Expo to entice first-time homebuyers

With 33 developers showcasing their latest projects and offering their most attractive discounts and freebies, expect Monday’s Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA) Housing Fair to turn out to be one of the most important events for Filipino homebuyers, especially those who will be purchasing for the first time.

Happening from Aug. 11 to 14 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City, the Housing Fair dubbed “Bring Home Your Dream” has also invited suppliers, banks and financial institutions, as well as government agencies to help families and individuals process their applications more quickly.

SHDA national president Ricky Celis said: “The fact that we need to produce an average 200,000 housing units every year up to 2030, this housing fair serves as an important event to entice the market. This four-day event should convince the market that it’s a good time to buy a home.”

Welcoming expo exhibitors and guests will be Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) secretary general Celia Alba, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) Commissioner Antonio Bernardo, Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF or better known as Pag-Ibig) vice president Juanito Eje, and Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) EVP Eduardo Manicio.

“This event is a great chance for our homebuyers to get the best deals considering a number of the country’s most trusted names in the industry as well as a number of the exhibitors will be providing exclusive offerings to those who will visit their booths,” assured SHDA chair Paul Tanchi.

Participating

Aside from Amaia Land and SM Development Corp., among the participating developers are: Axeia Development Corp., Citihomes Builders Development Inc., Cityland Development Corp., DMC-Urban Property Developers Inc., PA Alvarez Properties Development Corp., Prominence Property Development Corp., Robinsons Homes Inc.

Also participating in the Housing Fair are Avida Land, Bellavita, Vista Land, Cathay Land, Charles Builders, DDC Land, DMCI Homes, CHMI Land Inc., Federal Land, Filinvest, Hausland Development Corp., Honeycomb Builders, New Apec Development Corp., PA Metro Residence Builders Inc., PDB Properties Inc., Solar Resources Inc. and Welmanville.

Partners

Other partners joining the expo include Davies Paints, World Home Depot, Excel Roof Coil Coatings Inc., Flexboard/Eterton Multi-Resources Corp., Holcim Philippines Inc., Steeltech; Home Mutual Development Fund, Malayan Bank and VTT Manufacturing Corp.

“From this list, our homebuyers will realize that we have gathered all the major stakeholders. Our members and partners are all set to help them get their first if not their dream homes,” said SHDA public relations officer Christopher Narciso.

According to Celis, ensuring families that they live in safe, decent homes need to be tackled decisively now as they are expected to become much harder to solve in the future. “Based on the study commissioned by SHDA, and conducted by the Center for Research and Communication of the University of Asia and the Pacific, the country needs to focus more on the economic housing segment, which accounts for 41 percent of the total demand as well as on the socialized housing, which accounts for 25 percent.”

Celis added: “Through close collaboration with agencies like Pag-Ibig, HLURB and the Board of Investments, SHDA aims to address housing backlog issues such as affordability and accessible end-user financing. This is in line with the Philippine Housing Roadmap’s requirement for a comprehensive government housing subsidy for specific segments, with these agencies playing key roles.”