Investing in condominiums is extremely popular among real estate investors due to various reasons. They are significantly cheaper than single-family homes and have lesser maintenance duties but can still yield a higher return of investments. Plus, property owners can enjoy luxurious amenities like swimming pools, fitness and gym areas, pet parks, and refreshing open spaces.
But as the decade closes, there’s a new trend that rises that redefines multi-purpose properties as well as high-rise developments in the country.
Condotels, short for condo hotels, are a mix between a condominium unit and a hotel. It has the common functions of a hotel, like a reception desk and a hotel operator.
Property unit owners share ownership, just like your typical residential condominium units. But the thing that sets apart condo hotels from a typical condominium is that there is a rental agency in charge of the maintenance and upkeep of the property as well as bookkeeping and marketing, which saves a lot of headache on the property owner’s part.
You might be wondering how you will split the profit. Well, the condotel unit owners and rental agency split revenue depending on the amount of work of the involved parties. Usually, the ones who have more responsibilities get a larger share.
Even in this scenario, a lot of real estate investors are hopping on to the trend of owning a condo hotel unit. Some real estate developers are slowly converting their existing condominium buildings into a more of a condotel type, or are planning to build such in the future. This type of investment is perfect for those who have enough capital to purchase condo hotel units but can’t squeeze it into their schedule to oversee and maintain the property.
With the existence of the rental agency, you don’t have to worry about your unit being vacant all the time as the agency will find renters for you. They’ll also be the ones who’ll foresee the maintenance and upkeep of the property. All you have to do is focus on your craft and earn while your investment earns as well!
Since condo hotels cater to tourists and visitors, they are usually built with class and style to attract more renters, especially during peak season. They can be classified as four or five-star offering luxurious amenities such as spas, fitness centers, gourmet restaurants, swimming pools, and nearby business centers. Added to that, they also have top-notch security services as well as valet and concierge.
Most of the condo hotels wee found in prime locations near beaches, resorts, and other tourist hotspots to entice tourists and visitors alike. Here in the Philippines, you can find a lot of condo hotels in Cebu and Davao City. But, surprisingly enough, there are also various condo hotels situated within the busy districts of the Metro and other urban areas, ready to accommodate and pamper returning overseas Filipino workers or transient visitors for their short stay in the city.
Passive income is said to be earning money even when you sleep. When you invest in a condo hotel unit, you can expect a steady flow of income that will compensate for your monthly mortgages. Since there are no limits when it comes to ownership, you can purchase as many units as you can and earn larger revenue. Investing in condo hotels can become a lucrative investment when done right.
Another perk of condo hotels is that they can double up as your vacation home the moment you decided to relax and destress. You can skip the long lines and expenses of trying to book a hotel unit in one of the top tourist destinations in the country, especially during peak season.
Condominium investors can easily do a quick city escape and relax in the various amenities in offered inside their condominium building.
Condo hotel is deem to be a smart investment option as you are earning from a rentable unit stripped from its usual challenges like maintaining the upkeep of the property. Since it’s the task of the rental agency unit, it saves you a lot of hassle, from property inspection up to finding repair companies who will solve the problem.
Just like other investment options, there are also potential drawbacks when it comes to investing in condo hotels. Here are some of the few you might encounter:
Since there’s an agency that manages the property on your behalf, you don’t have direct operational control over the units. If the management isn’t competent enough or mismanages the funds allocated for the maintenance and upkeep of the property, then your investment could suffer.
Most of the condotel investments are still in their pre-selling or construction stage. One setback of investing in them is that the construction of the property was halted or didn’t come forward due to construction issues. Disasters and calamities may also affect the progress of the construction.
While you can still get your money back, you could have put it into other investment options. What’s worse is that you may lose your investing appetite and won’t want to invest at all.
Another drawback when it comes to investing in pre-selling condotel projects is that the real estate market can take a huge dip the moment the construction was finished, therefore, lowering the value of your property. This is totally out of your control and is part of the investment cycle, however, this can be really frustrating on your end.
You can still lease out your unit, but it’s not guaranteed that you’ll reap large profits than you first expected. You’ll have to wait until the market booms again to get a higher return of investment.
Your condotel investment may not generate the revenue you are expecting for. Perhaps, the tourism rate of where your property is located went down or there’s a new competitor in the market that affects the occupancy rate of your unit.
Investing in condotels in the Philippines, just like other real estate investments, can become a lucrative source of income when done right. It can easily strengthen your financial and investment portfolio with the right research and planning. Before you become a condotel investor, make sure you are equipped with the right knowledge in the industry to avoid costly mistakes.
Looking for an affordable property? Contact us today
A lot of Filipinos dream of owning their first apartment or house and lot. With today’s booming real estate opportunities, there are so many options to choose from.
Here at Vistaland International, we have a roster of affordable property listings from several locations across the country. Whether you’re looking for a place to live in Manila, Cebu, Davao and etc, we’ve got you covered. So contact our real estate agents today!
Vistaland International was primarily created to bring OFW closer to their dream of finally acquiring a home in the Philippines. And with the rising cost of living in the country, OFWs and their families are looking for ways to earn extra cash flow to support their daily needs. Luckily, you can also join the global network of Vistaland International as a real estate professional and earn a commission!
For decades, minimalism has taken the internet by storm; just take a couple of scrolls in your Facebook or Instagram account, and chances are, you will pass through a photo of a nude-colored room, sporting a clean and streamlined look, with the caption #minimalism, #minimalist design.
While the term ‘less is more’ dominated the interior decorating scene, younger generations have decided to embrace organized chaos, and are now living on a new maxim–‘the more, the better.’
It’s hard to establish a concrete structure when it comes to maximalism, but its core elements revolve around patterns, colors, textures, and some sprinkles of meaningful objects. Layer them up in one space and you’ll get a maximalist look!
‘Go big in your home,’ is the simplest way to describe a maximalist design. It is the celebration and freedom of new and existing ideas, of personal style and expression, of someone’s creative mind and passion. Think of it as creating a giant kaleidoscope inside your home, dancing in front of your eyes are bold colors, textures patterns, and a mix of all sorts of treasures and trinkets.
While some may think of maximalist decor as merely ‘clutter,’ it actually spans beyond that messy and not-so-cohesive look of the room. It keeps your eyes busy, as they traverse through a multitude of organized mess, of a beautiful chaos. A maximalist home may look unorganized, but that’s the essence of it! It strays away from the conformity of its minimalist counterpart–breaking off from the chain of clean lines and nude colors, splattering a wonderland of colors and patterns into the formerly white canvass.
While this may sound new to many, this design style has been around for decades, and we can all thank the Victorians and their eclecticism (which are highly-evident in their heavy window treatments, upholstery, and grand decors) that they served as design inspirations for modern-day maximalism.
Another notable person that we can take into account for this revolutionary approach is Madeleine Castaing, a French decorator who shook the design world in the 1940s with her bold and strict adherence to patterns and colors. She combined romance and neoclassicism in one to create a new, picturesque atmosphere, eventually solidifying her pedestal as one of the interior decorating legends in the 20th century.
While maximalism gives you all the freedom to bring your wildest ideas to life, there’s still a fine line that separates interior design from pure clutter. So, to avoid turning your living space into a dumpster, here are some ways on how you can create your own maximalist space!
