How do you feel about condos in the Philippines?

[manofthecoldland]

I would think it is a matter of trade-offs, and deciding what your highest priorities are in the life-style you wish to achieve here. 

Some prefer living in a sky box with western amenities, accessed with elevators, above the noisy fray. I assume that they value escaping from noise pollution, insect bites, hot & humid air, and choosing their social interactions carefully. They like having a pool perhaps and a convenient access to a  gym, shopping, dining and quality medical services. In other words, a Western lifestyle that may be available at a lower cost (usually sans a private automobile)..

Others prefer being immersed  in the more natural world of the tropics, living within or alongside the common culture here more fully with instant access to all the little things that make the PI so different from western lifestyles. Easier to access if you rent or build a house, or rent an apartment in a Provincial capital area. These smaller cities have airports, malls, decent medical, as well as easier access to rural vistas and areas, including a number of nearby beach resorts, restos, etc.  As mentioned in other posts, the ex-pat population may be quite low..... which some prefer.

As Queenie O, mentioned, if having pets and gardening are important to you, a non-condo situation may be more appealing.  She also mentioned the fact that family situations are important. Actually, I have found that having desirable  family and friends nearby is essential to my wife's well being, and how she navigates through her culture. Interdependence is a necessity for most Pilippinos.  In western societies we strive for total individual operational independence and are proud when we achieve it. You can achieve financial independence here, but it comes with social costs sometime. Not  for some, but in our case, we derive meaning from being selectively involved in the lives of others here. 

I enjoy living in our own small house.... which needs constant maintenance, but I personally do nothing. An older couple who live nearby provide our family trike service, do laundry, cook the dog food, do house and yard repairs with the aid of adult nephews, etc. when needed at small financial cost. They are like our extended family. Real family lives in near-by barangays and we call upon them as needed. This may not be possible with condo living. 

For me it would be a matter of social engagement lifestyles when choosing between condo living and living in a small, community centered house.  My wife would probably wither and wilt if we lived in a condo.   

[Tommy T.]

I think a lot of it has to do with personal tastes that a person may have had for most of their lives?

I grew up in suburbia of two large cities. I always liked the relative privacy of a home vs. condo or apartment. As many have already pointed out, three of the main points are location, location, location. I have also lived in apartments and stayed in condos. For me, they are okay, especially with the many conveniences that some offer.

RBM is very correct that there are hassles with building a home - ours are minimal, but it took a lot of time and effort to get to this point. Perhaps, in another several years, I may change my tune. But, at least for now, I am okay and prefer living in our own home with our own property to play with.

I forgot to mention that, although I appreciate the conveniences of condo ownership, I really would prefer to never own or live in one due to total construction issues (that may or may not become and issue) and the fact that I would always be sharing the property with - how many - other tenants/owners... But, similar issues can also cloud ownership of a stand-alone home on property... So, I am not stuck on one idea or another...

Edited May 17, 2021 by Tommy T.

[Queenie O.]

58 minutes ago, RBM said:

Nice subject Gandang Smile, guess I can express a view given that I built and lived in a new house and now in a condo unit.

Its without doubt nice feeling to enjoy the ownership of a house and lot. How ever.....the work never stops, always something to repair or maintain, never ending. Its unlike the West where one builds....buys new and has next to no issues. We tried our best not to skimp, used better materials and supposedly the correct guys.....Still the issues kept popping up. Was always a hassle to find labour to help with the grounds, lawns and so on. As one ages, it becomes more and more of a burden.

Fast forward, the last 2 years have been very happy over all with living in a shoe box.  Going from a large house with lovely gardens to the shoe box was not the drama I expected at all. My time now is my own, swimming, tennis, hiking what ever, can do at any time. No lining up to pay bills, all done through the office. So many pluses. OK we do have a lovely little terrace (now turning into a hydroponic garden) with lovely trees to look at, super quiet  and great location. 

The one issue I would point out, if one was unfortunate enough to have noisy neighbours  this would be a large  problem, especially if involving young kids. We do not have (at the moment) this problem, if so it would change my whole perspective.

I agree RBM--maintaining a house and garden really is a commitment in time and effort here! Luckily for me. my husband happily does the "lion's share" of the work here.

[Queenie O.]

35 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I think a lot of it has to do with personal tastes that a person may have had for most of their lives?

I grew up in suburbia of two large cities. I always liked the relative privacy of a home vs. condo or apartment. As many have already pointed out, three of the main points are location, location, location. I have also lived in apartments and stayed in condos. For me, they are okay, especially with the many conveniences that some offer.

