THE economy of the world has been in chaos since 2007. Now we’re leaving 2009 behind and usher in the Chinese Year of the Tiger. According to my friend Jiryn Encong, the lovely manager of SM City Cagayan de Oro, the Year of the Tiger calls to be resilient. And so, every Westerner in that hemisphere is encouraged to visit Cagayan de Oro. Just visit Cagayan de Oro located in the northernmost tip of Mindanao and feel the place for two weeks. You will never regret what you experience and you’ll find a home here.

There are lots of cozy homes available especially in middle-class subdivisions. The quality of these homes are roughly equal to those homes found in United States suburbs such as in the New Jersey and Virginia areas but the difference is in the price. Because of the very low cost of living here, the price of a middle-class abode in the Philippines and especially here in Cagayan de Oro is equal to the price of a socialized housing for welfare persons in the US. But the quality is definitely high. Real estate companies in the Philippines particularly in Cagayan de Oro are one of the most reliable in the world in terms of quality. They really walk what they talk.

Cagayan de Oro is being groomed as a retirement home for Westerners. The city is the most peaceful place in Mindanao. It is shaped like a basin so it is immune from typhoons. It is not located to a faultline. It has a very active expat community. You will not be alone nor lost in translation here in short. So what are you waiting for? Visit Cagayan de Oro today and feel the difference for yourself.

THE most ideal place to live in Cagayan de Oro nowadays is in the uptown area. There are way way lots of advantages if you live in the uptown area. First of all, that part of Cagayan de Oro doesn’t get flooded and water will just trickle down even though it rains real hard in the mountains.

The next thing to consider in living in uptown Cagayan de Oro is the view. The view from any subdivision in uptown Cagayan de Oro is really awesome and you can see the Macajalar Bay on the horizon. You can also experience the sun slowly rising or slowly setting depending on which vantage point your subdivision is located, be on the eastern or the western side.

And then of course, consider too the serenity of the place. With lush greenery all around you, you will never be deprived of clean oxygen all year round. You will never worry about pollution. That’s the beauty of the subdivisions in uptown Cagayan de Oro whether you are planning to stay in Pueblo de oro, Alegria or Teakwood.

CAGAYAN de Oro will soon be bustling with more exciting activities with the entry of an Ayala mall here. The mall will be constructed along CM Recto and Corrales avenues in what used to be Cebu Southern Motors Corporation. The site itself is eight hectares wide. This property is owned by the Floirendos.

This development really poses a serious threat to the Gaisanos, with Gaisano City Mall located only a stone’s throw away. As everybody knows, the Gaisanos along with local Chinese entrepreneurs here, have strongly opposed to SM putting up a mall in the said property because of this obvious threat.

But the Ayala Group wasn’t to be intimidated and pushed for its plan to put up the mall. They enlisted Creba (who enjoys support from realty bigwig Sen. Manuel Villar) to lobby for an Ayala mall entry here exactly in front of Gaisano City Mall.

The mall is expected to cost P4.5 billion which means it will cost more than the currently-constructed AyalaDavao’s P3 billion worth of mall. See, the Ayalas were really challenged with the situation in Cagayan de Oro City because they felt that the local Chinese businessmen here such as the Gaisanos have monopolized this kind of business for a long time and even succeeded in stopping SM from putting up their own business in downtown Cagayan de Oro.

ONE of the results of the recent Chamber of Real Estate Builders Association (Creba) convention held here was knowing one inspiring thing – that A. Brown Company, the developer of Xavier Estates, is serious in its corporate social responsibility (CSR).

It was revealed that the Phase 5 development at Xavier Estates located along Masterson highway in going to the airport in uptown Cagayan de Oro yielded Huluga archaeological artifacts. And because of the new discovery, the CEO of A. Brown Company, Walter Brown himself, ordered that all earthworks at the site be stopped so that all artifacts could be unearthed and claimed by the National Museum.

And because logistics and funding for the diggings are not yet in place, the actual digging will be held at the later part of this year. Because of this development, Walter Brown has to recalendar the Xavier Estates Phase 5 development to next year. This is indeed one company worth emulating.

