The Philippine Voyager website observed that many foreigners and expatriates have been lured into buying properties in the Philippines by many aggressive sellers. Upon investing in the land, however, they often complain of the poor construction quality, the inaccessibility of the location, and unreasonable home association dues. Most often, overseas buyers are too busy to inspect the property carefully and take note of the little details, or they get intimidated by the legal language in the contract.
To avoid getting the short end of the stick in a real estate deal, here are a few online tools that you can use to check the different aspects of the property you’re interested in:
Check the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board to see if the seller or developer has a license to sell or a development permit. This website also has a list of registered broker, developers, and salesmen that you can check to make sure that the seller who approached you is a legitimate one.
Use Google Earth to check the location of the house or condominium. Some maps provided for by the developer might be inaccurate to make the lots and units look bigger and more appealing.
You can also check out the websites of other developers or real estate firms to compare prices of nearby properties. Condo.Com.Ph has a list of all condominium units for sale and rent and is a very useful resource, especially if you’re looking for a place to rent.