RBM is very correct that there are hassles with building a home - ours are minimal, but it took a lot of time and effort to get to this point. Perhaps, in another several years, I may change my tune. But, at least for now, I am okay and prefer living in our own home with our own property to play with.

Agree Tommy,

Most of our adult life in the States, we rented an apartment in a small city. We were lucky to have garden space, but it was still happy, but limiting.

Since building and living in our place in Cebu, I truly enjoy it every day. Seems/is worlds away from our previous life!

[Old55]

A condo could be rented out when not occupied. Not sure how practical this would be but it is possible. 

[Snowy79]

Having lived in a house and 3 condos for me condos win every time. Again it's down to location.  One condo was in Manila, shoe box size and no natural light but deadly quiet and great for restaurants etc if you are into that thing. Rental at 19k per month

Next was a house which was huge and had an acre or two of gardens which were maintained by a caretaker. Way too big for what I needed but very cheap rent at 15k per month but you could only sit outside in the early morning and as the sun went down and at night due to the heat. Great if you like basura burning nearby and videoke, cockerels and attempted burglarlies as happened twice in just over a year.

Finally I bought my own condo at a bargain price inside a resort on Boracay.  Only 3 floors and mine is top floor, built on a hill surrounded by jungle and well maintained tropical gardens with two pools and a jacuzzi. Zero burning, dogs, cockerels or videoke. Hardly use air con as the island is so narrow and the wind blows constantly, bright, airy and ideal size at 64 sqm for two adults and a rug rat. Overheads are only about 5k that includes water, electricity and management fees which cover insurance, security and maintenance.  All modern conveniences on my doorstep. You couldn't book one night in the resort for what I pay per month.

[Explorer]

10 hours ago, Shady said:

As you know there's no "jointly", this is the only reason condos are so popular, because the one and only benefit over a house in a nice village (not province) they have is you can own it in your own name.

I don't think so, just by counting the number of Mercedeses and BMWs in my Cebu condo parking, I am sure many of their filipino owners can afford buying houses and put them in their own name, but they still prefer to live in a condo. Condo lifestyle has many benefits over living in a house, it is a matter of personal decision.

Edited May 17, 2021 by Explorer

[Freebie]

Im in a great condo in centre of Makati. Im on my 3rd condo and the last two both did quite well in terms of appreciation.

To counter the effect of living in limited space ( mine is 125 sq metres only ) we travel and rent houses/villas etc by airbnb so we get some space.

Condos provide convenience but they come with limitations. The biggest plus is that its in MY NAME so selling is relatively  easy ( though when you actually sell them there is amass of documentation required and incredible number of forms and contracts to sign ..)

Owning a house will always require maintenance because of the sun rain and wind and poor workmanship generally. In condo I just call someone to something fixed.

in a house, when you go away, everyone knows and thereby a risk of theft increases. Condo, I just lock and go .

Its whatever works for you.

When covid is under control, I will buy another condo in an area i like in UK as staying full time in Philippines is tiring and a change of scenery is always good to get away from the occasional chao of here. And again, it will be a condo purely for convenience as a house requires more attention and time  that I can give it.

 

[hk blues]

4 minutes ago, Freebie said:

Its whatever works for you.

 

 

Exactly.

I've done Condo living in Hong Kong and the UK, and house in the UK and here.  Both had significant pros and cons over each other and the pros in one condo were also the cons in another (noise for example) - same for houses.  We chose a house here simply because it represented much better value for money in terms of space and location but that won't be the case everywhere. If you have kids, a house probably fits the family's needs better, if not then the space advantage a house has won't be as relevant.

Very much horses for courses. 

[Tommy T.]

4 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

Finally I bought my own condo at a bargain price inside a resort on Boracay.  Only 3 floors and mine is top floor, built on a hill surrounded by jungle and well maintained tropical gardens with two pools and a jacuzzi. Zero burning, dogs, cockerels or videoke. Hardly use air con as the island is so narrow and the wind blows constantly, bright, airy and ideal size at 64 sqm for two adults and a rug rat. Overheads are only about 5k that includes water, electricity and management fees which cover insurance, security and maintenance.  All modern conveniences on my doorstep. You couldn't book one night in the resort for what I pay per month.

Hey  Snowy... I appreciate greatly what you relate about your condo in the resort...

Not to sound like I am raining on your parade, but... Did you not complain bitterly about the leaky roof that the manager could/would not fix? Or have I mixed up some posts here? And some plumbing issues with cement used to fix water leaks rather than using proper fittings? That is very possible...if so...sorry... I just want to make sure the truth is told...