MANILA, Philippines - Schools are no longer the sole mainstays of Manila’s famed University Belt—residential condominiums also now dot the vicinity, as living within the area has become increasingly practical for students who have to attend college for a couple of years. The district also has transformed into a commercial hub to serve the huge academic population, making land values in the areas highly lucrative.
Becoming a University Belt resident may be as easy as renting an apartment or condo unit near school, but for property developer Torre Lorenzo Development Corp. (TLDC), investing in a home to call one’s own—a fully furnished one at that—is even better.
The company is making this possible through Torre Central, a 30-story residential condominium rising along Galicia St. near University of Santo Tomas (UST). Students can ease into their new independent life easily and conveniently, choosing among 400 fully furnished studio and one-bedroom units ranging from 16 to 30 square meters and 26 to 35 sqm, respectively.
According to TLDC sales and marketing head Joey Zamora III, each Torre Central unit will feature a kitchen with stovetop, rangehood, cupboard and stainless sink. There is a drying cage area for laundry. All units also have an aircon, intercom, doorbell, cable TV and Wi-Fi. One-bedroom units will even have dining sets.
Apart from affordable down payment and amortization, the project provides overall value “because we are fully furnished while the others are not,” adds Zamora. “Parents of students won’t be bothered bringing furniture.”
A condo home in Torre Central is within reach but is sure to be a growing investment. The down payment for a studio unit comes to around P12,000 a month, at par with other condo units in the area, according to Zamora.
With TLDC’s brand of reliable, in-house property management, one’s unit at Torre Central will surely keep and even increase its value in years to come. TLDC is known for its efficient property management as shown in its earlier 1 and 2 Torre Lorenzo developments near De La Salle University along Taft Avenue, Manila.
“We do our own management of properties to keep their value years down the road. The value of the property stays consistent and does not go down,” says TLDC president Tomas P. Lorenzo.
He enumerates additional reasons why choosing a home in Torre Central for one’s children is a wise proposition in these times when the property market is booming.
For one, the convenient and complete lifestyle is incomparable. The building will have relevant commercial establishments in the ground and second floors, similar to the merchant mix found in 1 Torre which features a hip Starbucks café, and 2 Torre which boasts of a Fully Booked branch.
Three floors will be devoted to parking space, while another floor will house the amenities, such as a swimming pool with shower and toilets, function halls, study hall, lounge and gym. A half-size basketball court will even be available in the roof deck.
Torre Central is scheduled for completion by 2017. It is designed by veteran architect Jose Pedro C. Recio, who is also behind the architecture of Shangri-la Boracay, Shangri-la Mactan, LKG Tower and other notable commercial buildings and resort facilities in the country. TLDC has partnered with Whiteport Inc. as the building contractor and Arknet Inc. as project manager. For more details on Torre Central, call 310-5906 or visit www.torrecentral.com.ph