Creba holding its national convention in Cagayan de Oro every now and then has indeed its advantages aside from the expenses the delegates incur during their stay in hotels and loitering. Mayor Constantino Jaraula revealed that when the national convention was held here in 1994, one of the developers bought the Roa party in the western side of Masterson road. This is now what is known as Pueblo de Oro Township.

There’s nothing in life like the thrill of the first!Like our time at The Courtyards.

A unique development designed to always give you the thrill of the first. A horizontal condominium concept offering world class amenities inspired from the best residential condo communities in the world, but with a space to move, space to work and play, space to bond and grow, with enough surprises and places for the first time.

Unit Options:

1. Inner Unit Bare
Usable Lot:80.5 square meter
Floor Area: 104 square meter
Total Selling Price : P 2,397,260
Miscellaneous Fee : P 122,778
Total Contract Price : P 2,520,038
Reservation : P 25,000
Bank Financing
20% Down(10mos): 81,696
80% Balance(20yrs): 23, 593

2. End Unit Bare
Usable Lot:103.5 square meter
Floor Area: 106 square meter
Total Selling Price : P 2,802,583
Miscellaneous Fee : P 143,044
Total Contract Price : P 2,981,938
Reservation : P 25,000
Bank Financing
20% Down(10mos): 114,091
80% Balance(20yrs): 30,635

*Spotcash Discount of 5%
*Deferred 0% Interest at 10 months(subject Change)
*20% Down,80% Bank Financing
*PAG-IBIG: 10% Down, 90% Loan Financing

Note: Prices are subject to change without prior notice.

It’s not uncommon for a first-time home buyer to say to me, “Gosh, just last week I called you about buying a home and now I’m in escrow! How did this happen so fast?”

The answer is it didn’t. First-time home buyers start the search long before most even realize it.

Here’s what you can expect from your home shopping experience.

Benefits for a First-Time Home Buyer

You should buy a home. That’s what you’ve been hearing from friends and family, right? So, by now you have likely already weighed the benefits and decided that home ownership was the best decision for you. That’s a major hurdle now passed. You are focused and certain. Good.

Defining Search Parameters for a First-Time Home Buyer
Almost 80% of all home searches today begin on the Internet. With just a few clicks of the mouse, home buyers can search through hundreds of online listings, view virtual tours, and sort through dozens of photographs and aerial shots of neighborhoods and homes. You’ve probably defined your goals and have a pretty good idea of the type of home and neighborhood you want. By the time you reach your real estate agent’s office, you are halfway to home ownership.
How Long Should It Take to Buy Your First Home?
In seller’s markets, often I show only one home. After all, how many homes does one family need? A few buyers will look for years, but buyers who do that aren’t motivated. A motivated buyer will find a home within two weeks. Most of my buyers find a home within two days.

Good real estate agents will listen to your wants and needs and arrange to show only those homes that fit your particular parameters. Your agent should preview homes before showing them to you as well.
How Many Homes Will a Home Buyer See?
Studies show that your memory dramatically improves after consumption of carbs and slows upon consuming sugar. So, lay off the soft drinks and have a hearty meal of carbs before venturing out to tour homes. The average number of homes that I show to a buyer in one day is seven. Any more than that, and the brain is on overload. Therefore, don’t expect to see 20 or 30 homes; although it’s physically possible to do so, you probably will not remember specific details about any of them.
The “Red Shoes” Experience for a Home Buyer
Women will relate to this. Say, you need a new pair of red shoes. You go to the mall. At the first shoe store, you find a fabulous pair of red shoes. You try them on. They fit perfectly. They are glamorous. Priced right, too. Do you buy them? Of course not! You go to every other store in the mall trying on red shoes until you are ready to drop from exhaustion. Then you return to the first store and buy those red shoes. Do not shop for a home this way. When you find the perfect home, buy it.
How a First-Time Home Buyer Can Rate Inventory

* Bring a digital camera and begin each series of photos with a close-up of the house number to identify where each group of home photos start and end.
* Take copious notes of unusual features, colors and design elements.
* Pay attention to the home’s surroundings. What is next door? Do 2-story homes tower over your single story?
* Do you like the location? Is it near a park or a power plant?
* Immediately after leaving, rate each home on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.

View Top Choices a Second Time Before Buying That First Home
After touring homes for a few days, you will probably instinctively know which one or two homes you would like to buy. Ask to see them again. You will see them with different eyes and notice elements that were overlooked the first go-around.

