More and more US-based Filipinos are enjoying the benefits of rapid appreciation of US home prices and declining interest rates.  Some mortgage their homes to get a loan and use the money to buy houses, condominiums or other properties in the Philippines.

 Being the eldest in the family and an interior designer by education, my relatives abroad have assigned me find potential properties that will fit their lifestyle – just the way they do in the US.  Some would need me to find a retirement home; others would like a vacation house of their own so relatives would not have to go through the hassle of finding them a room in the house, especially if the whole family is coming over!

 Housing communities have started to blossom in the South of Metro Manila: from Parañaque all the way to Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and from Alabang going to Cavite.  Among my personal favorites is Brittany Bay, La Posada, whose neo-Victorian home takes me back to the lovely San Francisco (minus the chilly breeze and the Golden Gate Bridge!)  Brittany Bay is the first and only bay side address with the best views of the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Laguna de Bay.  This is located near the Sucat exit of the South Luzon Expressway. 

Another favorite of mine is the Courtyards of Portofino in Alabang.  A house and lot package renders romantic, lovely and elegant Italian living.  The allure of the property finds artful touches with cobblestones accenting the roads along with flowers in terra cotta pots.

 Ayala Land’s Westgrove Heights has a splendid and far-reaching area of over 400 hectares of groves, hills and valleys covered by thousands of Mango trees in Silang, Cavite.  Westgrove Heights is the favorite of retirees for its serene surroundings, security, and cool fresh air.  While Ayala Greenfield Estates in Calamba, Laguna provides a breath taking view of the Laguna de Bay and the Makiling mountain range in addition to a golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II.

 Recently, there have been plenty of changes along the South Luzon Expressway – as more and more commercial establishments like fast foods, restaurants, and gasoline stations are built.  More houses in gated, resort-style subdivisions are finding its way in every exit.  Even institutional structures like hospitals (Asian Hospital and Ospital ng Muntinlupa) and schools (like Brent, St. Scholastica’s College-Westgrove, De La Salle University Canlubang, and Don Bosco School) are located.

Although I had my personal preference, there was only one place that felt really like home – it’s the exotic Asian Balinese architecture of Verdana Homes in Mamplasan (by Community Innovations).  The place is a reminiscent of the landscapes and the design of Greenbelt 3 in Makati that won the Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence in San Francisco, California.

 The location is ideal to my parents, siblings and to me as everything important to us is within our reach.  Leisure is just around the corner:  Enchanted Kingdom, Tagaytay, Los Baños, and etc.  Even the airport is just a brief drive away!  We also liked the reasonable prices (generously-sized lots are ranging from 180-500 sqm and starts at around 1.8million pesos) and payment schemes.

 Filipinos abroad have heir own reasons for buying properties in the Philippines.  Many want to retire here in the company of family, friends and helpers!  It really makes sense as US pension goes a long way in the Philippines. Some, who visit the Philippines regularly, look for a condominium at the heart of Metro Manila.  These condos are usually close to malls, and public transport and may be conveniently locked and forgotten when they’re away.  For those of means, it may be another vacation home, a fruit of many years of hard work in the land afar.

 Whatever the reason is, it is always nice to come home.

Some images from
http://www.brittany.com.ph, http://www.asianhospital.com and http://www.ayalamalls.com.ph