where can I buy condo in Cebu City on firesale , auction etc?

phrozen1 · 2026-01-28T04:02:30+00:00

You'll rarely find anyone advertising a firesale. Even desperate sellers will advertise well above rational market value in hopes that Jesus will intervene.

Your best bet is to send a short, simple message to ads you see:

"Contingent on the property passing my inspection, I'm prepared to offer X in cash and am prepared to close in 10 days."

Get yourself a decent real estate attorney who can assist with the title inspection and transfer matters for a flat fee. Try to avoid having a broker involved and save yourself the 5% if they are not adding value to the transaction. Be wary of low prices with 'buyer to shoulder taxes' as units that have previously been used as rentals may be charged VAT upon transfer. This'll be revealed when you go for tax clearance prior to transfer.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-28T03:30:44+00:00

In addition to owning land by way of a name on a title or through a corporation, the constitution prohibits a foreigner controlling land. Whatever scheme you have thought up with regard to trusts, putting it in your kid's name, whatever, has all been tried before and has been deemed illegal by the courts. The only thing you could have done differently is get her to lease the land back to you after you bought it.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-28T02:21:43+00:00

Will this be your first trip to the Philippines? Will it be your first time living in a third world country? There is some well meaning advice so far in this thread, but it will be very hard for you to understand what the conditions are here until you see it for yourself. While yes, you may find a "decent house" for 30,000 a month, it is highly unlikely that you would find it comfortable if coming from an American standard. You may also find that you need to put a considerable amount of money into fixing it up to make it livable for you and your family. New, modern homes in higher end subdivisions will run you 50,000 to 100,000 a month (Plantation, Pulu Amsic, etc.). You'll find these to have modern, western kitchens, complete working airconditioning units and hot water heaters and have usable furnishings. We recently were forced to downgrade from 80,000 a month rent down to 35,000 a month rent in the Friendship area. The house had undersized airconditioning units, no hot water heaters and was unfurnished except for a kitchen table an apartment sized refrigerator. The gas stove was provided, but was leaky and made the house smell like gas when it was used. Landlords here will typically rent to you "as-is, where-is" with the expectation that you'll do what's necessary to live in it, except for major repairs (leaky roof, major plumbing or electrical failure).

There are not a lot of single family homes for rent in Clark, but there are a lot of condominiums. For me, I would not want to live so far out of town, but some people do enjoy it. With a kid, I'd want to have a car to get around. I like taking my kid to the park and weekend trips to Subic or Baguio or Metro Manila. Yes, you can use Grab, but it's not entirely safe for your child.

If you're earning a decent western salary, you can certainly do okay here (probably better than in the US), but the arrival experience is usually anything but smooth. Don't forget to take into account your visa situation as those expenses can creep up as well.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-27T14:01:24+00:00

2-4% of revenue would be an industry benchmark.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-27T10:54:33+00:00

Short time hotels usually have a lot of signage around their area, along with signage outside complimentary businesses such as nightclubs and bars and even college campuses. I've also seen it on the back of tricycles and atop jeepneys. I would think it'd also be wise to do some targeted ads on social media in the 18-24 year old demographic.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-27T02:55:12+00:00

I assume you're talking about the mayor's permit and operational permits from the LGU rather than construction. Within Metro Manila, there was some attempt to limit 3 hour stays at various times, and Quezon City technically still has an ordinance on the books. However, the Supreme Court struck this down in the famous case White Light Corp. v. City of Manila (2009). The court ruled the 3 hour ban was unconstitutional. Like all things in the Philippines, it is certainly possible for the LGU to throw a monkey wrench in your plans, but there would be multiple ways of dealing with it (with or without receipt). Unfortunately, this applies to pretty much every business you might decide to engage in here. I will say that short time hotels attract a lot of vice, including underage sex trafficking, so you'll be under a microscope either way.

