buying a condo or house and lot

If you buy early you could save a lot especially of you are going to buy a house/condo in the Laguna and Cavite area where the units are still being constructed. But you would have to consider where your children will be studying. Chances are you want them in the Quezon City area where Atene de Manila University and the University of the Philippines are located, or the univeversity belt where De La Salle Uniersity (Taft) and the University of Sto. Tomas are. If these are the Colleges/Universities you are considering, I would suggest buying a condo in the Metro Manila area, nearer to the schools for shorter commute time and traffic. If you prefer the Laguna (Carmona) and Cavite area, I would suggest a house and lot. Hope this helps!

I think it's better to buy now than when you 'need' it because real estates would never really go down but always up! Further, the thought that you're looking 'now' means that you have some money and can afford to do the payments or premiums. But of course it depends on how much you are willing to invest. Further, as for choosing between Condo and House and lot, these are far two different types of homes and of course it would be obviously more expensive to buy a house and lot than a condo unit in the area. There's also the thought of 'how many times are you there in the first place?' because there are maintenances that you need to consider when buying homes in another city. All in all, I think the budget is most important. I'd probably say that if you could well afford, you buy where it's nearer to the potential schools because if you buy in a location that is way way far, then there's no point because you'd have to rent apartments still for your kids when they go there for school because the home would be too far to go to and fro the school. However, there's also a point of 'do you really like living there?' because when my brother was doing his medical school he opted to rent nearer the school. The condo was fully furnished and had air conditioning and there was security in the building and the best part was the fact that it was walking distance. Was it worth it? Well, yeah though my father faced a monthly rent but at least when he was done, we didn't have anything to 'maintain' there anymore. Still I think it's important to weigh the facts and the preferences. But still in the end, it's all about the money.

hi! when looking for a place to stay in manila, some of the considerations are convenience, accessibility and cost. the closer you are to the metro the higher the cost is, but that's the trade-off you have to live with for the convenience and accessibility. where do your kids plan to study? perhaps it should be your starting point. if for example they would be going to ateneo de manila, the traffic will be a killer if you live in carmona, cavite. there are many housing projects just in the outskirts of the metro, challenge is the distance and traffic if your activities revolve in the metro itself. now, you won't find affordable houses in the heart of manila. so many people would opt for the convenience of condo units. but there isn't much of space unlike in the house. but it is still a good investment whether or not you decided to stay in it or rent it out 3 years from now. we have the same dilemma a few months ago. it took us a long time to decide between a house and a condo unit. finally, we got a condo. we were preparing for the summer for when our nephews and nieces would be on vacation. but while we were in the process of moving in, an expat approached us and really liked our unit and wanted to rent it out for 2 years and was prepared to advance the 1st year rental. the family is really nice so we had agreed to have it leased. that way, a big chunk of the investment was already taken cared of. now, we are once again in the look out for a nice place to invest in. but also to stay in this time. hehe just plan for now and weigh your options. in your case, time isn't really against you. goodluck!

I say you buy one now while prices are lower than wait 3 years from now when the prices would triple or quadruple. As to whether it is better to buy a house and lot or a condo... a house and lot is always a good investment however in the metro a house and lot is very expensive. But if you have the money and can afford to buy a house and lot in the metro go for it. But on the practical side a condo is a good choice if you have a limited budget. There are condos that are built for students and are located very close to the schools. It is already fully furnished.

That's a big decision. Well, I suggest that you should find for a place now instead of waiting after three years because the value of a property gets higher in time. You can find low rates in Cavite. However, it can be far from your daughters' school. You can search in other locations like Pasig or Rizal area. I suggest that you buy a house instead of a condo. In a house and lot, you have your own property. What will happen if the condo is old? I think the owner of the building will totally destroy it? What will happen to your money? Or if the condo crashed by the earthquake, where will you go? You can consider things like that.

i think go for a house. why? cause it's way safer. buy a house incavite but not in carmona. for me, i live in cavite, carmona is far. try here in dasmarinas but i could say that prices in dasma got higher since 2000 but it's really worth it. other good thing about dasma is that we do have a 2 la salle schools here, one for the medical courses and the other for those other courses. we also have lyceum, feu, eac campuses here. =)

I read where one family bought a house in a college town so that when their children went to college they would have a place to stay. They also rented out a couple of rooms to make the monthly payment and taxes. They had 4 children and they would be in college for a combined 12 years. At the end the parents would have a nice nest egg for their retirement.

I prefer buying a house and lot rather than a condo. Condo are usually leased for a specific period of time. After 50 years or so, the condo is not fit enough to be lived at by its owner. On the contrary, a house and lot is a wiser investment rather than a condo. Land prices acummulates in time while condos deteriorates. In your case, if you plan to live here in Cavite, buying a house and lot is much better than a condo. Their cheaper and you have a lot of model houses and developers to choose from.

This would really depend on the accessibility of your kids who needs to go to school. If they settle for a University within Metro Manila, then you would have to opt to get a condo since this is more accessible. However you also have to consider the rates and it would be best to start looking for one as early as now. Rates will definitely go high by the time they have graduated from High School. Plus the more that's near the city, the more expensive the property will be. A house and lot is also a good investment if your kids prefer to study somewhere in Cavite. Proximity should always be your main concern and it would be best to start searching for a place as early as now. Good luck on your house search! :)

house and lot ofcourse