The first of the three main elements of a maximalist design is incorporating bold and vibrant colors. Compare to minimalism which is the usual nude and white, maximalist interiors welcome all sorts of colors– with bright emerald, navy blue, sapphire, black, and fuchsia pink taking the front seat. Some interior designers balance the loudness of these colors by integrating light furniture and accessories while some amplify it by adding more colorful furniture.
They say that repetition leads to boredom, but not in maximalist design! On the contrary, it even encourages the use of patterned wallpaper decked with abstract patterns, floral or animal prints.
“Hexagons, zig-zags, spots – any repeating pattern – all work well together to achieve an alternative, maximalist pattern clash. Keep the palette bold and bright to make the most of these patterns,” advises Amy Wilson, interior designer for 247 Curtains.
In fact, patterned wallpapers are the most popular trend for bathrooms in 2021. Currently, tropically-themed wallpapers are the latest in trend (you know, palm leaves, tropical flowers, and bamboo shoots), but if you aren’t that much a fan, you can opt for geometrical shapes instead!
What’s more, is that there are no commitment issues– paste them whenever you want and tear them off when you have a change of heart!
A maximalist style promotes self-expression in your own space, so feel free to show off your collection of souvenirs, trinkets, and other accessories you’ve acquired from your previous travels and getaways, or your short trip to the nearest antique shop! That latest purchase of a brass owl figurine can serve as the focal point in your living room!
Most people who embraced the maximalist interior design are collectors, proudly showcasing the rich textures of their precious collection of meaningful objects– giving every curious eye a sneak peek into their kaleidoscope soul.
So, if you have an interesting collection hidden away in the four corners of your cabinet, it’s time to bring them out into the spotlight!
Speaking of colors and textures, do you know that plush and velour fabrics also have regular attendance in maximalist space? For those who aren’t familiar, plush fabrics are made of soft and fluffy material that adds elegance and depth inside your cluttered home.
For a more striking aura, opt for turquoise, ruby red, emerald, or sapphire-colored upholstery fabric.
One thing that is present in almost all types of design trends is the timeless elegance of gold. Accentuate your maximalist room by adding gold-plated furniture or decorations. From mirror frames, lamp bases, and even that basket of fruit on top of your coffee tables, you can easily add a touch of gold to your maximalist home.
Now you might go worried that this interior design will make smaller spaces look even minuscule or worse, crowded and tacky. But don’t worry! A seasoned interior designer plus your creative mind will pull the trick for you!
Before you go start bringing in artifacts or bringing out your personal collection, make sure that you’ve envisioned how your room will turn out inside your head. Even though the maximalist design is a collection of all sorts, it still walks on a thin line between being pleasing to the eye and being too much. So, it’s important to take into account every detail you’re going to incorporate here–remember, you are creating an organized mess, not purely chaos.
So, if you want to turn your home into a kaleidoscope wonderland while at the same time unleashing all of your creative juices, then it’s time to go maximalist! It’s time to go big inside your home!
So you’ve finally invested in a rental property business. You’ve acquired your property and is now open for occupancy. From simply being a real estate investor, you’ve assumed a new role: being a landlord.
Some people may think that being a landlord is an easy job. But being a landlord means more than just putting a ‘for rent sign’ on your front lawn or posting vacancy ads online. It entails more than just collecting monthly payments from your tenants and dwellers.
In order to become a successful landlord, you have to know the best qualities one should have as well as the common mistakes property owners commit so you won’t have to trudge through the same road.
We get it, nobody’s perfect, and we are bound to make mistakes at times. But by knowing these common pitfalls, you are doing yourself a favor by avoiding costly mistakes, income loss, and worse of it all, serious legal complications.
So, if you are an investor or an OFW aspiring to be a successful landlord, read on to know the landlord mistakes to avoid to dodge costly mistakes!
Passive income is the primary reason why rental property owners invest in real estate. As a refresher, passive income is the revenue you get from rental payments. However, the success of your rental business still depends on the vacancy rate of where your property is located.
For instance, if your property is located within the heart of a busy city like Metro Manila or Makati City, you can expect a regular flow of prospective tenants asking if there are any available rooms to occupy. That’s why property location is extremely important for your rental properties to generate a positive cash flow.
But remember, even if your property is erected in one of the top destinations in the country, you shouldn’t feel complacent about your property being occupied all the time. This then leads us to the second mistake.
As mentioned above, your rental business isn’t always going to attract future tenants all the time. There’ll be times where occupancy rates are low due to various factors. That’s why advertising your property in the right places are crucial. Sure, word-of-mouth can attract renters in your area but it will get a wider audience reach when you post your affordable house and lot or condominium unit in property listing sites.
Knowing how to post an engaging property listing gives you an edge against other business owners. Create catchy titles and headlines! As the property owner, you surely do know the best points of your property so be sure to highlight them in the description! Tell them all of the advantages of living in your property and the amenities they can enjoy! And don’t forget to include real estate photos! They will help your potential tenants envision themselves living in your property!
Even if your rental business is booming, you still need to take into account the possibility of your tenants leaving the property unannounced. He or she may pack her bags due to personal or financial reasons, leaving you in a tight financial situation with your pending mortgage loan, maintenance costs, and utility fees.
To avoid this mishap, successful landlords foresee the possibility of vacancies and allot a portion of their budget for such situations. You should save money enough to cover 3 months’ worth of expenses. This way, you still have your loans and debts covered while having ample amount of time to screen new and quality tenants. After all, you don’t want new dwellers who don’t pay rent or move out of the property on short notice.
At first glance, it seems like you can juggle all of the landlord tasks at hand alone. Plus, you may think it’s more cost-effective this way. However, there are a lot of intricacies when it comes to managing your investment property–from finding quality tenants to understanding real estate contracts and fine print. There are lots of room for slip-ups, especially when to comes to the documentation of your real estate property. And when these minimal errors pile up, they can be very costly than what you originally imagined.
So save yourself the headache and hassle by hiring a professional property management company. It doesn’t completely mean that you’ll lay all of the managerial duties on their plate; these property management companies will just lend you a helping hand in your real estate ventures, especially on the technical and legal side of the business like landlord tenant laws, among others.
It will slice a portion off your revenue, but it’s better to be safe now than be sorry later.
Tenants are said to be the ‘blood’ of a rental property business; they are what keeps the business running. That being said, you need to make sure you only get quality tenants in your rental unit. And you get that by conducting a tenant screening process.
By going through their rental history, employment or source of income, and their personality when you meet them will help you determine if they are the right tenant.
Remember, it’s completely normal to ask questions during the screening process, but you should be careful not to overstep the line or appear discriminatory– that is against the Fair Housing Act.
This is a common mistake for first time landlords. They sometimes get too attached to the property and make decisions based on their personal preferences, especially when it comes to interior design. You may be a big fan of window treatments but your future tenant may like his or her windows bare. It’s important to let your tenants decorate the unit according to their taste. Chances are they will stay for a longer time if they feel at home on your property.
Similarly, you shouldn’t get too attached to your tenants. It’s normal to establish a good relationship with them, but learn to define the line between professionalism and friendship. Since you are close with them, you may subconsciously give them special treatments or they may ask for requests like extensions for late payments, which can be detrimental on your side in the long run.
As an investor, you are eager for the revenue or ROI–that’s the reason why you dived into real estate investing, after all. This eagerness may lead you to overprice rents, causing your potential tenants’ pool to shrink, and eventually, no one leases on your property.