At this point, your agent should call the listing agents to find out more about the sellers’ motivation and to double-check that an offer hasn’t come in, making sure these homes are still available to purchase.
Making the Selection To Buy a Home
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I generally know which home a buyer is going to choose, and I suspect most other agents operate the same way. It’s an intuition. But I make it a practice not to steer buyers, and I insist that buyers choose the home without interference from me. It’s not my choice to make.

License Real estate agents are required, however, to point out defects and should help buyers feel confident that the home selected meets the buyer’s search parameters.

THE recent fiesta of St. Augustine, the patron saint of Cagayan de Oro, last August 28 was really a success. There were admittedly mixed bittersweet emotions among the residents and visitors during the affair which extended up to a whole month due to quite a number of factors.

First of all, the economic crisis has dangerously seeped into our beloved Northern Mindanao and of course, that included Cagayan de Oro even though by far we are still the fastest growing economy outside of Metro Manila. This can be gleaned through the sorry low number of participants in the Kagay-an Dance Fest. That’s because it is hard for contingents to participate due to the expenses incurred in a troupe of 40 dance members.

Yet people still flock to the city during the fiesta. This can be deduced by the number of people who witness various events from the concert of Rivermaya to the 1^st Pyro Festival. Believe me, I cannot describe to you the tremendous volume of people witnessing the various events since Day One of the festival opened with Mayor Constantino Jaraula banging the agong to signal the start of the festivities via Kumbira 2009.

Xavier Estates Subdivision

LIVING the good life may sound somewhat clichéd but this is really true if you are in Cagayan de Oro City. If you are living somewhere at Xavier Estates for example and you wake up at 6 in the morning, what will greet you is dew and the freshness of air. Life is really laid-back here and the food is so yummy, so Southeast Asian in delight.

Take for example, an everyone’s favorite, dried fish. Dried fish as its name implies is dried and cured with salt so people will love its taste once its fried or sautéed and mixed with other ingredients. There are lots of amenities when you go downtown. One of the shopping malls here is the biggest all over Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines, where you can find virtually anything that you like.

Of course, modern life in Cagayan de Oro City is typically Western-influenced yet the culture here is retained by typical Kagay-anon characteristics which are full of respect indeed. For instance, kids still kiss the hands of their elders. If you want to experience more on that, then live somewhere in Cagayan de Oro.

CAGAYAN de Oro can proudly claim that there is a growing number of expats here in Cagayan de Oro. The bulk of the expats here are South Koreans and Westerners. Of course, they like to be here in the city because the cost of living here is relatively inexpensive over other countries.

And there are lots of homes that expats can choose. Actually, there are two kinds of expats who are living in Cagayan de Oro City. Some still go back to their home countries but come back here either during the Christmas season where it is not too cold or during summer to get that real tropical feeling.

They all agree on one thing – that people here are very spiritual. They hate the fast-pace demeanor of life in urban United States. In here, people are wealthy and happy at the same time. Everywhere you go, people are really hospitable and friendly. After all, that’s one characteristic Cagayan de Oro is well-known for it is called the City of Golden Friendship.

Beauties here are the exotic kind too – not as fair-complexioned as the Caucasians just the right kind of tan. Try to visit Cagayan de Oro sometime.

EVERYWHERE in Cagayan de Oro, the fiesta spirit currently pervades. Many visitors here would attest that Filipinos are spiritual in general. And many Filipinos are Catholics. That is why each city in the Philippines has its own yearly fiesta of their patron saint. And Cagayan de Oro is certainly not an exception.

What’s nice about Cagayan de Oro’s annual fiesta celebrated every August 28 is that the government is cooperating with the Church to coordinate the holding of fiesta activities. So there is the spiritual aspect, at the same time there is also a civic or a cultural aspect.

For example, the national government has declared August 28 as a holiday here in Cagayan de Oro City. One of the activities that foreign visitors are looking forward are the chain of masses called the novena. This is held for nine straight days where each mass is dedicated to St. Augustine. This will surely leave a lasting impression for expats in Cagayan de Oro City.

In fact, most villages here catering to the middle-class are already filled with expats who want to retire here because life is so laid-back. So what are you waiting for? Try to book a trip to Cagayan de Oro, Philippines during your next foreign soiree.