Most Sought-After Locations for Properties in 2017

Global real estate website Lamudi unveils the most searched areas in the Philippines for the first nine months of 2017

Where do Filipinos want to live? Global real estate website Lamudi provides an answer to this question by looking at its online search data from the first nine months of 2017. Based from the choice of more than 11 million site visits, these are the preferred locations of online property hunters in 2017.

1. Quezon City

Metro Manila’s largest city (both in terms of size and population) is still the Philippines’ most popular city among property. According to Lamudi, Quezon City’s popularity can be attributed to the sheer volume of listings available, which number around 15,000 properties for sale and for rent. The city also has a number of high-ticket real estate projects in the pipeline, most notable of which include the city’s official CBD, Triangle Park. It is also noteworthy that some of its neighborhoods, including Cubao, Eastwood City, Commonwealth, and Fairview, are some of the most searched areas on the Lamudi platform.

2. Parañaque

The “City of Subdivisions,” southern Metro Manila’s Parañaque is the second most searched city on Lamudi for the first three quarters of 2017. Aside from its popular enclaves—including Merville Park, BF Homes, Multinational Village, and Better Living Subdivision—Parañaque is also home to the up-and-coming Entertainment City, where three of Metro Manila’s multibillion-dollar resort casinos are already operating.

3. Makati

At third spot is the Philippines’ business and financial capital, Makati. Although it may seem that people are looking further afield due to the city’s sky-high property prices, Makati remains a highly sought-after location, which is best demonstrated by a number of exciting projects, especially those outside its central business district (CBD) area. Some of the areas that are gaining attention include Brgy. San Antonio and Chino Roces Avenue, both of which now boast condo projects from some of the country’s biggest players.

4. Cebu

The Queen City of the South is the fourth most searched city for real estate during the first nine months of 2017. Its laidback ambiance complemented by modern conveniences is hard to resist, which entices many to invest or even relocate in the city. It is also worth noting that Cebu is perhaps one of the few cities outside Metro Manila that boasts a full-fledged, master-planned business district.

5. Las Piñas

Las Piñas is the fifth most preferred destination by property seekers. Like its neighbor to the north Parañaque, it boasts numerous gated communities catering to both affordable and high-end markets. The city also has a distinct residential feel that attracts many house-hunters and with transport infrastructure in the south rapidly developing, it will not be surprising to see many to start moving to Las Piñas soon.

6. Manila

Often overlooked, the City of Manila is a fresh entry to the top ten most searched city for real estate. However, considering the immense evolution that is expected to take place in the city, we can expect to see more and more people check out Manila for its real estate. Many condominiums and townhomes projects are currently in the pipeline, particularly those found along Taft Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, and even under-the-radar neighborhoods like Santa Ana. In addition, the city’s local government announced a reclamation project on Manila Bay to start soon. This makes Manila not just a good place to invest, but a city to watch out for in the coming years.

7. Pasig

Pasig is home to the eastern half of Ortigas Center—one of Metro Manila’s three most important business districts. Because of its strategic location, real estate choices in the city continue to surge up. Its property offerings are diverse, from office and commercial spaces and mid-end and upscale condos, to houses and townhouses in both high-end and mid-end gated communities. This makes Pasig a worthy top-of-mind destination when it comes to real estate investment.

8. Taguig

Taguig is home to Bonifacio Global City (BGC)—one of the most important business districts in the country. As the live-where-you-work concept is more appealing to homebuyers nowadays, Taguig is a popular choice among online property-seekers. Aside from BGC and McKinley Hill, other Taguig areas are also gaining popularity, including Brgy. Ususan, AFPOVAI Village, and Arca South, among others.

9. Santa Rosa

This Laguna city, located approximately 38 kilometers south of Metro Manila, offers some of the most highly sought-after properties outside the Philippine capital. Santa Rosa has a number of high-profile gated communities and mixed-use developments, including Ayala Land’s Nuvali, Cathay Land’s South Forbes, and Vista Land’s Sta. Elena City. The city is also well-connected to Metro Manila and the rest of CALABARZON via the South Luzon Expressway, while the upcoming Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALA) will make it high accessible from the Kawit Exit of the Manila–Cavite Expressway.

10. Antipolo

Located east of Metro Manila in Rizal Province, Antipolo is mostly known as a tourism hub and a pilgrimage site, but this year the city is getting much attention from property-seekers. This city, home to almost 780,000 residents, is the place to be for value-for-money properties for first-time homebuyers and starting families.

Lamudi Housing Fair 2017

Many real estate choices from the top ten most-searched cities on the Lamudi platform will surely be available at the upcoming Lamudi Housing Fair, slated this October 13–15 at Megatrade Hall 1, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. Exclusive property discounts, auctions of foreclosed properties, and home-buying and investment seminars are just some of the highlights of this year’s housing fair. For more information, visit www.lamudi.com.ph/housing_fair.

Online Tax Assistance Platform Taxumo is the First Digital Startup to Get Four-Year Tax Holiday from BOI

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As part of the government’s thrust to spur the digital startup industry and technological innovations in the Philippines, pioneering online tax assistance platform Taxumo was recently granted a four-year income tax holiday so it can focus its resources on growing its business. 

