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Townhouses and Condos

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Inquisitive
  11/13/2022 17:32 EST

My wife and I are working on a two-year plan to buy a vacation townhouse or condo (three to four bedrooms) in the Philippines. We have already worked out the upkeep for when we aren’t there, my wife is a Filipina. Our only challenge is location. We wish to live in Zambales, Baguio City, or Bataan. Have they built or are they building hosing in these areas?

jawarirjiddi
  11/14/2022 00:33 EST

There are plenty in Baguio. Have to warn you though Baguio real estate prices are pretty steep.

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Asawa
  11/14/2022 14:42 EST

You may find it easier to buy two or three side-by-side condos, and have the adjoining walls opened with a doorway or pass through. This can be done with existing condos, but it's even easier if development has started but they haven't framed in certain floors.

There are a couple beneifts of going this direction.

The first is that I rarely see a 4 bedroom. You can mix a 1+3, 2+2, 2+3, though. Depending on the size of the cond, you might even be able to buy a floor if it's 4 units (buy 3 get 1 free).

The second is that you can put a door between them to create a "Suite" type situation. That gives people their own space... (with a door they can shut), but it can also be opened so folks can mix without using the common hallways. This can be great for families or visitors so you have your own spaces and some communal spaces. As you get older, you can bring in domestic help to live next door to offer progressive assistance... while still having a little privacy.

Third, you can often find condos in the $120k-$300k USD range. Even if you combine several (to get to 3-5 bedrooms), the total cost is still a little less than a 2000-4000sq/ft equivalent abroad.

Lastly, rooms are often cramped and a bit small in condos. It lets you have two gathering rooms to turn one into more of a seclusive media space, and the other into more of a space for entertaining. It's the concept of a "private den" and a "Parlor". Alternatively.... you can turn one main space into a living room and the other into a HUGE dinning room. It's hard to fit tables for 8-12 people in most condos.

Anyway, if you can't find your 3 or 4 bedroom.... consider exploring whether you can joining several side-by-side places together.

Think a little outside the box.
-Asawa

Inquisitive
  11/14/2022 22:34 EST

Hello jawarirjiddi,
Thank You for your response. Do you know of any particular Townhouses and Condos in Baguio City?

Inquisitive
  11/15/2022 23:18 EST

Thank you Asawa! That is the best Idea I have ever heard!!!!

trappedinhell
  11/16/2022 23:31 EST

There is the Anvaya Cove Condominiums in Morong, Bataan that are developed by the Ayala Development Corporation. The Ayala group is one of the premier developer in the PH and their design and materials is up there with US standards on housing. And from the Anvaya Cove there is a road that leads to SBMA (formerly Subic Base) in Zambales. But just like in Baguio, the prices of these condos & townhouses are pretty steep for my taste.

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draks
  11/17/2022 16:56 EST

Surely if you bought 3 adjoining condos, you would have to pay 3 lots of maintance fees. You wouldn't need 3 kitchens so they would need to be ripped out, loads of building work to redesign inside,
I think it would be much easier and probably a lot cheaper to buy a nice 3 bed house.on some subdivisions they have a pool, a gym and the use of the club house. And the monthly fees will be much lower, no parking fees. Buy the house and move in.

southbayfrank
  11/19/2022 18:57 EST

Drak's suggestion of a house in a subdivision maybe a good option if you can legally own land&house in Philippines. Philippines is a country with frequent earthquakes. I learnd the hard way after staying in a 4th floor unit on a 5-story apartment building in Davao City when stuck there by the pandemic. I am much relaxed in a rented subdivision house now. Majority of the condos here are in highrise building. Short cut in materials and building structure are common place in this land no matter how expensive it is sold and how beautiful it looks from outside. One of the luxiary high rise condo building next to the SM Davao City was declared as unsafe by the city government in the past year, and not allowing occupation anymore. Most of the owners are foreign expats. In a happy land like the Philippines, the developers are well connected and protected. It usually is the foreign owners are stuck with the problems. If your purpose for buying high end expensive condo is for investment or protecting of your assets, rethink about buying, as there is next to no market to sell when you need the money. I am interested in living in a nice house surrounded by nice environment. Buying an expensive highrise condo is not in my plan. Still looking at what are the better ways to do it. No hurry and slow down is probably the right way to approach it. Good luck for your journey here. Frank

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