinds of neighbors you have.

We live in a subdivision near SM Fairview. It's not classy like the subdivisions in Ortigas or Makati. Bit it's nice and quiet, and we like it here and our area in general.

We are near SM Fairview, Robinson's Novaliches and Ayala Terraces malls, a hospital, car service / dealerships. However the price for a house and lot in this subdivision is over your budget.

There are other subdivisions nearby such as Bloomfields, New Haven Village, Sacred Heart Village among others where you might be able to find a sùtable house which would fit your budget. You could rent a condo unit at Redwoods for a few days to see if you would like this area.

As to flooding, this area is generally not prone to flooding. Still it would be wise to avoid buying lots in low areas in the subdivision as water can accumulate faster there as well as lots near a creek.

As to price appreciation, we bought our lot ten years ago .for around PhP5,500 per sqm. The price has more than tripled since then.

Thanks for the details. I am looking for places near the airport but according to what you said, the north is worth checking too!

Geolefrench,

Yes earthquake as you predicted, today 04/22/2019 a little after 5pm today in Pasig City

The epicenter was in Zambales so it is not the Marikina Fault Valley system. Some frames were moving on the wall

When I was here in 2016 to 2017 we built a house in Dasmarinas, Cavite...Washington Place.  We like the area, the development, the security and the convenience to the places we like to go.  SM is right down the road and easy to go to Silang (5 minutes away) and to Tagaytay (15 minutes away).  We have an extra lot with the property and always quiet there an always a good breeze.  The experience of a house versus a condo for me is like night and day.  I like the freedom f the home, the individualism that it can provide you and the social interaction you have with your neighbors and the people of the community.

Where we live there is some traffic and can be some heavy on the weekends going to the mall or a few other places.  You really need to get out and investigate where you want to live, especially in Manila.  The traffic, the people around you, the amenities, and the flooding.  That is a very big issue and should be examined.  Where we live in Dasmarinas, Cavite we are at a higher elevation and there is no flooding in our area.  We like the place so well we have bought more property within Washington Place (from private individuals as all property has been sold out) to build two more homes, one for us and one for my brother-in-law and sell the home we had built on 2017.

Of course there are costs to home ownership but for me the freedom a home offers far out weighs those issues.  Hope it helps in your decision making.

We built a home in Silang on the edge of Tagaytay, about 5 minutes off of the main hwy. The area around our home is a country setting with plenty of trees and greenery and not much traffic.  Our house is on a dead end road near a year round stream. we built it for about 2.1 m pesos 5+ years ago and we love the place.  Cool air and breezes year round, we never use the AC at night and rarely, except for the hottest part of the day, during the summer months.

A friend has just received a quote on building a 160 sq mtr home for 3.7 mil.  His average quotes ranged from about 22,000 pesos per sq mtr to 35,000, so shopping around makes a big difference. He will make a decision on a builder only after he has seen their work first hand as well as their equipment and references. 

We are about 10 mins from Tagaytay and about 1 1/2 to 2 hours from Naia airport.  1 to 2 hours from beaches ranging from black to white sand, malls and restaurants are plentiful. Three private and one government hospital in the area and about an 1 hour or so from the Asean hospital for more serious care.

Our barangay is clean and quiet and the neighbors are kind, friendly and helpful.

We have no flooding and are not sitting on any known fault lines. We love the area and our home.

Anyone knows a subdivision that has roving security guards and near to the highway to NAIA airport? I assume it would be in the south of metro manila but I could not find reliable details on the internet.

Looking for a real estate purchase here in the Philippines, is very cumbersome and confusing by using the internet.  On any site, it is almost impossible to filter listings or isolate to a chosen district, and also tell for sure what listing may be already sold !
Good advise above about checking your chosen neighborhood area very carefully and beware of many barking dogs as well ...