Make sure to research on the average rental pricing of the properties in your area, so you’ll have an idea of how to price your own. You can also your property management company about the current trends in the real estate market so you won’t be overcharging or undercharging tenants.
A lease serves as the legally binding contract between you and your tenants. It outlines all the specifics and conditions of your rental agreement. It should contain all of the necessary information such as:
Consequently, it should also contain the rental amount and its due date, security deposit amount and its due date, refund terms, late fees, and other utility fees, which are all subjective to the landlord’s discretion.
Lastly, your lease agreement should also state the following:
The upkeep of the property is also your responsibility, so before you welcome a new tenant in, make sure that the unit is in its best condition. Conduct a property check up to see if there are underlying issues that need to be fixed. Similarly, don’t ignore maintenance requests coming from your tenants that may arise in the future. Dealing with them immediately shows that you care for the well-being of your tenants as well as the state of the property. This in return gives your tenant an impression that you are a responsible and reliable landlord.
Looking at the legal side of the rental business, there are local building codes as well as safety standards in your area that you need to follow. Failing to do so may result in a costly lawsuit.
So, it is advisable to do monthly checkups to see if your property is still up-to-date with the latest house codes and health standards.
Your tenant rents out your property not only because they want a roof on their head, but they also want a place they can consider their personal space. No one wants their privacy invaded, and you owe your tenants to respect theirs. Even though you own the property, this doesn’t mean that you can just barge into their door without proper notice.
Managing a rental property business can entail a lot of responsibilities, but with the right research, planning, and marketing will bring excellent fruits of your hard work and effort. Research and keep yourself up-to-date on the latest real estate trends in your local market, plan on how you’re going to use the data to effectively market your home, and utilize the best advertising and marketing materials for your business.
Start your journey in becoming a successful landlord now!
Looking for an affordable property? Contact us today
A lot of Filipinos dream of owning their first apartment or house and lot. With today’s booming real estate opportunities, there are so many options to choose from.
Here at Vistaland International, we have a roster of affordable property listings from several locations across the country. Whether you’re looking for a place to live in Manila, Cebu, Davao and etc, we’ve got you covered. So contact our real estate agents today!
Vistaland International was primarily created to bring OFW closer to their dream of finally acquiring a home in the Philippines. And with the rising cost of living in the country, OFWs and their families are looking for ways to earn extra cash flow to support their daily needs. Luckily, you can also join the global network of Vistaland International as a real estate professional and earn a commission!
You’ve finally landed the perfect real estate investment that suits your style, needs, and budget! Maybe you’ve found a comfortable spot in flipping houses or condos, or perhaps that rental property business of yours is giving you a constant flow of rental income every month.
As you go along with your real estate business, you might start thinking ways on how you will reap more profit off the original purchase price, or sustain the cash flow and revenue at least. Perhaps you are considering other investment properties to add up to your investment portfolio or thinking of building a strong real estate team comprised of seasoned real estate agents and property managers to help you maximize your business potential.
These investment strategies sound so tempting to take, but keep this in mind: running a real estate business is synonymous with how you operate and manage a regular business. This entails taking the appropriate steps toward business growth. This includes carefully examining all of your options at hand, and determining which will be beneficial and which may be detrimental. After everything has passed through your intricate scrutiny, that is when you can finally place the best decision.
And while growth is critical, it should be done at a pace you are comfortable with. Too much or sudden growth may end up losing everything you’ve worked so hard while you may end up trailing behind in a slow-paced one.
Hitting that equilibrium may sound daunting, but don’t worry, we’re going to help you trod through the steps! We’ve listed down essential steps on how to scale your real estate business to take your business to a whole new level!
Real estate investors shouldn’t confuse growth with scaling up–there’s a significant difference between the two, and we’ll tell you what it is.
We usually equate business growth with increase in revenue. When your business needs more employees or is opening up more offices, this means that your business is indeed growing and expanding. But with this growth comes additional expenses.
When you open more branches or hire new employees, you will require more capital to sustain this growth. Meaning, that in order to gain more, you have to lose a significant amount as well.
Whereas in scaling, you are finding avenues on how to expand your business without using too many resources. This means planning ways on how you can sustain expansion while cutting down on operational costs.
Every business starts with growth, but as time progress, you should learn how to scale your enterprise. As the saying goes, ‘work smart, not harder.’
Choosing a niche you are passionate about will help you stay afloat in the real estate industry while at the same time, building up your credibility as a real estate investor. Are you interested in condo flipping? Or maybe you are leaning more towards managing a rental property business? Whatever your chosen niche may be, you just have to have the determination, patience, and willingness to master the ABCs of it. In fact, you don’t have to be the best immediately! Continue that passionate burn within you and let it translate to your work and outputs, and soon enough, more leads and deals will be coming your way!
In choosing your niche, take into consideration these three factors:
Kiavi, a mortgage lender based in California, warns some real estate investors about the ‘shiny object syndrome.’ Meaning, as these investors start to get the ropes of their business, the very thing starts to get boring from their perspective and they eventually start to lose interest in it.
While being a jack of all trades sounds like a big compliment for others, it just doesn’t sit well with real estate. Here, it is better to become a ‘master of one.’ It’s better to simplify and manage one complex idea rather than look at the whole world and try to understand all of its complexities in one go.
As the property manager or owner, you have to identify the strong and weak points of your business before you start scaling. Remove all bottlenecks and redundancies. Go over your methodologies and see which are still effective and which need to be re-examined.
For instance, does engaging in real estate groups and forums on LinkedIn still garner high-quality leads? If not, then you may want to cross this task from your list or replace it with a new strategy. You may want to allocate the time you spend doing presentations to sharpening your investor skillset.
Don’t pass on the automation opportunities. Automation will streamline the whole home buying or selling process, reducing operational expenses. Take a wider look at your business’ overall framework, and determine where you can chip in automated processing.
There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team,’ says the old adage.
Let’s admit it, you’re not going to be good at everything. It is difficult to manage properties alone. This is the time when you’re going to hire partners that will lend you a helping hand and share insights that are beneficial to the business.
While picking the best among the rest is good, it is also important to find people who share the same vision as you and resonate with the passion you have for your business.
As a business owner, your most important asset will be the real estate network you’ve built throughout the course of your business. Don’t shy away from engaging in real estate-related activities and taking the chance to spark up with a co-investor or two. Your circle of professionals starts small but will continue to grow as you continue to open doors to others.
Fostering new relationships will give you new perspectives and see the industry from a different angle. It takes one person to change the way you view real estate investing or the real estate industry in general, and who knew, that could be the person from a nearby property management company you’re sharing the table with at a conference. So treat every people you meet with respect and kindness.
When you’ve successfully closed a real estate deal, especially if it’s the first of the many to come, it’s completely understandable if you want to go out and celebrate. However, how you will manage your revenues from now will give you a sneak peek into the future of your real estate business. Map out a plan on where you’re going to allocate funds for the growth and scaling of your business.
Don’t just spend money because you can. Make sure that every money you spent is directed towards the enhancement of your business. If not, then you should take a closer look at your spending habits. Remember, money is an important factor that keeps your business rolling. Without it, your business may foresee a downfall soon enough.
When you’ve started scaling your business, you will notice you are getting more exposure than before. It’s a good sign, right? But before you bask in the glory of getting more leads and recognition, make sure that your enterprise is prepared for the growing spotlight.
