Forging partnerships for progress

Canopy trees along the Altaraza commercial district provide a refreshing respite for the community

An integrated, sustainable estate can help cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships in innumerable ways.

While an estate, with its diverse mix of uses, can give companies a distinct, considerable leverage, businesses and investors can meanwhile drive progress and provide value within that community. As the estate ensures greater foot traffic and provide certain levels of accessibility and convenience for its locators, so too can businesses ensure the sustained growth and development of this integrated district over the long term.

Essentially, the value of estates is largely defined by the kind of symbiotic relationship created and nurtured between the property developer and its locators, paving the way for the rise of a truly healthy, sustainable and integrated built environment.

The 105-ha Altaraza is the first masterplanned mixed use estate in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

Value of estates

Simplicio de Guzman, Waltermart Malls VP and GM for Business Development

One cannot thus underscore enough the value of this symbiotic relationship, so much so that even the more established, highly successful businesses continue to find value in locating their stores or headquarters in integrated communities by reputable developers.

Take the case of community malls pioneer WalterMart. In choosing new locations for its stores, Waltermart does not only consider the population and demographics of the area—it also ensures that it has the right partner who shares its corporate values and culture.

And that right partner, according to WalterMart, is Ayala Land Inc. Hence, it is building its latest shopping center within the 105-hectare Altaraza, the first masterplanned mixed use estate in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan. It is confident that its prime location in ALI’s latest estate will allow it to achieve its goal of bringing affordable and quality products and services to a bigger community.

“I think it is important to partner with a company like Ayala Land who has a proven track record, not only in the real estate development industry but in many aspects of business,” said Simplicio de Guzman, vice president and general manager for business development of WalterMart Malls.

WalterMart has already resumed the construction of its shopping center at Altaraza, which is poised to open in the first half of 2022. It expects to open three new malls by the last quarter of the year while in the pipeline is a new WalterMart supermarket which will rise within ALI’s 11-ha pocket development in Quezon City called The Junction Place. Meanwhile, most of its shopping mall developments around Luzon, including those in Metro Manila, are also back in full swing, underscoring the company’s confidence that the property industry’s long-term growth trajectory will remain resilient.

Artist perspective of ALI’s The Junction Place in QC

Upside potential

“Investment in real estate is always long-term. Investors have to make sure that they have the stamina and enough liquidity to stay long. But compared with other assets, real estate could still be considered the best investment given the capital appreciation and possible cash flow opportunities it offers,” explained Roy Golez Jr., director for research and spokesman for Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC).

Golez cited in particular the tremendous upside potential of commercial lots mainly because their primary use is for business purposes. Commercial lot owners will also find multiple options to maximize their property investment, as long as they watch out for certain criteria, including the apparent in-migration of population; availability and quality of labor; well-developed infrastructure; development strategy and governance of the local government unit; telecommunications connectivity; masterplanned developments with fully-supported long-term vision; and growth in property values.

“Real estate remains a viable investment option in most situations, most especially now. We have seen how the property sector corrects and recovers after crises, with values appreciating over time,” Golez explained. “I have always viewed real estate as a ‘store of value.’ A look at the lot prices over the years will show the tremendous value growth of real estate. Capital value appreciation growth is real in commercial lots.”

To learn more about commercial investment opportunities in Ayala Land estates, visit Ayalalandestates.com.