PRETTY soon when Filipinos all over the world sing the folk song “Bahay Kubo,” something new in this modern times will instantly cross their mind: T-HOUSE!

THE real-estate industry has been enjoying the wave of a massive boom, and with that, a greater demand for livability in an urban setting.

“There is no house like the house of belonging.”–David Whyte.

IN this so-called new normal that we are currently in, we’ve had to adjust to so many new ways of living—such as wearing masks and physically distancing ourselves from people in public.

WHETHER at home or in our respective workplaces, we spend much of our lives breathing indoor air that is often contaminated by numerous pollutants.

REAL estate is not spared from the difficulties that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought upon us. The industry has been hit heavily, with predictions that it might take years to recover in the US. Will it be the same for us here in the Philippines?

WE are entering a time of a lot of uncertainty. For businesses of various verticals, recovery plans and pivots must be made on assumptions. For government, realignment and crisis funds are activated with the prescription of experts and medical leaders. For individuals, a back to basics approach must be implemented.

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THE “accidental” founding of this group happened when I first organized for our friend Bhavna Suresh, the first Power Women in Real Estate (WIRE) issue celebrating the quiet contributions of the fairer sex in a male-dominated industry.

IT opened its doors to the public on the very first day of Philippine Startup Week on November 18, 2019. The date was providential as the facility is essentially inspired by and made for the start-up community.

That is why most people put real estate in their mid to long-term investment strategy, with the exception of high net-worth individuals, who can flip properties in a short time when opportunities present themselves.

ROADS are arteries through which the lifeblood of a country’s economic development runs. I cannot overemphasize this fact. Roads link workers to factories, employees to companies, farms to markets, students to schools, families to communities, and the sick to hospitals.

MOBILITY is one of the most important factors that make cities livable. With effective long-term strategic planning, city administrators can organize day-to-day mobility needs of their citizens, logistics of businesses, and traffic flows in a way that values accessibility.

EVERYONE who’s anyone in the real-estate industry knows that for someone to make it in the property business, one should know the ins and outs of the industry and have the requisite smarts to deftly navigate them.

One of the perks of being chosen as a mentor for creative, young and driven entrepreneurs in the fifth season of The Final Pitch is the opportunity to work with my brilliant friends in the real-estate industry.

THE Philippine real estate has always been a continuously evolving landscape as it adjusts to the ever-changing needs of the local property market. Alongside arising trends and practices in the real-estate industry, there is the frequent emergence of new industry challenges and opportunities that require modern, up-to-date approaches.

WITH the fast and constant evolution of people’s needs, it is to no one’s surprise that industries are finding ways to innovate their products and services to keep pace with customers’ evolving needs.

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As the head of public engagement of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), I have always been on the lookout for ways that we can effectively engage key stakeholders and come up with innovative and creative programs to elevate the real-estate sector in the country.

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On my last night in Tokyo, I am reminded of how we will be back to this great city in 2020 not for the Olympics but for the Urban Land Institute Asia Pacific Summit, Tokyo, Japan, May 26 to 28, 2020.

I REMEMBER the discussion surrounding tapas and sangria with my good friend Bhavna Suresh when the Eureka moment happened for me. Why don’t we call it “The Outlook!” Bhavna said, “I love it!” And the rest is history.

CAPPING its recent (August 28 to 30, 2019) 10th National Convention in Davao City, the Organization of Socialized and Economic Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP) has called for the formulation of an action agenda to implement the new Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

IN this fast-moving world, adapting to change is not a smooth-sailing undertaking. Simply being open to change is one thing, but embracing it is another challenge one must face boldly. Gone are the times when set ways and traditions rule the market. Innovation and resilience are now what differentiate the companies that survive and those that do not.

OUR decision to purchase a home for the very first time serves as an important milestone to adulting. Nevertheless, it’s a very daunting task for us given that this will define how and where we spend the better part of our lives.

AS an advocate of urban inclusion in the real-estate industry, I am very happy to see the interest spreading out to places other than Makati and BGC.

NEX Tower has been selected as the winner of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Asia Pacific Award for Excellence. Over 50 projects were submitted to the awards program from leading developers across the region.

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MOST of the projects in real estate I am involved in take pride in their (outdoor) landscaping but a recent trend in indoor or interior landscaping has taken Metro Manila by storm for full-blown projects to table escapes that are intended to take the stress out of urban life.

THE landscape of Metro Manila is beginning to be redefined by some of the most iconic structures coming from the best boutique developers in the country.

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I HAD a chat with the leaders in the real-estate industry, veterans all of the Urban Land Institute’s Asia Pacific Learning Conference. 

THE regeneration of Poblacion has become a passion project for many, including myself. The renewed interest in Poblacion in terms of urban planning happened because in spite of the area’s popularity as a go-to place for hanging out and having fun, there are issues that need to be addressed in order for it to further thrive as the hippest place in the Metro.

POBLACION has always had a special place in our hearts. Not only is it one of the most important commercial districts in Makati City, second only to the Makati CBD, it is also the seat of government where all the political happenings take place.

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We love catching real-estate developers doing the right thing, and when the right thing involves supporting children and adults in the fringes, I become their instant supporter.

