For a country that values family and relationships, owning a home becomes everybody’s ultimate dream. Many Filipinos go abroad to earn money and buy their dream homes. Married couples combine their salaries, take extra jobs, and save up to buy one. Even young people, the millennials, would be doing various projects to earn big and buy homes for themselves or for their beloved parents, as well.
Taking from his own experience, Manuel “Manny” Villar, Jr, the founder and chairman of the board of the Villar Group Companies founded Camella Homes more than 40 years ago to help out fellow Filipinos – initially the OFWs – to buy a place they can call their own. That simple desire to help others eventually grew becoming the country’s largest home builder with an excellent reputation in building top-quality homes.
Even after finishing his term both in Congress and in the Senate as a public servant, Villar did not stop building homes for the Filipinos. In fact, his business diversified over the years sporting different brands in the real estate industry.
That’s why it was only fitting that the Villar Group held its first and the biggest virtual property expo in the country, The ViCon, on June 24 and 25. Short for Villar Group Convention, The ViCon, gathered the country’s largest real estate brands in one giant virtual property conference that allows attendees to choose from different properties from various price points across the Philippines.
“Now is the time to own a house; Vista group has lots of promotion these days. We are the best, we intend to be the best from Laoag to Mindanao. We are present even in Zamboanga,” he said on the opening day of Vicon. “The pandemic did not stop us from building the best homes for our kababayans. In fact, we leveled up our services and we resolved problems like backlogs in our construction. We are launching more projects in the months to come. All projects come with internet, power, and water supply nationwide. We have the high-end as well as low-cost projects for every Filipinos,” he added. The two-day virtual event did not disappoint.
Attendees had the opportunity to learn from the industry’s top gurus through a series of live webinars, visit the brands’ virtual booths, talk to real estate agents in real-time, avail exclusive buyers’ promos and reserve a property online. Participants also got information on financing their homes in a series of talks from The ViCon’s bank partners including AllBank, BDO, RCBC, and UBP. PAG-IBIG, Villar Group’s partner institution in providing affordable home financing was also present at The ViCon.
Villar’s claim for growth in the real estate business is backed by research and findings from property gurus and consultants. David Leechiu, the CEO of Leechiu Property Consultants, Inc., for one, attested that the continuing infrastructure projects of the government shall spell the difference in the years to come. These projects mean connectivity and ease of doing business in the whole of the archipelago.
Meanwhile, Colliers Philippines Associate Director Joey Bondoc affirmed that real estate properties remain to be an attractive investment option at this time. For example, the condominium units in Metro Manila are highly saleable because of several features such as convenience and mobility. “Developers have been highlighting these despite the pandemic and they believe that these qualities will continue to make the property an attractive investment option even after the pandemic wanes,” he said.
The virtual event exhibited listed property giants Vista Land and Golden MV’s different brands in the real estate industry, namely: Bria, Lumina, Lessandra, Camella, Crown Asia, Brittany, Camella Manors, and Vista Residences. Golden Haven, the Philippine’s largest death care property developer, also participated in the two-day event, alongside commercial space developer, Vistamalls, Inc.
From finding the ideal site to property acquisition, to saving and financing, to decorating and interior designing, and more, The ViCon did a good start to back up for future homeowners and investment seekers, as well. The event was made special by surprise raffle prizes for participants winning exciting bedroom, kitchen, and entertainment showcases, as well as grocery items, from partner establishments.