With a volatile world economy, investors are returning to the basics. The two most fundamentally valuable commodities in the world are gold and land and the Philippines has land for sale, the type of land people want, the type of land people dream of.
Real estate in the Philippines has become a hot commodity in recent years, but there is not alot of real estate investment advice.
While 30 years of stable governing and economic growth may not be enough to convince some investors to reap the rewards of putting their money into land that is regularly cliched "paradise," for others, 30 years is almost a lifetime and -- to them -- the opportunity to further their financial standing and asset acquisition with some of the most beautiful property in the world simply can't be missed. Flipping properties in the Philippines can be lucrative if done correctly.
However, there are some issues you should be aware of before you invest your money in the purchase of property in the Philippines. In a single sentence, you need to understand the value of the property. Property value is a tricky notion, but there are simple questions your should ask before making a committment.
The first thing you need to find out is whether or not the property has utilities: electricity & water. To many foreigners, this sounds like an obvious statement, but it's not. Often times, the most beautiful properties you find are without utilities and the mistake of purchasing one can cost you, financially, dearly.
If your financial situation will never leave you wanting and you never plan to sell the property, land without access to utilities is not a problem. However, if you are investing in a property, there is actually nothing more valuable than utilities, not a view, not vegetation, not open space, not access to local areas of interest... nothing is more valuable than utilities. The value of a property is increased two, three, or even four times as much if it has utilities.
The next thing you need to consider is the property itself. The most important thing you can ask yourself about the property is in regard to the gradient. You may purchase a property thinking that -- even though it's on a steep hillside -- the view is so wonderful you will be able to sell it for twice the price you bought it for.
This is a mistake. There is a reason banks and lenders reduce the value of one portion of a property in relation to another by up to 90% when one is flat and the other is on an incline. Property value is based on usable land. If thegrade of a property is too steep, the odds or you flipping your real estate drop dramatically.
Similar to the question of gradient, you need to ask yourself about usable property. In most countries around the world, the Philippines included, there are non-use buffers around bodies of water. In other words, if the property you are looking to flip has water on or around it, you need to make certain that it's not at risk of falling prey to the laws of eminent domain. Similar to the laws of eminent domain in the United States and Europe, in the Philippines the government owns the land within 15 meters of a river, even if the river runs through the center of your property.
In reality, the issues are rather common sense issues. If you've dealt with real estate purchases in the past, you'll more than likely be fine. However, thinking that common sense doesn't apply in the Philippines is an error! If you don't have common sense, don't worry, most people don't. Those of those that don't have common sense have something else to fall back on: bank property evaluations. In other words, apply for a loan even if you're not looking for one. That will lead to you paying a bank to pay an engineer to tell them what the value of the property is and in turn they will tell you.
Bank property evaluations are also a great idea if you are flipping houses in philippines!