This means doing a quick check-up on your current advertising and marketing platforms such as your website, social media pages, and more importantly, your brand reputation.
Is your website up-to-date with the current development trends? Is it mobile-friendly? Are the pages optimized? Make sure your social media footprints are vibrant and aligned with the current trends. Feel free to ask for testimonials or reviews from past transactions and business partners to help build your brand’s reputation.
If you are eyeing to incorporate new strategies and techniques, test them on a small scale first to determine the necessary adjustments.
Everyone loves consistency– it just shows how committed someone is to their craft. Same thing goes for your real estate business. Every effort you put in accounts for the progress of your enterprise. Regardless of your previous results, staying consistent with your marketing, lead generation, and such will yield better outcomes.
Instead of trying to jump from one point to another, take carefully-planned steps until you reach a stepping stone, and so on. Remember, slow progress is better than no progress.
We all yearn for that quick progression, but even the finest diamond takes time to form into a valuable gem. What we’re trying to say is, you don’t have to rush things when it comes to scaling your real estate business. Sometimes, it’s better to take things slow but calculated and precise. When you start approaching things this way, you might be surprised at how fast your business can grow–more than you’ve imagined!
And just like how a foundation is fundamental to building a house, scaling is also essential for every business’ growth.
A lot of Filipinos dream of owning their first apartment or house and lot. With today’s booming real estate opportunities, there are so many options to choose from.
Here at Vistaland International, we have a roster of affordable property listings from several locations across the country. Whether you’re looking for a place to live in Manila, Cebu, Davao and etc, we’ve got you covered. So contact our real estate agents today!
Vistaland International was primarily created to bring OFW closer to their dream of finally acquiring a home in the Philippines. And with the rising cost of living in the country, OFWs and their families are looking for ways to earn extra cash flow to support their daily needs. Luckily, you can also join the global network of Vistaland International as a real estate professional and earn a commission!
Taking a break for some fresh air is quite rare (admittedly) when you’re living a fast-paced life in the hustle and bustle of the city, and it’s refreshing when we go out for outdoor recreation from time to time. But with air-conditioned offices, heavy workloads, and commuting time, most of us forget what it feels like to be free and under the sun. If someone asks you about a green space that you know, you’d probably mention the ones in the provinces first because green spaces in Metro Manila are rare (and we’re guilty of that too).
If you want to relax and breathe deeply, dying to see some refreshing sights, or you want to go on an adventure, here are some of the existing green spaces that you can explore in and out of the Metro so that you can get that pocketful of sunshine in a place that you can be taken away.
A green space is a piece of land with vegetation and greens that are located within city limits. Green spaces are often referred to as parks and gardens, but they could also be forests and jungles. These can be divided into two categories, which are natural or man-made, but in general, urban or suburban areas have green spaces with trees, plants, shrubs, or bushes that offer outdoor recreational and decoration activities, although they are sometimes considered to be environmentally protected by the government, so people can’t just destroy its beauty because they also need to do something to protect them as well.
You’ll get plus points for the Pasig River and Quezon Bridge views when an esplanade is in the works because it’s considered as “Manila’s Last Lung” as it has 60 lush tree varieties, centuries-old trees, and 8,000 ornamental plants which serve as habitats for 10 birds. In short, it’s a secondary growth forest that is in the middle of the busiest capital where you can go to appreciate the natural scenery and breathe in as much fresh air as you like!
Also known as Luneta park, this historical gem is famous for its Rizal Monument where Dr. Jose Rizal‘s shrine is placed. This 52 – hectare square park is Southeast Asia’s largest public park with an open-air amphitheater, manicured greens, theme gardens, a lagoon and fountain, a relief map, a children’s playground, a bunch of heroes’ monuments.
There’s also a bunch of picnic areas that are accessible to three buildings of National Museum, the Manila Ocean Park, the Quirino Grandstand, and a planetarium, making the ultimate urban green space for you and your family or friends to enjoy with so many places to explore!
If you’re from the South and want to unwind while watching some birds, then this spot is for you! Barely a few kilometers from the busiest streets of Pasay City, it consists of two islands that make up 175 hectares of protected wetlands namely Long Island and Freedom Island. It was proclaimed to be a critical habitat and resting place for over 5,000 species of birds from all over the world in 2007, and it’s the first one here in the Philippines.
Just a heads up: You need to contact the Conservation and Development Division of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at 435-2509 if you’re up for some bird watching while you take a breather.
What was a circular cemetery for victims of a cholera epidemic in the 1800s is now one of the most beautiful and radiant green urban spaces that are perfect for weddings, concerts, and other special events. It’s also a resting place for Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who are collectively known as GOMBURZA. Jose Rizal was also here for a while until his family moved him to his final resting place, so it’s another historical gem to look out for its lush green spaces and its Spanish era feels.
Okay, hear us out when we say it’s one of the most photographic urban areas with a Spanish fusion that will take you right back to the Spanish era. Also known as a Walled City because of the wall being built in the 1600s, this is a heritage site district with reconstructed walls and colonial-era structures. What’s more is that it has historical landmarks that include San Augustin Church, Manila Cathedral Basilica, Plaza Luis Complex, Puerta Real and Puerta Isabel, Baluarte De San Diego, and Bahay Tsino.
You would also pass by its core, which is Fort Santiago, Spain’s major fortress that is located at the mouth of Pasig River and Manila Bay. Outside its walls is an 18 – hole golf course that you can play all day long. It’s perfect when you’re on your photography walk as you imagine what Manila looked like with all its ancient beauty glimmering as you take photos.
There aren’t many urban gardens around the Metro, but when you enter this place, you would see tree lined streets and a bronze sculpture created by Eduardo Castrillo, and a couple of black stones where modern day heroes from the Marcos dictatorship are inscribed. We know that it isn’t a green space where you’d want to remember the dead, but the air quality outdoors is great (and you’d learn a lot of history there), so it’s one of the public green spaces that you should add to your list.
Around Metro Manila’s chief water reservoir, the La Mesa Dam, there’s a lush haven with lots of green space that’s still part of Quezon City for environmental awareness! For only P50, you can get to walk around on its grounds and go birdwatching or maybe have a picnic. You can also check out their shell flower terraces, eco-museum, butterfly trail, and hatchery!
You can also take a dip in their saltwater swimming pool for P80 or rent a fishing rod and catch some fish for P30, and you can even rent a bike for P60 and go for their fitness and mountain bike trail! These are cheap thrills that you can enjoy while soaking up the sun, some water, some grass, great air quality, and releasing positive energy!
Having access to more green space and more urban green spaces are essential for humans and they have so many mental health benefits. They help you reduce stress, improve your concentration and happiness, especially for old people and children. There is an interesting case where less green space results in violent behaviors, so going out to a green space can make you feel relaxed and energized at the same time!
Having physical activity in an urban green space is valuable in improving your health and physical condition. Studies have confirmed that long-term contact with nature has something to do with longer lives. It also promotes a healthy lifestyle of physical exercise such as enjoying sports activities in urban forests or doing actual exercise such as jogging, cycling, and many others are even more beneficial as they make you feel stronger and refreshed!
