The Digital Property Seeker Series Emerging Cities: Condominium Market 2018
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Efforts by the local government units of Davao, Iloilo, and Pampanga to attract investors in their areas are slowly paying off, as several companies, especially business process outsourcing firms, continue to expand and establish their operations in these cities.
And with the ongoing decongestion efforts of Metro Manila through several decentralization measures by the government, such as stimulating industrial activities in the countryside and enticing more enterprises to set up their operations there, more and more property developers are expanding beyond the country’s premier urban hub to meet the growing demands of property seekers for residential condominiums in these so-called emerging cities, notably Davao, Iloilo, and Angeles in Pampanga.
Most of these property seekers in these cities belong to the 25-to-34-year-old category, often referred to as millennials, according to data compiled by Lamudi based on property seekers who use the platform.
Although females who search for residential condos in Davao, Iloilo, and Pampanga outnumber their male counterparts, male users, nonetheless, constitute a sizable share among those who have inquired and expressed interest in condo units in the aforementioned cities.
It is also worth noting that property seekers for condos in the said cities are not limited to locals —there are also property seekers based in Metro Manila, in other nearby urban areas, and even outside the country.
In its “Top 10 Predictions for 2018” report, Colliers International Philippines states that it expects property firms to venture into developing residential condos and mixed-use townships in these emerging cities because of the increasing demand from end-user buyers who want a better value proposition that integrates work, play, and lifestyle components.
Property development firms are expanding beyond the metropolis as the demand for residential condominiums continues to rise in emerging cities such as Davao, Iloilo, and Angeles in Pampanga. Thanks to the efforts of local government units in these cities, residents in these areas are opting to stay, while others from Metro Manila are deciding to relocate to escape the congestion in the area. This triggers the rise in demand for residential condos in the process.
Property firms are expected to venture into developing residential condos and mixed-use townships in these so-called emerging cities because of the increasing demand from end-user buyers. These include local residents, property seekers from other parts of the archipelago, and even those from abroad. This, on top of the government’s plan to decongest Metro Manila by stimulating business activities in the countryside, can propel land values in areas to spike up.
KB-REALITY GROUP’s exclusive search data revealed this to be the case, as data on supply and demand showed that Davao, Iloilo, and Angeles in Pampanga have been enjoying a steady interest momentum among property seekers who are looking for residential condos.
SUPPLY
The increase of residential condo units being built in Davao, Iloilo, and Pampanga is expected to rise as BPO firms disperse outside the traditional central business districts in favor of new ones.
More and more residential condominiums are being built by property developers in areas outside Metro Manila, specifically in Davao, Iloilo, and Pampanga. This property boom over the past two years is fueled by a number of industries, led by the business process outsourcing sector, as well as by the economic initiatives of local government units aimed at attracting investors to set up businesses in their cities. Real estate professionals point to the development of integrated and mixed-use centers as one of the factors that spur BPO enterprises and other investors to expand their operations in the country.
KB-REALITY GROUP
integrated and mixed-use centers as one of the factors that spur BPO enterprises and other investors to expand their operations in the country.
Based on data provided by KB-REALITY GROUP, there was an overall steady increase in the number of residential condo units being built by property developers from June 2016 up to the fourth quarter of 2018 in Davao, Iloilo, and Pampanga. This shows a significant commitment from property development firms to increase the number of residential condo units in those cities.
DAVAO
In Davao, there was a steady increase in terms of the supply of residential condo units during the two year period. The city started with an 85 percent increase in the supply of residential condo in the last half of 2016. Although the residential condo supply slowed down during the first half of 2017, this steadily picked up in the second half of that year. The presence of an international airport and other support services such as reputable academic institutions make it attractive, not just to BPO firms, but among those who plan to reside there for good.
In the case of Iloilo during the same two-year period, it was only after the first half of 2018 that the city saw a spike in the supply of residential condo units. KB-REALITY GROUP saw that there was a decrease in supply during 2016 but it slowly picked up until the first half of 2018. The supply also had a significant boost at 122 percent during the last quarter of this year. Iloilo’s strategic location in the Visayas and the presence of exceptional support services and recreational facilities continue to lure a number of people to relocate to Panay Island’s metropolitan hub.
PAMPANGA
“The vertical or condominium market is still in its infancy but we see a more aggressive construction of vertical projects over the next three to six years especially within integrated communities that will be developed by national players. Over the near to medium term, we see Metro Clark becoming the hotbed for a condominium development in the entire Central Luzon region as these residential towers complement the office projects in the pipeline.” – Colliers Radar, Mequeni: Inviting National Developers to Pampanga, May 2018
Pampanga, specifically in the Clark-Mabalacat area, saw the biggest increase in residential condo supplies from July 2016 up to the fourth quarter of this year. KB-REALITY GROUP data revealed that even though there was a sudden drop in the increase of supply in June 2018, it remained steady at a minimum increase of 400 percent every six months. The former American Air Force base, which has retained most of its infrastructure in good conditions, is emerging as one of the most attractive alternatives among BPO firms to set up operations. Clark’s proximity to Metro Manila and the nearby provinces, as well as the presence of world-class support services such as an international airport, make it attractive to many would-be residents who are considering relocating there.