This recent move makes Taxumo the first digital startup firm approved by the Board of Investments (BOI) under the 2017 IPP (Investment Priorities Plan.) 

Taxumo is an easy online tax filing and payment web app that revolutionizes tax processing for Filipino solo entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, and freelancers. Says EJ Arboleda, Taxumo’s CEO: “We are grateful that the BOI has given the attention to Taxumo, which sets a precedent for the tech startup industry to get the support it needs to move forward, which in turn will generate jobs and ease business operations. We are proud to be leading the way for the industry.” 

“Digitalization is a great equalizer that levels the playing field among small and large firms. Adopting an innovation-led business model, like the integration of digital strategies and e-commerce, enables MSMEs to scale-up their status and become competitive in the long run,” Trade Secretary and BOI Chairman Ramon M. Lopez said. 

“We must effectively tap the potential of MSMEs as it forms a significant part in of our country’s growth resurgence and nurturing them not just as backbones of our economy but also one of the prime movers of both domestic and regional growth.” 

Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo said: “BOI supports entrepreneurial startups as an engine for economic development and as a key driver of economic diversification and job creation. While the Philippine start-ups sector is at a nascent stage, our large young internet-savvy population and growing economy make the country a hot-bed for technology-driven activities.” 

He stressed “the need to have a forward thinking mentality that is anchored on providing entrepreneurs and startups with the necessary support to start and grow right from the earliest stages of development.” 

Through Taxumo, users simply enter their income and expenses in the system regularly, which then provides real-time information on tax dues. 

The platform also autofills the relevant tax forms (BIR Form 2551M for Monthly Percentage Tax Payments, Form 1701Q for Quarterly Income Tax Payments, and soon, Form 1701 for Annual Income Tax Payments) with calculations based on the data entered by the user. 

From there, they can easily file and pay their tax dues online through Taxumo as well. Users can avail of paid subscription packages on the platform, depending on their needs.

 

See other tax return options here

Debunking Outsourcing Myths

Wazzup Pilipinas!Outsourcing is an emerging strategy used by many organizations today to keep their business operations efficient and profitable.

Outsourcing allows companies to assign certain business operations to outsourcing firms rather than accomplishing it internally, thereby, reducing manpower expenses and other operational costs without sacrificing operational efficiencies.
However, despite its obvious benefits, there are still some companies that do not yet fully appreciate the advantages outsourcing brings to a business. In fact, they often look at the practice as an added expense rather than an opportunity to cut costs. 

Prople, Inc., one of the leading business outsourcing companies in the country, lists some misconceptions about outsourcing and what are the truths behind these myths.

1.    Outsourcing can only reduce costs

Truth be told, outsourcing primarily reduces costs.  However, this is only one of its many benefits. Outsourcing also helps increase productivity because the personnel assigned to the task is usually highly trained for the job. This means that less or no training is needed for the task to be done. In the long run, it increases efficiency and productivity because it allows companies to focus on their core business instead of spending time, effort, resources and manpower on these processes.

2.    It saves money but the quality of the services are at risk

When a job is outsourced, it is assigned to a group of people with the prerequisite skills set. This means that the people working on the job are experts who know what needs to be done, thus, reducing the chances of poor work quality.

3.    Less management control over the specific task and results

Even if the job is outsourced, it doesn’t mean that clients have no control of the output or the outsourced staff. It is a standard among BPO firms to guarantee timely and specific deliverables ensuring that the integrity of the output is maintained and that the staff assigned perform at excellent levels at all times. Companies that outsource usually interface regularly to make sure that the quality of the work is sustained.

4.    SMEs cannot benefit from outsourcing

While outsourcing seems to be done mostly by large companies, what many don’t realize is that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can benefit better from outsourcing. Hiring people will mean that resources are allocated for salaries, benefits, and other mandatory government payments. Outsourcing takes away the need to pay the required salaries as the fees paid to an outsourcing firm are based on a specific set of deliverables. Once the task is completed, the costs discontinue.

5.    Outsourcing causes loss of jobs

BPOs cut down the workloads of an enterprise by accepting minor tasks, like for payroll and tax services among others. Instead of hiring people to work on these, a company may open other positions that will help them focus more on their business core. Furthermore, outsourcing opens up employment opportunities for people who prefer working on a per project basis.

Prople Inc. was established to assist local enterprises of any size. As one of the leading business processes outsourcing companies, it delivers proven, best-in-class methodologies and solutions to ensure their customers’ business stability and progress.

It is staffed by value-driven employees, such as accountants, auditors, project managers, business analysts, engineers and IT professionals, who are rich in adequate professional experiences that may help companies realize true benefits of outsourcing.

Overall, it aims to produce practical outputs including increase of efficiency, immediate start on new projects, control of capital costs, reduction of labor costs, maintaining the focus on the business core and preventing risks that threaten the success of enterprises, and these are what Prople, Inc. desires to provide.

For a complete list of Prople, Inc.’s services, kindly visit its website at https://www.propleinc.com/.