DAVAO CITY—Crisron Holiday Builders Inc., the developer of a big-ticket condominium project here, remains upbeat and optimistic on the future of the real-estate industry and has taken marketing a notch higher to attract prospective buyers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Legacy Leisure Residences consists of four mid-rise mixed-use condominiums costing a whopping P4 billion, located along Ma-a Road at the heart of Davao City. The project was held off at the onset of the contagion, just like most residential projects all over the world.
“We admit at the beginning we had to stop operations because of our concern for our clients and our employees. But soon after, we jumped right to working, planning, strategizing for the future. In other words we never really stopped,” the developers told the BusinessMirror.
The project would be the first multibillion-peso venture of the scions of the Yaps and Bangayans, two prominent families engaged in construction, retail and convenience store chains and resorts development.
Virtual tour
The project got numerous inquiries through its social-media channels, but they said there were very minimal site visits from prospective buyers. Thus, they have started to bring interested buyers to online tours of their showrooms, a new mode that has brought back home buyers to the flurry of inquiry.
“The types of customers who were inquiring were of different demographics,” the developers said. “We expected a low turnout during these tough times but on the flip side, people were on their devices, most of the time during the lockdown.”
“We had to find ways to reach and educate more of our clients, which led the way to doing virtual tours of our showroom, faster response to online inquiries and digital selling kits for our agents. Through these, we were able to reach our targeted market across the border,” they added.
Prospective buyers were allowed to experience luxury, fun and a relaxed ambiance of Legacy Leisure Residences from the comforts of their homes with a mere touch or click of a button.
“Online selling and marketing is the new normal, and despite the pandemic, real estate has a bright future in Davao,” said Clark Lawson Yap, vice president for marketing of Crisron Holiday Builders Inc.
“If there’s anything Covid-19 and the community quarantine has taught us, it is the importance of proper home design. Home is the ultimate place of refuge, a sanctuary. Among the perks of living in a condominium like Legacy Leisure Residences is privacy, 24/7 security, in-house amenities, and a commercial strip that will include food outlets, convenience stores and pharmacy. Essential commodities are in the same building for convenience and safety,” Yap added.
More ‘perks’
THE project is carved out of a 2.8-hectare property and consists of four 15-story buildings and a commercial strip at the front section of the property. There is a jogging lane that winds through the buildings, and across the Olympic-sized pool, the only residential sprawl in the Philippines with an international-standard swimming facility. It also has a spray park, pitch and putting green, and parks and playgrounds.
“When the city government required all developers to allocate 30 percent of the property for green space and 30 percent for amenities, we have allotted 68 percent for greens and amenities. This sets us apart from other residential property developments,” said Wesley Bangayan, who is in charge of sales and marketing for Legacy Leisure.
The property has one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Each building has 429 rooms and may in the future accommodate short stays, or staycations. Flexible payment terms are offered to lessen the burden of clients while trying to recover from the pandemic.
Uphill battle
AMID a pandemic and the consequential global economic downturn, the project developers are on the right marketing track by going virtual.
The ultimate outcome, however, may depend on how fast the country and its people are able to win an uphill battle against the virus.
In the over five months since the pandemic-forced lockdowns that cost the economy dearly—not least a 16.5-percent contraction in the second quarter, a historic plunge—much has been said about how a crisis has opened opportunities for businesses that can fit in with virtual selling. Yet, it’s clear, at this point, the results of this acid test for the property market are not yet in.
Image credits: Elnur | Dreamstime.com
1 comment