This trend on the increase of residential condo units being built outside Metro Manila is expected to continue growing as more and more BPO firms disperse outside the traditional central business districts in favor of new ones such as Davao, Iloilo, and Pampanga.
DEMAND
The interest in affordable residential condo units in Davao, Iloilo, and Pampanga is on an upward trend as expansion takes place outside of Metro Manila CBDs.
The demand for low-cost residential condominium units outside Metro Manila, specifically in Davao, Iloilo, and Clark in Pampanga, continues to increase as a number of property developers continue to build more and more residential condo units in those cities.
KB-REALITY GROUP data shows that the majority of those who have inquired or expressed interest in residential condo units in Davao, Iloilo, and Pampanga leans toward affordable properties, meaning condo units that have a price range of Php5 million or less.
Those who express interest for premium residential condo units, or those units whose price range is anywhere from 5 million to 10 million pesos, are a far second, while those who are interested in luxury units with a price range of 10 million pesos and more come in third.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Residential condominium units in Davao, Iloilo, and Angeles in Pampanga are being sought even by those who are based outside of those cities. Although the majority of those who are based in Pampanga and Davao search for condo units in their respective areas, Iloilo’s case shows that those from Cebu, Bacolod, Quezon City, and Makati City are more interested in residential condo units in Iloilo than property seekers who are based in the city.
DAVAO
Property seekers from Quezon City, Makati, and Manila have inquired and expressed interest in residential condos next to residents of Mindanao’s premier urban hub. Property seekers from Metro Manila’s urban areas who use the KB-REALITY GROUP platform are either planning to relocate to Davao or would like to invest in condo units there for themselves and their families.
Among the municipalities in the Visayas, property seekers in Cebu City have expressed the most interest in residential condos in Davao. Meanwhile, in Mindanao, those from Cagayan de Oro and General Santos City also have expressed interest in condo units in Davao, although not as much as property seekers from Cebu. Those who are based in Dubai and Riyadh, as well as those from Australian and Canadian cities, have also looked into residential condos in the city.
Female property seekers have expressed more interest in condo units in Davao compared to their male counterparts. KB-REALITY GROUP data shows that those who are in the 25-to-34–year-old bracket make up the bulk of residential condo seekers in Davao, followed by those in the 35-44-year-old category.
ILOILO
Interestingly, only 6.4 percent of property seekers in Iloilo have expressed interest in residential condos in the city. Cebu-based property seekers have expressed the most interest in condo units in Iloilo followed by those who residing in Bacolod.
In the case of Metro Manila, property seekers from Quezon City, Makati, Pasig, and Manila have shown interest in residential condos in Iloilo. Property seekers from Davao are the only ones who have expressed interest in condo units in Iloilo among those who are based in Mindanao. The people who are based outside the Philippines, especially those from Dubai, Hong Kong, Riyadh, and Singapore, as well as the ones who are based in the United States and some parts of Europe, have likewise shown interest.
Consistently with Davao, female property seekers have shown more interest in residential condos in Iloilo City than their male counterparts. Those who are in the 35-to-44-year-old bracket have shown the most interest in condo units in Iloilo, followed by 25-34-year-old and those in the 35-to-44-year-old and the 55-to-64-year-old categories.
Pampanga
Due to the strategic location and its proximity to Metro Manila and major areas in Central Luzon, property seekers outside the province express interest in buying residential condos in Pampanga. Some of them are from Quezon City, Makati, Manila, and even those who are based farther north of the city such as Baguio have expressed interest in condo units specifically in Angeles City, Pampanga’s fastest-growing metropolis.
Although there are few property seekers based in Visayas and Mindanao who search for condo units in the city, the majority of those who searched for condo units in Pampanga were from various cities in nearby Metro Manila, including Pasig, Caloocan, and Pasay.
Among property seekers from overseas, those from Singapore and Dubai top the list of searches for condo units in Pampanga, followed by people from Toronto, Los Angeles, Beijing, and Fort Saint John.
Female property seekers also outnumbered their male counterparts in searching for residential properties in Angeles. People in the 25 to 34-year-old bracket have expressed by far the most interest in condo units in Angeles City, followed by those in the 35-to-44-year-old and 45-to-54-year-old categories.
