Rookie developer carves niche with ‘new beginnings’

A new beginning. A new home. A new lifestyle. A new level of quality and luxury for the hardworking Filipino.

As these bold promises are being mouthed off by a rookie player in the real estate industry, SOC Land Development Corp. is now bracing itself to meet such high expectations to be able to carve its own niche among a realm of well-established giants.

“I want to set that track record that I would give customers more than what the others are giving. The mid-market segment is the segment we felt was being underserved in terms of product quality, meaning the look and make of the building, and in terms of product planning and engineering,” reveals John P. Reyes, chief executive officer of SOC Land.

Teeming with players

Reyes admits that the Philippine real estate industry, when SOC Land was established in December 2010, was already teeming with players, both old and new, each of which having a handful of existing and upcoming projects that flooded the market.

SOC LAND board of directors: (from left) Brenda S. Reyes, VP Missy Castro, Belen Castro, Juan Miguel Reyes, John Paul Reyes, Justine Mercado and Edgardo Reyes

However, parent firm South China Resources decided to pursue the real estate business not only to enhance the company’s shareholder value, but  more importantly to fill in the need of Filipinos for better housing products.

South China Resources also expects its venture into the property sector to greatly contribute to the growth of the economy. Housing developments, according to Reyes, have big multiplier effects on the domestic economy, with every peso spent on building houses generating several more pesos in our gross domestic product. Also, more housing investments and production mean more jobs and sales for allied industries,” he adds.

And Reyes believes that SOC Land’s maiden offering, the 2.4-hectare resort-themed Anuva set to rise in Muntinlupa City, is well poised to fill in that housing gap and provide “affordable quality homes that will elevate the Filipinos’ lifestyle while keeping within their means.”

“We came in because we wanted to service the market better, so we decided to do a project that will stand out. That sounds like a marketing gimmick, but if you consider what we have done so far, like putting up a company in record time and starting to dig even before we started selling, that’s how we are proving to the market that we can finish what we started,” Reyes further explains.

WHAT is truly notable about SOC Land's Anuva is its 80-percent open-space provision.

According to Reyes, it was also practical for the company to go into property development, given its strong background and knowledge in construction. The developer’s access to the Puyat-Reyes group’s various related expertise and resources created a total synergy that will benefit even the most practical homebuyer.

“It was a culmination of our knowledge from the construction industry with regard to being the biggest supplier to this sector,” Reyes notes.

SOC Land is currently affiliated with construction materials manufacturers such as Puyat Steel Corp., International Pipe Industries Corp. (IPI) and Puyat Flooring Products Inc., makers of industry-leading APO brand of construction materials (APO Galfan, APO Floors and APO Pipes).

Resort-themed dev’t

COMPLEMENTING Anuva’s vast open space are world-class, ‘green’ lifestyle amenities.

Anuva (which is the Russian for “a new beginning”) is a mid-rise development on the east service road of South Luzon Expressway, giving future residents easy access to both Alabang and Makati central business districts as well as to major thoroughfares such as Edsa, Sucat Road and South Luzon Expressway.

The site of this resort-themed development has been carefully masterplanned in collaboration with some of the most seasoned architects and engineers in the country in a bid to maximize the natural surroundings and attend to the overall well-being of its residents.

80%, open-space provision

Reyes proudly stresses that what is truly notable about SOC Land’s maiden offering is its 80-percent open-space provision, which he points out, was way above the industry average of 50 percent and the mandatory 30 percent.

“Like I said I wanted to service the market which is not being serviced properly, so I decided to give them something nobody else gave them, which is 80-percent open space. We only built on 20 percent of the land,” Reyes says.

“The 80 percent open space is the key anchor and major consideration that I had because I know this is something that people can understand. No one else has given [Filipinos] this much open space—no else has done it,” he stresses.

Complementing Anuva’s vast open space are its world-class, “green” lifestyle amenities that will provide future homeowners an enjoyable and comfortable lifestyle. These include the 50-meter lap pool, lagoon and lake, themed parks and gardens, lazy river, a yoga meditation garden and Wi-Fi-ready units whose prices start at P1.5 million.

The development likewise features tandem-style, low-density 14- and 20-floor residential towers.

“Tandem-style building construction is an innovative architectural design which supports the medium-to-low density floor plan observed as one goes up the building. It comes with an average of 20 units per floor which is much less than the usual 75 rooms of other residential establishments,” Reyes explains.

‘Squarish’ layouts

Another feature unique to Anuva is the “squarish” configuration of its units, whether for a studio type, one-bedroom or two-bedroom layout.

“Compared to the typical rectangular condo units, Anuva’s squarish layouts will give future residents more room to explore and optimize their spaces and provide better ventilation as well,” he adds.

Reyes is bullish that by the time SOC Land has delivered all the units in Anuva, the company will be able to leave that mark it had hoped to carve in the mid-market segment of the local real estate industry—a responsible, able developer who can live up to its promise of providing Filipinos real value for their hard-earned money.

“Hopefully people would understand the value of what we are giving them as opposed to the value of their money elsewhere. Our philosophy really is if you serve the market better then the profits will come,” Reyes concludes.