Urban dwellers are missing out on some well-being benefits because of traffic jams, pollution, and crowds that green spaces have to offer, and — you may not know it — but you can improve your social relationships and a sense of community through community gardens and many other green spaces that you may find in many cities with pleasant surroundings for community living. It also promotes awareness of the environment for the younger population so that they’d know how to take care of these green spaces.
It’s rare to find a bunch of green spaces, green cities, and sustainable cities in typical urban environments, especially when you’re living in a central business district. But the benefits of green spaces are endless as the World Health Organization says that being exposed to nature has overall well-being benefits such as leaning towards a healthier lifestyle and replenishing your mental and social health.
The government has been coming up with nature based solutions to have more accessible green areas to poorer neighbourhoods as they have in capital cities and to promote environmental consciousness to protect biodiversity and address issues that will result in climate change such as air pollution by establishing more pocket parks and street trees to those who have limited access as to nature and to start building green infrastructure with green roofs, just like in European cities.
So go out from the comforts of your home and bask yourself in the fresh air and sun and be one with nature. It may be a bit hard given that the pandemic gave us a bunch of reasons to stay at home, but a little refresher won’t hurt, right?
As a person who loves cooking, you are most likely to spend most of your time in your kitchen–cooking sumptuous meals or baking hearty goodies and desserts.
But this fun hobby of yours comes with a price– the food splatters, liquid spills, and the grease and grime–truly a kitchen nightmare. While regular dusting and wiping will do the trick for you, over time, these greases and splatter will soon clump up into glue-looking blobs in the hard-to-reach corners of your cabinet, which will require more than just your typical dusting and wiping.
Aside from being an unpleasant sight to see inside your affordable house and lot or condominium unit, greasy cabinets can also become harbingers of disease and germs that may harm you and your family. So, before you suffer the effects of having crusty and slimy kitchen cabinets and cupboards, it’s better to eliminate the problem as early as possible.
With that, we’ve listed ways on how to keep kitchen cupboards clean, using products and materials that can be found, well, in your cupboard!
To keep your kitchen cabinets and drawers sparkly clean, you should at least wipe the exterior every week, or every other week at the very least. However, you should empty the contents of your cupboard once in a few months for a thorough deep clean.
It may sound like a tedious task, but once you keep a list of your food items, plates, glasses, and silverware before you empty your cupboard out, it will be easier for you to return them when you’re done with the cleaning. Also, you can take the opportunity to wipe and scrub that grimy cabinet when your silverwares are all in the dishwasher.
Cleaning your wood kitchen cabinets doesn’t require much labor nor it will require a special kind of cleaning product or wood cleaner. Just a piece of sponge dipped in a solution of warm water and mild detergent will do the trick. For tougher stains and grease, prepare a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar and 2 cups warm water to soften the grime. Wipe dry using a soft cloth.
For layers of grime that accumulated over time, you can use a natural citrus cleaner, preferably lemon or orange oil. Avoid using harsh detergents or abrasive cleaners as they can strip off or scratch the wood’s natural finish, losing its beautiful and warm appeal.
There are instances where the stains are very hard to lift off, and this is usually because the finish is damaged enough for the water, oil, or stain to seep through the wood. The main culprits include light, moisture, and oxidation. Your typical washing won’t save cases like these and you may need to resort to refinishing.
While you cannot reverse the process of oxidation, you can control and minimize the amount of moisture in your kitchen. For starters, place steam-bellowing appliances like electric kettles and coffee makers in areas where the water droplets don’t directly hit the wooden surface. Wipe immediately if some steam gets caught up in your wooden cabinet doors.
Cabinets covered in oil-based paints are considerably easier to clean than those that are painted with latex. With oil-based paints, you can easily scrub the dirt away using a nylon brush but the same cannot be said for latex-painted wood cabinets as the bristles may cause paint lifting or peeling.
To clean your painted cupboards or cabinets, just follow these simple steps:
Laminated cabinets have tough surfaces that can withstand high-pressure cooking and beatings from your kids and pets. With that, they are also very easy to clean using mild liquid dishwashing detergent and water (you can also use baking soda and water) and a damp cloth.
For tougher stains and grease, the combination of water and vinegar will loosen up the grime build-up. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray it on the surface, leaving the solution to soak up for five minutes before wiping it with rag or paper towels.
Don’t just focus on the cabinet surfaces–use a soft bristled brush to reach and lift grime that lurks in hard-to-reach areas. Lift juice and coffee stains using a baking soda paste or the powerful duo of lemon juice and water. Let it soak for a few minutes and gently scrub the surface with a damp cloth or sponge.
Just like painted cabinets, it is not advisable to use scouring pads or abrasive cleaners as they can strip off the beautiful finish of your kitchen cabinets.
Cleaning metal cabinets is somewhat similar to cleaning painted ones. Using the same solution–a few drops of mild detergent soap and hot water– is enough to lift off soft stains and water spots.
If the cleaning power isn’t enough, you can try using rubbing alcohol instead. Pour an adequate amount of alcohol onto a soft cloth and rub it in a circular motion until the stain and grime are gone.
To avoid rusting, make sure that your metal cabinet is dried completely.
Glass cabinets should be cleaned like other glass surfaces inside your household. You can use soap and warm water to erase food spills, splatters, and grime, and then combine 50% distilled white vinegar and 50% water or commercial glass cleaner for a streak-free finish.
If your glass cabinet door happens to have mullions, avoid spraying directly as the cleaner may seep into the crevices, which can eventually lead to discoloration. For this, you can use a lint free cloth or paper towel to wipe clean the glass before drying it with a dry cloth or paper towel.
Our kitchen is one of the busiest areas in our house. This is the place where we cook the delicious meals our family can enjoy at the table or bake cakes and desserts that our friends and peers can munch on over a good afternoon gossip.
Cleaning kitchen cabinets might not be one of your favorite tasks but the utmost feeling of satisfaction is unmatched once you see the sparkling product of your hard work! So, start opening doors to a cleaner kitchen cabinets and cupboards with these easy cleaning tips and tricks!
Looking for an affordable property? Contact us today
A lot of Filipinos dream of owning their first apartment or house and lot. With today’s booming real estate opportunities, there are so many options to choose from.
Here at Vistaland International, we have a roster of affordable property listings from several locations across the country. Whether you’re looking for a place to live in Manila, Cebu, Davao and etc, we’ve got you covered. So contact our real estate agents today!
Vistaland International was primarily created to bring OFW closer to their dream of finally acquiring a home in the Philippines. And with the rising cost of living in the country, OFWs and their families are looking for ways to earn extra cash flow to support their daily needs. Luckily, you can also join the global network of Vistaland International as a real estate professional and earn a commission!
Whether you live in the city or in the province, everyone would love a touch of nature inside your affordable house and lot despite the fact that technology and modern living have been giving us unlimited information richness and convenience. But in a world where fast-paced living is a norm, so do burnouts and high stress levels, which affect our mental health (and believe us when we say that a lot of us need sight refreshers so that we’d feel relaxed).
The answer of interior and house designers and architects is to come up with a blueprint design that allows us to reconnect with nature in a modern environment, and that is coming up with a biophilic design that can benefit not only our physical and mental health but also for fitness and survival health. It creates a bunch of long-term positive results, not just for the sake of aesthetics.
If you want to spruce up your living space with a natural environment to experience health benefits for you and your loved ones, then keep on reading because we’re here to tell you what Biophilic Design is all about!
