Acquiring your own home in today’s market

Homebuyers must take time to enjoy the experience of buying their dream home.

It’s the ultimate goal: to someday acquire a property you can call your own home.

For some, it could be a residential condominium, right smack in the middle of the city, near the hustle and bustle of the malls and offices where all the business and action happen. Others may want the exact opposite: a serene location, away from the noise, traffic and pollution of the of the city. The rest may want a compromise of both. Regardless of your preference, there are plenty of choices within Metro Manila.

If you happen to be in the market today, what’s the best way to start looking for that perfect home for you? With the countless number of developers with residential projects sprouting left and right, there’s an abundance of choices to choose from. You could opt to purchase a pre-selling or finished unit from an established developer or you could just simply build your own house.

There are certain advantages in buying from large scale developers. They have great installment and pre-selling plans that may fit your budget. Also, they do all the thinking for you.

You simply view a model unit and choose from the number of options they have prepared for you, make the necessary payments and you’re done. No wasted time, headaches and effort. Just make sure you do the necessary research of choosing the best developer who will follow through if you’re buying a pre-selling unit.

But if you’d rather build your own house, there are a couple of ways to go about it. You could look for a pre-owned property, and renovate it to suit your taste and needs, or you could simply start from scratch and purchase a vacant lot or bare unit and build everything to your exact liking and even add your personal touch.

Boutique developers create homes that cater to the specific lifestyle of a discerning homebuyer.

Either way, make sure to consult and hire the right professionals who have adequate knowledge for the task. Choosing to build your own home may seem daunting at first, but with the right people for the job, it could be an enjoyable and memorable experience as well.

So what then if you find yourself in a situation wherein you want the ease of purchasing  a property from a large scale developer, but you also want the personalized touch of building your own unique home less the risks and headache?

This is where pocket developers like me enter the scene. Builders like me have a number of ready-for-occupancy houses that are unique and cater to different tastes—not the cookie cutter development you’d usually see from the larger companies. Here, you have the best of both worlds so to speak.

Whichever route you pursue, remember to just take your time and enjoy the experience. It’s not every day you purchase your dream home.

The author is a licensed architect, who’s in the business of design and construction since 2006. He is currently employed and a shareholder of his family corporation, PPRC Development Inc., since 2006. He has so far built and sold 39 houses in the last 12 years.