Banking on strong partnerships to boost growth

Optimism in Philippine real estate remains high.

And there’s no other measure, really, than the continued growth in sales and leasing incomes among real estate developers and their aggressive expansion plans not only in key cities, but across towns and provinces bearing the potential to be the next property hotspot.

Sta. Lucia Land, for one, is developing thousands of hectares over the next several years.

“We will develop around 2,000 hectares of properties scattered all over the country in the next three to four years. These planned projects are located in Pangasinan, Dagupan City, Bulacan, Pasig City, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Iloilo, Silay City, Puerto Princessa Palawan, Cebu and Davao. At any point in time, we have over 40 projects ongoing,” said SLI president Exequiel Robles.

“We will also continue to go into joint ventures for projects covering some 1,000 hectares for this year alone. We target to tap current joint venture partners who are still huge landowners,” he added.

According to Robles, some of their new projects include Green Peak Heights in Palawan; Nasacosta in Batangas; La Alegria in Silay City, Negros; Sotogrande in Davao; Santorini in Cainta, Rizal; and the Sta. Lucia Business Center in Pasig City. These planned developments will add to the diversified portfolio of the company.

Strong partnerships

To date, trusted developer Sta. Lucia has over 210 projects across the country. Its strength lies on creating communities that continue to improve the lives of its residents. Providing good value to both investors and homebuyers, its developments range from resort inspired communities, golf courses and country clubs, condotels and lakeside communities.

To help market these new projects, Sta. Lucia is banking on its strong partnership with its marketing firms, as it knows all too well that to effectively reach its market and realize its goals, it has to have on board reliable partners that would share the company’s vision.

And these strong partnerships are what gave Sta. Lucia Land a good head start.

“While the company has long been creating high quality developments, we know that we need to work with people who understand our goals and share our vision,” Robles said. “For decades, Sta. Lucia has been forging strong and mutually beneficial partnerships with various marketing arms that help us reach our target markets and showcase our developments.”

These marketing arms include Santa Lucia Ventures, Sta. Lucia Global, Royale Homes, Orchard Property Marketing Corp., Mega East, Fil-Estate Group and Asian Pacific.

“Our marketing force is one of our key success drivers. It has over the years led us to who we are today and will continue to bring us to new heights. The success of our marketing units is also a function of other factors such as the location and quality of our projects,” Robles said.

Strong, relevant

These marketing arms have long been helping the company ensure that the brand remains a top-of-mind choice, tapping the underserved market and treading on new territories that allowed the company to gain access to a new breed of homebuyers and investors.

They have likewise helped Sta. Lucia cement its strong foothold in the market, and maintain its reputation as a credible and trustworthy developer. And such is the reason why, despite going though a number of boom-bust economic cycles, Sta. Lucia remained strong and relevant.

And as the brand continues to grow and evolve with an informed market, Sta. Lucia is optimistic that it remain relevant as its marketing firms are seen to lend the same kind of support that will help Sta. Lucia meet its targets for the year.

“We have seen it before and we are seeing it again: the market will continue to evolve and it needs will change. But one thing is certain, they will always need a good and valuable investment in their portfolio and this is where we come in with the help of our marketing people,” Robles related.

“They are the ones who will continue to deliver to our buyers the latest news about our projects. They are like brand ambassadors who know all our projects by heart. No one can better convey our message and the value of a Sta. Lucia investment than that of our own marketers,” he further said.

Robles added: ”We will remain steadfast and committed to our marketing partners in the same way that they are to the Sta. Lucia brand. And we look forward to further growing the brand, reaching for greater heights through their help. We will provide innovative, top quality developments, but it is them who will help spread the good news of our latest offerings to the market.”