MANILA, Philippines - There is a strong interest in real estate from Europe and the Middle East. More and more, the markets are viewing Philippine real estate as a viable investment, with the industry remaining buoyant despite the global economic challenges.
Rex Mendoza, Ayala Land senior vice president and head of corporate marketing and sales group, provides this assessment coming fresh from Ayala Land property road shows in Vienna, Zurich, Geneva, Jeddah and Riyadh. “With the US being a challenged market and having been burned out from bad investments, a deliberate shift was taken by Ayala Land which started exploring other markets” Mendoza explains.
In entering these continents, he was heartened by the candidness of Overseas Filipinos (OF’s) in expressing their desire to learn how to manage their funds wisely. “For many of our OF’s, remittances are sent back home to the Philippines to improve the lives of their family. They’re usually spent on education and buying home appliances or improving lifestyles. However, not much is left as savings to build their dream home or build up investments, even for retirement” says Mendoza.
With that, Mendoza willingly conducted wealth management talks among OF’s in these continents. “Our fellow countrymen are not only interested in acquiring good homes in well-planned communities, they also seek to be more finance-savvy and shift from being mere spenders to becoming wealth managers. They were happy to learn the concept of forced savings in order to build their dreams and confirm real estate as a safe and viable investment for their hard-earned money” states Mendoza.
Many of the OF’s regard Ayala Land residential products as assets that increase the value of their investments and at the same time, respond to their dreams and lifestyle aspirations. “The company’s reputation of delivering with exceptional customer satisfaction precedes it and Ayala Land’s heritage has earned the trust of many Filipinos over the years” notes Mendoza.
“It was gratifying to share with our hard-working fellowmen that owning Ayala Land homes and enjoying its benefits are well within their reach once they put into play key principles of money management and discipline,” Mendoza explains, and adds that Ayala Land, with its 3 brands: Ayala Land Premier, Alveo and Avida, have projects in strategic areas in Metro Manila and key cities around the country which can cater to their various needs. Details of these projects can be accessed at www.ayalaland.com.ph
Knowing the investment’s value over time is very important in choosing a property. “We were proud to present to the European and Middle East markets how the track record of Ayala Land developments have proven that their values have grown by several folds through time” he added.
These days, property value is also influenced by the way the properties and the communities address the clamor for environmental sustainability. “Our counterparts in Europe are now more exposed to ‘green developments’ and are turning out to be discerning buyers who look for properties that come close to what they have become accustomed to in Europe. They want to walk about freely and bike to nearby shops and parks.