According to Stephen R. Kellert, author of the Biophilia Hypothesis, a person is biophilic if he/she has a love for nature. Having a biophilic design seeks out in using natural materials to create a harmonious and balanced sense of a modern built environment with a modern architectural design and the natural world.
It is the act of making a closer connection to nature through how buildings and landscapes are created and built and it fulfills our need to be one with nature as it centers around environments that humans have experienced, whether you want a full experience of being in a beach or forest without compromising natural resources and the frugal mindset that you can’t build a modern home somewhere natural.
There are two kinds of biophilic design: direct and indirect. The direct experience allows you to have an actual physical connection with natural light, air, plants, ecosystems, and the weather. Applying this to a building’s or a house’s design can be simple as putting up a vertical garden, some green walls, or designing the whole structure to fully interact with nature with natural ventilation.
On the other hand, having an indirect experience with nature can involve natural materials, geometrical and colorful organic shapes and forms that act as natural objects. This could be easy as using indigenous fiber and local wood for product designing or adding details that will make your space look like a still desert, a rocky cliff, or a couple of ripples of water.
Show off your home’s natural features by bringing natural lighting into your home. It not only provides natural light and warmth to your home, but your circadian rhythms would also become healthy when you bring in the sun to shine on your home! You can think of spaces where sunlight moves easily across a room so that you can bask under the sun without having to go out or you can create cozy pockets with outdoor rooms such as backyards, patios, or decks so that you can create these spaces even if they’re tiny.
Bringing the outside in can be challenging especially when you’re dealing with a place that has closed spaces and no natural exposure to natural landscapes. But you can bring some natural elements to your place such as putting indoor plants, small green walls, and a simple water fountain to let us connect with nature. Natural patterns such as wood or stone can replicate your sensory experience with what nature can provide.
When you play with natural light, you also have to be careful where you want it to shine as you don’t want to get blinded by the rays of the sun. You can map out the best times to let sunlight in and make shadows and you can also get to know your sun’s direction because it can get too hot while you work. Blur your boundaries and spend more time outside if you can so that you can make out the best times to let light in or to go out.
Enclosed spaces are places where we feel safe and secure, but it also defines how you look out until you feel comfortable again. So if you’re stressed and looking for somewhere to escape, go out and look for a spot with trees and with a roof or a shade to provide a perfect place for refuge while admiring natural sceneries.
Natural forms and shapes give off the right angles. Nowadays, a lot of human beings invest in typical buildings because biophilic buildings are expensive due to their curvy shape and organic forms that we find in waves, flowers, and shells, and not every property can bring in natural forms. But natural patterns can be used decoratively as motifs as they are a powerful connection to the natural world.
While every leaf has the same shape, they’re slightly different in size, and that goes with places too. You can contract straight lines and rectangles with complex and creative shapes such as geometrical patterns and fractals. Nature has order and complexity, so you should learn the art of balancing them in terms of design elements so that you can master the comfortability of a balanced space.
Biomimicry is the act of mimicking nature’s processes and applying them to make everyday things. It’s been used to make glues that mimic the mussel shells’ durability to use shark skin for some fashion designs. It has a cultural and ecological attachment because many people reminisce about what it was like to live in a place where nature surrounds them and it makes them feel relaxed to see it in a built environment.
Having a deeper connection with nature when you’re inside will have a positive impact on your well being and it has various health benefits because it has many spatial experiences from meadows, forests, and mountains to beaches and it provides a variety of spaces for different moods and tasks. They can mimic spatial variability that is found in nature, so you can make the most out of your natural and safe corner.
If you think building a home is limited to closed spaces, there’s a thing called biophilic design where you can have minimal (or a lot of) things without compromising what Mother Nature has to offer. Either you can take the direct or indirect approach, you can experience biophilia by having a natural pattern for your interior design, combining shapes, lines, and sizes, having a green wall, some indoor and outdoor plants, and bringing nature indoors.
The benefits of biophilic design may reduce stress and have special healing powers, but it’s also a challenge to keep your place well-ventilated while allowing natural things to go into your place. You can opt to have transitional spaces, but having a free flowing place in a modern built environment is the ultimate test in balancing.
So if you’ve been wanting to go for a biophilic design, then this is that sign to expand your options for sustainability and go all in for Mother Earth.
When you ask someone about what a millennial is, he/she will say that a typical millennial is someone who is born between 1981 – 1996 and he/she is somewhere between 26 – 41. Real estate agents usually target millennial home buyers because they’re up and about in the digital age. They’re also the ones who graduated college or have jobs of their own and would also find ways to have multiple streams of income as they take up the largest share of the spending community. They’re willing to invest in a property of their own or to just move out of inconveniences. Many millennials settle for a rental property, and they shape on how to customize their living spaces in the real estate market.
Like any other generation, you need to come up with ways on how to attract these millennial buyers by stepping up your game in the real estate market so that you’ll not only get to know them in general but to also understand how Filipino millennials act from their financial habits to how they make the most of their living space.
If you’re a real estate agent and your target is to find some young buyers like the millennials, then we’re here to tell you how to attract millennial home buyers while keeping up with the real estate market.
A lot of people were able to afford gadgets and to travel a lot before the pandemic happened, and these didn’t see the picture of moving out. But now, there are a lot of people who are locked in their parents’ homes or rented apartments in a prolonged pandemic that required everyone to practice social distancing, so that’s when everyone saw the motivation to move out. So most people move to Makati, Ortigas, or BGC because “it’s so near to the [central business districts,” says Tracy Ilagan, 8990 Holdings’ Investor Relations officer.
According to Mariano Martinez Jr. in a recent press briefing, the main drive to attract millennial home buyers is the pandemic itself now that they have a bank account or a Pag – Ibig Fund. He also said that this is a great time to move out because it might get expensive again when it’s all over. “There will be exuberance, we will have a lot of [consumer] confidence, then that tends to bring prices up,” he added. He also added that anybody is qualified to buy a house, provided that he/she is gainfully employed.
So in short, it drives young home buyers to acquire a house or even a rental property because of affordable rental payments and down payments during the pandemic season because prices have dropped, so it’s a wise investment for them to have properties during this time.
If you’re a millennial or a Generation Z person, you’d see that everything is straightforward and appealing at the same time, meaning you have to understand how they are and see. Update your vocabulary mix so that you can get interested in what they’re saying and so that you can incorporate them with advertising real estate with the way they talk. Get into Internet trends so that you can put something fresh to your advertising content. After all, if you got to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.
Millennials and Gen Zs have social media of some sort and they have a way of passing information in just a few minutes, and what better way to target these young home buyers is none other than digital marketing and search engine optimization? Utilize social media for real estate social marketing, especially for first time buyers. While traditional marketing such as giving out flyers and word of mouth may aim Baby Boomers and older generations, it may not attract millennial buyers as much because some real estate agents fail to consider that Millennials and Gen Zs make up most of the spending circle, so you might want to consider to filter and adjust your information to a size they know. After all, it’s easier to become friends with them because they know everything through family and friends rather than traditional advertising and commercials.
This one can be a challenge because let us be honest: Many Millennials and Gen Zs who are in the age group of 20s and 40s prefer to step out of their comfort zones rather than be stuck in them(and you can’t stop them). They also want a minimalist lifestyle because of the real estate trends that are popping up everywhere with functional furniture and minimal things that are ideal for their money’s worth. They see the world around them and for the people they love, work remotely, travel a lot, and have a living space where they can rest, freshen up, and slow down a bit. So they’ll opt for a commercial space for rent that is customizable and adjustable to their fast paced lifestyle rather than an apartment or condo (or a house) with lots of space to slow down their progress.
