Taking a leap, living the dream

The author during the turnover of his condominium unit.

I have been living in my new condo for about a month now. I’m writing this from my new workstation, sipping a cup of coffee I just brewed at the kitchen and looking every now and then at the nightscape beyond the balcony window.

I’m in a better place now, I realize. It’s not as wide as the one I had been renting for nearly a decade or as near to a talipapa where I often like to go for fresh produce and the exhilarating tawaran. But it’s so much better lit and ventilated at 33 sqm.

It’s three blocks from the church where I worship, a couple of minutes from the shopping and nightlife mecca in Malate, and a few steps to an LRT station. It’s as “centrally located” as it gets. You don’t have to break a sweat to reach places you have or want to be from my tower.

There’s also something comforting about the fact that I pay regularly to ultimately own the place while enjoying the autonomy over what it contains. That last part I say because I now have a big ref that I have dreamt of owning since my elementary days.

To be frank, I never would have thought of taking up a condo unit until recently. I had never been known to swing big, plus I hadn’t been good with money, too. The few times I did think of owning a place in Manila, I possessed a different mindset—look for a house-and-lot property because you don’t really own a home if it isn’t on a piece of land.

New opportunities

The work station allows for the efficient handling of jobs and other tasks.

I would have continued to be in a rut, I reckon, if not for the work setups that emerged because of the pandemic and the lockdowns. I did not know I was good at the writing, the ideation, the planning, the teaching—until the pandemic opened up opportunities for me.

I found myself not only with a better disposition but also with a healthier financial state.

Where should the resources go, I asked myself in 2021, before hitting 30. I landed on real estate and was pleasantly surprised how fast everything went. Imagine settling the reservation fee and then moving within six months. A friend of mine scoffed when he found out that I bought a condo. He felt it wasn’t a liquid asset, but I told him I liked how it fit my take-it-slow personality.

Resiliency

The centrally located condominium allows the author to live comfortably and conveniently.

I have been dabbling in cryptocurrency and stocks, but the sudden dips there have made me feel down, too. In contrast, the local real estate industry has been resilient to recessions and has provided the immediate benefit of not having to pay rent. Plus, when push comes to shove, I can easily rent out my place to college students.

At the time I locked in the deal, a buyer’s market afforded me nice discounts. I also know from writing for Inquirer Property that these types of investments are an excellent inflation hedge, and that the Ermita-Malate locale is due for a facelift that will soon lead to capital appreciation.

If anything, I wish I had been more decisive so I could have claimed a unit with a view of Manila Bay. But I have two balconies providing a stunning view of the big city. One of them can also still reward spectators with a view of the iconic sunset—if they tilt their head in the right direction, that is.

Taking a leap

In taking this leap, I find myself making more mature decisions about my resources—less partying—and working hard with a clear direction in mind: make the amortization monthly, try paying the principal in advance, and officially own the condo in 10 years or less. I might try to seek those loans I’ve been refusing to get.

I still get anxious, yes, but not in a place I will never own in Sampaloc. I experience this in the warmth of my unit, beside my big ref and a hundred other things I own. I also have the option to take the elevator to the top of the building, where I breathe slow on the view deck, release the tension at the swimming pool, or sweat the feelings out in the gym.

I conclude this essay from the Batangas Pier, over 12 hours since I began writing and reflecting, en route to a speaking engagement among young people in Romblon. I don’t think I could speak to them with the same gusto if I hadn’t decided to get my own condo unit.