AS we hold our breath awaiting the pronouncements of the President during the state of the nation as it pertains to housing, at least 2,000 plus homes will have to be built every day over the next six years if the new administration intends to address the massive housing backlog of close to 6 million.
Late last year the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, took place in Quito, Ecuador, from was the first UN global summit on housing and urbanization since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Here in the Philippines, the very first affordable-focused housing event organized by leading property web site Lamudi Philippines was well received by Filipinos who want to fulfill one of their dreams: obtaining affordable housing.
On behalf of Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, her chief of staff, Undersecretary Philip Francisco Dy, delivered her speech tackling housing affordability, one of the most sensitive shelter issues in the country at present.
The event was graced by representatives from key government agencies and property developers. The ribbon cutting and housing affordability panel discussion headed by Undersecretary Philip Francisco Dy; Pag-IBIG Vice President Elmer Tugade; managing partner and head of the urban-planning team of Palafox Associates, Karmi Palafox; and Lamudi Managing Director Bhavna Suresh Chathambeth.
CNN Philippines anchor Ruth Cabal hosted and moderated the opening program and discussion and dissected housing affordability issues, including a discussion on existing laws, strategies to overcome the housing challenge, and its impact to the country.
“To be part of the solution of making real estate affordable and accessible to all is maybe one of the biggest contributions that we have made for the industry, in particular, and to the country, in general. This is only a first and we will continue to move and shake Philippine real estate,” Suresh said.
Home ownership continues to be an elusive achievement for the majority of Filipinos, and this can be attributed to various factors, including the sheer inaccessibility of government housing, projects, poor quality of socialized housing and insufficient financial assistance. Another major factor is the lack of information of what is readily available for the affordable market. This is what the Lamudi Affordable Housing Fair successfully addressed: made affordable housing for all achievable by showcasing a wide range of affordable homes and sharing valuable investment information.
Lamudi also introduced an enjoyable house-hunting experience through their event. The fair is staged not only to display affordable housing options but to let buyers take advantage of exclusive property discounts and get exciting freebies and promos.
Key national shelter agency Pag-IBIG Fund and the Social Security System (SSS) are also represented in the fair. Both provided important details on various government programs and benefits related to housing that all Filipinos can avail themselves of. Likewise, both agencies took part of the two-day real-estate enrichment seminars offered in the fair. The SSS provided a seminar detailing foreclosed properties investment guide on the first day, while the Pag-IBIG Fund talked about how to finance a property.
Union Bank and Philippine Investment Two (SPV-AMC) auctioned their foreclosed properties on the event.
Furthermore, aside from bringing developers that offered affordable housing together in one roof, the fair also tapped the best real-estate professionals who shared updated and vital investment and real estate information to interested attendees. Day One tackled about Growth Market Opportunities discussed by Mikko Barranda, associate director of Leechui Property Consultants; Investment Guide on Pre-Selling Condos by Jake Loria, founder of therealestategroupphilippines.com; Real Estate Investing Options discussed by Gary Hablero, president and CEO of GH Heritage; and Selling Properties Online by Lamudi Managing Director Bhavna Suresh.
The second day, on the other hand, featured forums such as the Philippines’s Property Outlook by Joey Bondoc, research manager of Colliers International; buying your first home seminar talked about by Gabriel Dominguez, president of Green Circle Realty; rent-to-own properties buying guide and renting versus buying seminars discussed by Rem Ramirez of Philippine Institute of Real Estate Service; and Ryan de la Cruz of Ferden Realty.
The housing fair showcased the best value-for-money properties and offered exclusive property discounts to home hunters. Exciting raffle prizes, giveaways and activities are also up for grabs at the event. Zalora, Lazada, Uber, FoodPanda, Kickstart Coffee and On Board Café are just some of the sponsors who added more fun and convenience in home hunting.
Technology-assisted services such as virtual reality in real estate and home loan calculators were available at the event and, likewise, added ease to the home-buying experience of fair attendees.
Forty developers and brokerage partners were part of the affordable housing fair. 100 plus units were sold over the course of two days amounting to over 250 million in sales revenue. Twenty units were sold during an hour of auction alone. More than 6,000 property buyers from different walks of life attended the two-day event.
The quest for the elusive new home, the holy grail of most families in the Philippines no longer need be an arduous journey when key stakeholders come together and technology come together to address our housing backlog, one house at a time.