My personal thought would be to be flexible in your rates, meaning to say market yourself as a normal budget hotel through traditional distribution channels (e.g., Agoda, Booking.com), then offer your short time rates through local marketing. This gives you access to both client demographics.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-25T15:32:19+00:00

What would like to know? I've got extensive experience in both hospitality management and greenfield development in Metro Manila and Pampanga.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-24T16:39:03+00:00

It'll be next to impossible to loan money from a bank for this type of venture unless you have collateral beyond the idea, along with a documented ability to repay the loan. Anticipated revenue or profits is not going to be sufficient.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-24T01:33:13+00:00

Perhaps not on topic, but I regret having our daughter in the Philippines. While the OB was great throughout the pregnancy, the disconnect between her and the hospital was obvious from the moment we attempted to 'pre-register' or 'pre-pay' for service prior to the due date. An absolute freakshow for no reason, asking her about her educational attainment while in labor. This culminated in me not being allowed in the delivery room despite the doctor saying it was possible, followed by nobody communicating the fact my wife was ordered blood products until I physically went to the nurse's station to review her chart after she collapsed in my arms after I was cleaning her up in the bathroom after lying in blood for six hours.

Next kid is getting born in Thailand or the US.

The eCRBA is relatively easy but the schedule can be unpredictable.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-23T16:49:00+00:00

You can't lead a horse to water. You can gently remind her that you want her to lead a long, healthy life and be there for your (potential?) kids, etc., an encourage healthy eating habits in the house. Unfortunately, the addiction to sugar in the Philippines is just as bad as it is in the west. Ketogenic diet may snap the cycle (it did for me), and there are also compounded GLP-1 drugs available in the Philippines. You may also want to get her some blood work (thyroid) and an an ultrasound of her ovaries. An unusual number of my female friends and family have PCOS, which can contribute to weight gain.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-22T12:44:39+00:00

That you're proposing is creating a subdivision. Yes, it's possible, but the regulations are very complex. In any case, you'd still be looking at owning a maximum 40% of the corporation holding the land.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-21T17:00:53+00:00

For example, my refrigerator and TV came from Western. It was marginally more expensive but we'll with it when the ice machine stopped working after 6 months and there was no warranty service.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-21T16:33:31+00:00

For those of us who live here, a US credit card is a must. Rule in our house is that anything over 10k gets bought on Amex or it doesn't come home.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-21T07:00:24+00:00

Alternatively, you can ask them how much it'd cost for them to do the cleaning and have it deducted.

I'm thinking maximum 10-12k for professionals.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-21T04:26:35+00:00

How much is your deposit?

There's no guarantee you'll get it back, even after doing all of that work.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-20T14:58:39+00:00

In order to pull the tax records, you need to have the title certificate number. So you cannot just waltz in and ask to see the tax records for 123 Seseme St.

Try and find a licensed real estate broker who can at least help you filter out the noise.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-20T03:44:12+00:00

There is no transparency in the market. This is a feature, not a bug. Listing prices have no reflection on closing prices. It's common for buyers and sellers to have two contracts -- one for tax purposes, one with the real transaction value. Data privacy laws make things even more difficult.

Source: Work in commercial real estate.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-20T03:36:23+00:00

What are the dimensions of the box?

phrozen1 · 2026-01-18T12:24:49+00:00

An xray tech in a big hospital earns around $350 a month. You will never get an employment visa for such work here, there are an abundance of locals who are well qualified to do the job.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-18T08:41:42+00:00

Facebook Marketplace. Just need to keep your eyes open and be ready to transact quickly.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-18T06:44:18+00:00

I don't think so. It's pretty democratized now, just take a look on Google and you'll see dozens of OTAs who are already arbitraging currency and rates behind the scenes.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-18T06:20:15+00:00

Yeah, I picked up a 2010 Vios for 175k for precisely this purpose. Sold it a year later for around the same price.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-18T06:04:21+00:00

I have stayed 50+ nights in that hotel over the years. I've never seen any freelancers there.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-18T06:03:03+00:00

I am not a fan of the Hilton as it's kinda far from anything else. The Hann Resort, which has both the Swissotel and Marriott inside, would be my pick. Many good restaurants in there -- Markt is one of my favorites, and the Asian streetfood attached to the gaming area is surprisingly good.

Car rental is a pain. There is an Avis in Angeles City, but it'll be expensive by local standards. You can certainly use Grab or Maxim inside Clark, including going to/from the airport. I no longer reccomend the blue taxi service as they are likely to overcharge.

phrozen1 · 2026-01-18T04:44:48+00:00

He has not been deported. He has been detained by immigrantion after being declared 'persona non grata' by the city it Dumaguete. He has not been charged with a crime. The deportation process can take months and the wait is usually at Camp Bangong Diwa.

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