For international property markets, transparency is key

The author said PropertyAccess’ partnership with Inquirer allows them to be part of this push for transparency and strength in the local property market.

At PropertyAccess, the main thing we’ve learned from advanced property markets is that transparency is key to success. If international buyers and investors feel that information on potential challenges about a property are being held back, they will abandon it without a second thought.

Conversely, an atmosphere of transparency and consultation creates a thriving local market, where informed investors and buyers feel confident to invest in properties due to easy access to pertinent data.

Experienced international property investors are adept at cutting through the spin and marketing glitz to really hone in on the real value and metrics of local properties.

Property investors from advanced markets, like the Japanese, are discerning. They are all about numbers, yield, and outcomes. These informed investors and buyers will encourage property developers to build better developments and create improved documentation and sales processes that will eventually elevate the local property scene.

The fact that PropertyAccess has sold over $80 million worth of Philippine property to Japanese investors over the past 18 months is proof that the Philippines is a property market that really caters to international investors.

Our partnership with the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Property Section has contributed to this in a significant way, as it allowed us to transport the external validation and viewpoint of the local property market to foreign investors through its newspaper and website.

As one of the top newspapers in the country for 36 years now, the Inquirer has established itself not only as a real authority on property in the local market, but also a robust champion of the industry in regional Southeast Asia.

Our goal has always been to provide true insights about the behavior and trends in the regional property market.

Our information comes directly from foreign buyers who have chosen to invest in the Philippine market. And because the Inquirer values transparency, especially when it comes to business insights, the data we get is intact; it is not watered down nor window dressed. This, in turn, allows us to collaborate more easily because we have the same goal in mind.

When we write our insights, we carefully consider the present state of the local property market and what we believe may be done to improve it based on global trends and behavior. That the Inquirer encourages us in this goal is a testament to the integrity of the team, and the vision of the paper in general.

The real estate industry is one of the oldest institutions in the world. However, this doesn’t mean that its players have to be mired in old practices and traditions. The emergence of the digital age has given everyone access to huge amounts of data and information regarding … well, everything and anything!

This is the same for property investors and seekers. And with more countries relying on property as a linchpin of their economy, competition between countries is heating up.

As we all know, not everything you read on the internet is true. Some countries and markets attempt to paper over the cracks in their local property markets with obfuscation and glitz. Thankfully, the Philippines is not one of those markets, and we thank the Inquirer and its wonderful team for allowing us to contribute toward being part of this push for transparency and strength in the local property market.

Happy anniversary, PDI!

The author is a start-up professional with over 18 years of experience running agencies and technology companies in Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. He now works with PropertyAccess