AS the clock struck exactly at five in the afternoon, marking the end of the inaugural PropTech Summit, Futu/RE by the Urban Land Institute, all of the organizers were hugging each other in a congratulatory embrace as the almost unthinkable happened—the staging of the first-ever real-estate and technology forum.

MANILA-based Agri-Tech and urban farming company Urban Greens, (Urban Greens Hydroponics Systems Inc.) is announcing a project tie-up with the Bonifacio Arts Foundation Inc. (Bafi) under the direction of the head curator of The Mind Museum, who oversees all things art- and science-related in BGC.

WHILE technology is progressing at a rapid sometimes even reckless rate—empowering people, determining roles, and shaping both opportunities and risks—its role in business is expanding at an equally fast pace.

LOCATION, location, location. This is an important mantra in real estate, which means one simple thing: Location is the most important factor in determining the value of a piece of land and the property that will be built on it.

CEBU CITY is considered as one the top 20 Super Cities in the Tholons Services Globalization Index (TSGI), highlighting its economic prowess as the city known as “Queen of the South.”

THE infectious Italian passion of Mario Berta has taken the flexible office space community by storm. I have looked at Mario’s work with such great interest because of a mutual point of interest: teching up real estate. 

ALMOST every business movement is starting to acknowledge the importance of learning the perfect balance of gain and goodwill. When it comes to goodwill for the environment, however, we still seem to be in the process of adapting environmental sustainability as a need rather than a niche practice.

SINCE the passing of Republic Act 9856 in 2009, the real-estate market has been anticipating the realization of the Real Estate Investment Trust. Challenges, such as high friction cost and the level of minimum public float, have discouraged developers and property owners from transfering their assets into REITs.

AGRICULTURE is a key contributor to the Philippine economy. However, when compared to some of our Asian neighbors, our agricultural industry falls behind, especially in terms of quality processing, manufacturing and exportation.

IF there’s anyone who has changed the course of the retail industry in a major way, it has to be Rem D Koolhaas—star architect, cofounder of Dutch designer footwear brand United Nude, and the creative genius behind the brand’s innovatively designed shoes.

AN edge over the competition is a valuable asset for any business, the best ones possessing the potential to make or break its future. It’s no different in the realm of real estate—and feng shui offers the perfect opportunity to seize that higher ground. More than a quick fix or shallow trend, feng shui is an ancient Chinese discipline well-grounded in its techniques to assess the potential of any given property to attract health, wealth and happiness: all the trappings of a desirable and profitable location.

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JANUARY always promises an opportunity to turn a new leaf, and a most pleasant surprise and token of sustainability I had received was from pioneering sustainability developer, The Net Group (TNG), a fully nonplastic, reusable, renewable picnic basket with the iconic map of Bonifacio Global City (BGC) as the figurative and literal map.

Conclusion

WHAT do you predict will be the changes in the next 10 years and would this cause your business model to change yet again?

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IN places like China, Singapore and most European countries, the state invests in the long-term potential of a city regardless of its short-term profitability.

WHERE can you find a working space artistically designed to inspire creativity and innovation? Here comes Common Ground, the largest, fast-growing premier coworking space from Malaysia that fills in the gaps of the coworking lifestyle ecosystem with a passionate community.

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MINDANAO is like New York. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

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A LITTLE above a decade ago when I started working in communications and marketing for the real-estate industry, Bobby Dy, then incoming head of Community Innovations, once said to me, “Real estate is a public trust.”

CONTINUING my series in future-proofing the real-estate industry, I spoke to tech visionary Enrique Gonzalez about Common Ground as I was excited to know what keeps him up at night aside from blockchain and promoting the Philippines to the rest of the world.

WHEN I first met Kenneth Stern many years back, it was not just his passion for representing our country as part of the national rugby team but, more important, his surprising passion for real estate.

WHEN I first met Cristina “Tina” Samson, it was to celebrate the need to promote more women leadership roles in the real-estate industry.

INCLUSION has always been a driver for me in our advocacies. A most meaningful work expression of this spirit of volunteerism in the real-estate industry is our work in mentoring and engaging more women and the youth to engage in the real-estate sector.

IN a recent eight hour, four bar crawl, I found myself reveling at how Makati had truly made it as an entertainment destination. 

TODAY I start a series on technology-powered real-estate developments, starting with the one technology closest to my heart, blockchain. Last week I was in Tokyo for the launch of the Ceza road show that just might very well help make the Philippines the next Crypto Valley of Asia, yet another real-estate development that’s going to be defined by technology.

I RECENTLY had an interview with one of the hidden sales weapons of many big real-estate companies, Raymond Domingo.

HAVING been approached by three of the executive officers of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a prospective member recently asked if we in the Urban Land Institute were like the Masons, in part, I think, because of the zeal and passion we have for the organization and also for recruiting new members, especially those who we feel are aligned with our values for building better cities and communities.

IN my ongoing series on architects and designers for the country, we feature one of my favorite women in real estate—Arch. Cathy Saldaña is one of the most prominent female architects in the country, but more than being a top-notch architect, I single her out for her love of country and how she skews her work toward Mindanao, tourism and sustainability.

Conclusion

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WILLIAM TI has always believed in the future of architecture as a possible Philippine brand and not just as a practice. Having organized several architecture festivals in the country, he’s not only seen as one of the best young practitioners but an influential leader in the industry.