Pro-Friends: A new approach to socialized housing

Property Company of Friends (Pro-Friends), an innovative real estate company, has taken a unique approach to the country’s housing problem. Instead of building cheap houses by the thousands, Pro-Friends builds communities. The goal of Pro-Friends is not just to put a roof over its buyer’s heads. More important, it is to improve the quality of their lives.

Pro-Friends executive vice-president Gus Leonardo Jr. – who has years of experience in the field of socialized housing – says that Pro-Friends realized there was more to solving the housing problem than building homes or developing subdivisions. So Pro-Friends decided to take a different approach.

"In socialized housing, the game is numbers. More houses for more people. But it dawned on us [at Pro-Friends] that there are faces behind the numbers, and that it was equally important to improve their quality of life," he said, adding that "to do that, it was not enough to just construct and develop affordable homes. Instead of developing subdivisions, we develop communities."

The company believes that building better homes means building better lives for its buyers.

At present, Pro-Friends projects are located at the Villa de Primarosa (Imus, Cavite); Mahogany Mansion (Mandaluyong, Metro Manila); Greensborough Subdivision (Dasmariñas, Cavite); Primavera Villas (Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija); and Chateau Real at Metropolis Greens (General Trias, Cavite).

True to its "better homes for better lives" motto, Pro-Friends also tries to give its buyers very affordable but quality homes. "People today work so hard just to own a home of their own, but it’s never enough," says Jo-Em Endaya, VP for marketing. "With all that they have to spend their money on, they usually only have enough to rent a modest apartment. But here at Pro-Friends, our goal is to give Filipinos a chance to own the home of their dreams in a real community setting."

Pro-Friends believes that wage earners deserve quality housing with prices that won’t strain their budgets. Pro-Friends homes cost between P500,000 to plus or minus P1 million, which is less than the price of certain car models. The company even helps with easy access financing, affordable amortization and the smooth turnover of facilities to the homeowners association of each subdivision.

Established in 1999, Pro-Friends is located at the ground floor of Mahogany Mansion, 1061 San Rafael St., Mandaluyong City. You can call them at tel. nos. 535-3418, 535-3437 or 534-6193 to 96. Their e-mail address is [email protected].