You need to be more creative in marketing the space you want to offer to them and to be more strategic when it comes to location because these would rather live in central business districts around the Metro (or in certain provinces) rather than in the countryside where nothing much is happening (unless you’re advertising a vacation home, then you’re good to go with this).
Do you know why a lot of financial advisors and real estate agents are being hired at a young age? It’s to guide these groups to acquire insurance or a home in general based on their financial habits and decisions and to help them with bite-sized information that isn’t too hard to understand.
But a lot of Millennial home buyers as well as Gen Zs get overwhelmed with so many real estate investments to choose from that come with so many deals to pick, especially when they’re considering to “give back to their families” when it comes to location and size. So, we want you to help them walk through the home buying process so that they’ll know what to do and what to expect in buying their first property in the housing market. If you’re promoting properties in suburban areas, make sure you need to consider their factors in choosing a property that is near to their offices and amenities millennials and gen zs have access to and that will give them the peace they need.
They say that looks can be deceiving to the point you scam them, and that’s true (especially if you’re trying too hard to market and sell the place on the spot with so many visuals). But they should also see what they’re getting because they tend to visualize what their life would be like when they live on that property. So your challenge here is to be visually pleasing and to be balanced when it comes to marketing and sales (and to be authentic when it comes to selling so that it wouldn’t be too good to be true. Make your home staging presentable and realistic so that they’ll have an idea of what the place would look like. Take photos of the outdoor space, breathtaking views, and some well-lit indoor shots. Make your marketing photo – heavy. Try to experiment with photo options such as interactive and still ones in one post. Expand your audience through social media like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest so that you’ll have more leads. Get yourself out of the box and think like a Millennial or a Gen Z.
You’d know why prices matter when you search for YouTubers who are as young as college students with different videos that give you an idea of how much living alone costs in different places. You have to get yourself to the bigger picture that Millennials and Gen Zs are also the busiest people you’ll ever encounter, so you have to get your numbers straight (and gently at the same time) because some of these are students who are on student debt while having a sideline while young professionals have side hustles and passive income to earn more money aside from their day job. You could offer an affordable down payment scheme or a rental payment scheme with flexible terms to follow so that more millennials and gen zs can get a good investment while hustling.
Other generations think that being authentic can mean putting some pizzazz on what you’re marketing and selling while millennials and gen zs think that everything should be balanced to be aesthetically pleasing and to be classified as an honest marketing for these age groups. As a challenge, don’t try too hard to be on the visuals and description but don’t show something that anyone can do (meaning don’t show something mediocre because anyone can do anything nowadays). Be more creative in what you sell and market, but get yourself straight to what you’re selling and what the terms are so that everything can be laid out on the table without having to second guess yourself and your young millennials and gen zs.
As the real estate market expands, so does the audience, and that includes young adults and young professionals. As Filipino millennials get themselves into the real estate game, so do the challenges that come with it along with the age gap that struggles a lot of young people. But you can balance yourself as a real estate agent (or broker) trying to get these young people a second home that is worth their budget and trying to guide them to the typical home buying process and to get along with these Filipino millennials by making digital marketing engaging, fun, and authentic all at the same time. Convincing millennial home buyers can be challenging when you don’t know what you’re dealing with, but it gets easier when you get the hang of handling younger generations because it’s more fun creating real estate content and it refreshes well with the usual real estate vibe. It can be challenging at first, but you can get yourself out of the box and think like them too!
So, get yourself out there and expand to a younger audience. You may learn a thing or two from them, and they’ll learn from you too! It’s a win-win situation for everyone! It may take time for you to adjust at first because it’s different from what you know, but it’ll be more fun to be exposed to a younger audience.
If you are looking for ways on how to add the versatile color green into your living space, then you’re in the right place!
From walls, murals, and even doors and furniture, and whether you are using it as the main block color or a subtle accent hue, there are endless ways to style your interior with the color green!
So read on, and start painting your living space with this invigorating color!
The color green is usually associated with health, fertility, and rejuvenation. This timeless color is believed to induce a sense of calmness–that kind of calm when you immerse yourself with nature. And since green is oftentimes associated with nature, this hue is commonly used in environmental campaigns and initiatives.
While the color green is usually linked with positive emotions, this color can also depict jealousy.
You will never run out of options and ideas to incorporate this vibrant color inside your home! From green walls to deep green furniture, the possibilities are almost limitless!
“Green is incredibly versatile, but it’s important to consider the colors that already exist within the space, be that furniture, flooring, art work or textiles, these are all elements that should be included as colors within your palette,” says Ruth Mottershead of Little Greene, as mentioned in an article by Homs and Gardens.
If you’re trying to create a green accent wall for your small living room for the first time, make sure to consider the existing colors as they are also part of the color scheme you are aiming for. The colors, hues, and tones should complement and not overpower each other.
Mottershead also advised considering a very important factor before choosing a color scheme for your interior: the atmosphere.
We all know that different colors and shades invoke different moods.
For instance, lively greens work well in spaces that are made for entertaining such as the living room or the kitchen. Or if you want to induce a feeling of relaxation in your bedroom, then pairing a warm, pale green with a blush pink hue will immediately create a romantic atmosphere!
Being an extremely versatile color, combining green with other colors, shades, and hues shouldn’t break a sweat. It can instantly turn a dull and small space into a lively, spacious interior!
What colors are best paired off with green?
Bounded by nature, the color green works best with earthy tones and soft hues like creams and stones. For a more vigorous and dynamic effect, pair it with darker and richer colors like cherry reds, ochre, browns, or blacks!
Take a lot at this list of green shades for inspiration and ideas for the interior design of your green room!
Simple and straightforward– that’s what decorating with green wallpaper is.
Plastering green wallpaper is a fast and easy way to incorporate the energetic green color inside your living space! There are lots of wallpapers available online with varying designs with subdued or bright colors to suit your personal needs and aesthetics.
And the best thing about wallpapers? You can just easily tear them off your walls whenever you want to! Simply no commitments with less mess!
Create an ethereal atmosphere in your dining area by adding botanical murals or prints to your feature wall! Pair it with a ruffled table cloth with hints of mint green and light grey stripes, dining chairs painted with a kelly green color, and a bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece on top for a streamlined look, effectively bringing the outdoor vibe inside!
Aside from adding murals, you can also place botanical prints in key areas of your home. You can easily find free botanical printables online. Plaster them up individually or create a wonderful botanical collage!
Whether you have a green thumb or are just a huge gardening enthusiast, you do not want to miss out on the chance of growing plants inside your affordable house and lot or cozy condominium unit!
Growing plants is one of the simplest yet very effective way of incorporating the green hue inside your humble abode. From ornamental plants, flowering shrubs, and spiky but cute succulents, you will never run out of options to turn your living space into a nature wonderland!
You can place your potted plants near doorways and entrances, on top of shelves and tables, or hand them near the windows of your kitchen!
Of course, what comes with adding household plants is the responsibility of taking good care of them. If you want to skip on the task of looking after your greens, then you can buy artificial plants instead!
If you’re a bit hesitant to commit to green walls, why not brush up your furniture with the same green color? You can start revamping the cabinets in your mudroom or give your kitchen drawers a fresh new look!
However, if you want to avoid the mess of accidental spills and splatters (let’s face it, no DIY project is safe from this), you can just head to your local furniture shop and buy a focal piece– in green color, of course!
Start off by replacing your old couch with a new, velvety, green sofa or armchair. When paired with neutral shades, it will create a softening contrast!
Make your front door pop out in the neighborhood by painting it with a soothing sage green! Sage green also works well inside your walls, creating that smart, formal design scheme! So, whether you want to go bold upfront or feel classy and elegant inside, you can never go wrong with the color green!
That vintage bottle collection shouldn’t stay bottled up inside your cabinets! Show off your interior decorating skills by using old, dark green, vintage bottles as your table centerpiece!
Actually, it doesn’t have to be strictly vintage bottles. You could rummage through your recyclables for a variety of bottles and mason jars. Just do a little bit of washing, scrubbing, and rinsing and they’re ready to take their spot in your green living room!
Not only that you’ve created a nice accent piece for your living room, but Mother Nature will thank you for being environmentally friendly!
Dealing with high ceilings? Why not add window treatments with floral or leafy fabric and pair it with green upholstery? Complementary prints add depth and scale to a living space while staying coherent with the design scheme, pulling off the look altogether!
So, are you up for the challenge of transforming your living space into a nature wonderland? If so, then gear up with your tools and creative mind and start repurposing that space. Whether it’s your busy kitchen, your cozy bedroom, or your toilet and bath, you are sure that the color green will spice up and invigorate your living space!
Are you ready to go green?
A lot of Filipinos dream of owning their first apartment or house and lot. With today’s booming real estate opportunities, there are so many options to choose from.
Here at Vistaland International, we have a roster of affordable property listings from several locations across the country. Whether you’re looking for a place to live in Manila, Cebu, Davao and etc, we’ve got you covered. So contact our real estate agents today!
Vistaland International was primarily created to bring OFW closer to their dream of finally acquiring a home in the Philippines. And with the rising cost of living in the country, OFWs and their families are looking for ways to earn extra cash flow to support their daily needs. Luckily, you can also join the global network of Vistaland International as a real estate professional and earn a commission!
Nowadays, home owners have been investing in smart homes because it saves time, money, and energy to do everyday chores, even when you’re on the go! Whether you live around Metro Manila or in provinces such as Cebu City, you’d see that a lot of quarantine facilities, pre engineered buildings, prefab homes, prefab warehouses, flatpack container houses, and residential properties invested a lot for convenience, security, and versatility, especially if you’re an OFW who is out and about while keeping your family and loved ones safe and sound in the Philippines.
What’s more is that you can enjoy a stress-free lifestyle because all you need is an internet connection, a mobile device or a computer, and a few buttons to get things done!
If you’re hesitating to convert your ordinary home into a smart home, here are the things that you can find in a smart home that you can invest in and some of the best reasons why smart homes for Filipino families are the smart choice.
A smart home is built with a bunch of automation systems that allow people to control lighting, security, entertainment, and many more via Internet connection. Imagine closing and opening your doors, windows, and curtains, switching on and off appliances, dimming the lights, adjusting interior temperatures, and many other things that you can do with just a few buttons or clicks with your mobile device or a computer anywhere, anytime! They’re also integrating A. I to add smart detections and pattern recognitions for the optimization of consumption so that you can make the most out of your smart home.
Having a smart system that tracks and optimizes your energy consumption has various benefits for home automation. It not only adds sustainability to your typical energy consumption, but it’s also efficient to help you save on energy costs, which makes your bills more affordable! It’s the perfect solution for you to save more money, more time, your sanity, and the environment, and everything is a win-win situation!
Having home security systems are one thing to keep you and your haven safe, but having automatic security systems for home automation safety is another to keep your home extra secured and safe from any suspicious activity from happening. They also notify you whenever something is about to happen whether you’re away or just in another part of the house and they also let your respective authority know how to make your home, family, and loved ones safe.
Unlike traditional home alarms and smoke detectors, timely ones can help you feel safe significantly with automatic sprinklers when there’s a fire and it’ll also help you to evacuate safely without compromising you and your loved ones to safety and to contact your local fire department or authorities to resolve any fire or smoke related problems.
The last thing you’ll need is overall home automation, which allows you to control electrical appliances, entertainment, lighting, and many more remotely to add efficiency to your schedule. Your system will shut off the lights at night and the appliances that you don’t use, so you don’t have to worry about wasting your energy consumption.
Linking your home and all of its devices and appliances can improve a home’s productivity and integrating these adds convenience to an array of homebound systems. It enables users to manage and monitor thermostats, review security footage, work on their indoor and outdoor lights, and many more without leaving your workplace or having anxiety while you’re on vacation — or even in your room. This also saves money on utility bills and other household costs, so it’s a win for your financial stability!
Homeowners can know exactly what happened and receive real-time alerts on any suspicious activity thanks to smart home technology, real-time surveillance, and monitoring. This includes alarm systems and security cameras, checking that your kids go out and arrive safely after a long day, and to check on your pet if it’s behaving properly. You’ll also have access to alerts that are provided for you, emergency personnel, and local first responders whether you’re at home or away, making emergencies quicker to answer and take action.
Pre – programming your lights and thermostats to a specific temperature during certain times of the day cuts down your energy wastes while living a comfortable lifestyle. But like we said, it saves your utility bills and energy costs, making it a financial win for you. You should install some smart outlets to auto-shutoff and turn on electrical appliances and devices when not in use or at certain times, and you can consider switching from normal LED bulbs to smart LED ones so that you can turn them on and off for convenience and security (and to prank people to scare them off with the technology you have).
Smart homes can be managed anytime, anywhere through remote monitoring, which enables real-time check-ins on various aspects of your home and property with your mobile device or computer. We know that it’s hard to quantify the meaning of the security levels to users, but the definition of true comfort is that they’re living comfortably and they’re safe from potential threats in the near future, and it’s an invaluable thing that isn’t too much to ask.
Home automation installation can be a bit intimidating at first, but it can be enjoyable once you customize your settings and create your preferences to your needs and wants. Your smart products can be adjusted to any way you like them, and you can set some “rules” when it comes to lighting, turning music on, setting temperatures, and many more to make your living space more comfortable. Smart sprinklers are another good idea. You can customize its activity based on sunlight patterns and the types of plants you have so that you don’t have to worry about watering your plants while you’re away.
Investing in a smarthouse or making your abode into a smart one can be tricky at first, especially if it’s your first time setting up smart appliances and smart home security systems. But with the help of some professionals and a tweak of your settings, you can experience a futuristic smart home with the electronics that you have, a phone or computer to control a few things, and you have a vision that was made into a reality with just a few buttons to press or click.
When it comes to upgrading your home into a smarthouse, you need to decide first what’s best for your loved ones and your home so that your home automation such as the ones in your dining area, bedroom, and living room will become easier to talk about. How you control your smart home is the next thing you have to consider so that you can enjoy the most out of your smart living space and be protected from house threats such as vandalism, burglaries, and many more that can happen. Security should never be something to ask, so you should step up your home game to the next level when it comes to safety and convenience.
If this article has helped you decide about the smart home installation, then this is your sign to definitely upgrade your humble abode into a smart one.
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