While the things that you look for in a home will vary considerably depending on your personal needs and lifestyle (a growing starter family is going to require significantly more space than a workaholic yuppie who mostly comes home just to sleep) there are certain things that everyone needs to keep in mind whn looking for a new home.
Understand that finding the perfect home for you will probably be a long process, involving back and forth and a certain amount of negotiation. But in the end, it’ll all be worth it. You may have to make a few compromises along the way, but as long as you keep some of these tips in mind, your search for your dream home should be a fulfilling and fruitful one.
Good Location
In layman’s terms, this would mean somewhere that isn’t too far from your work, and regular leisure hangouts.
As brokers we like to consider a few more things:
- Accessible location—How far is it from the main road? How wide is the road leading to the property? Is it commute-friendly?
- Proximity to important public spaces, like grocery stores, pharmacy and hospitals
- The neighbors you’re going to have
- How prone the area and its surroundings are to flooding during the rainy season
Solid Construction
After Yolanda and the earthquake in 2013, this has become an increasingly important factor for homebuyers. You can paint the walls whatever color you want, but it isn’t going to matter if the house isn’t built to standard.
If buying an older home, keep an eye out for:
- Cracks in the columns and beams
- Windowsills that aren’t level
- Doors that are uncommonly narrow
- Rusted-looking pipes
- Wall sockets that look burnt
When buying a new home, always look into the track record of the construction company or developer. If you can, visit some of their older projects and ask the homeowner’s association if there’ve been any issues with the building upkeep.
Sensible Floor Plan
The ease with which you can move through the various rooms and spaces in your home can have a huge impact on your daily life. Uncomfortably narrow hallways and awkwardly shaped rooms make it hard for light, sound and air to flow and circulate throughout the space.
Whether or not you believe in feng shui and the flow of energy, you should believe in being able to navigate your way around your own home without bumping into things or feeling cramped, and all of that depends heavily on the floor plan.
Documents
As unsexy as it sounds, you need to have all your papers in order. This is rule number one for any broker worth their commission and is part of the due diligence that should be conducted on any prospective listing. This includes verifying the Land Title with the Registry of Deeds (fake titles are a real danger, particularly when dealing with properties in Mandaue and Mactan) and cross checking this against a copy of the property’s latest Tax Declaration. Any discrepancies are considered an immediate red flag.
Financing Options
It’s always imperative that you know how much you’re willing (and let’s face it, able) to invest in your new home and what financing options are available to make that happen.
As a general rule of thumb:
- Don’t spend more than 30% of your take-home pay on rent
- If you’re buying, use the same amount as basis for your monthly amortization and work backwards from there to figure out your budget
- Set aside an additional 2-3% if the sales price for closing costs and various processing fees
AVERAGE PRICES
Condominiums
- Cebu City – 1.3m to 14.5m
- Lapu-Lapu City – 780k to 12m
- Mandaue City – 1.1m to 13.9m
- Outside Cebu City – 1.05m to 10m
House and Lot
- Cebu City – 1.9m to 21m (for 3 bedroom)
- Lapu-Lapu City – 970k to 10m (3 bdrm)
- Mandaue City – 1.6 to 19m
- Outside Cebu City – 800k to 11.5m
Source: cebufirst.com
Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, February 2017
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It it amazing that seven years ago this family-centered home was once a corner bachelorette pad unit in the hills of Cebu City. Transformed into a spacious house with five bedrooms for a young family of four, you might say this is the house that the kitchen built. When a restaurateur marries an Italian chef, where else would the entire house revolve around? It becomes the heart of the home and explains why guests are welcomed by a huge dining table for 12, instead of the usual living room.
The couple loves to entertain. The open kitchen from Mobelhaus displays industrial-grade appliances and allows them to prepare dishes without shying away from their guests. The wife even shoots her local cooking show in it, recognizable on TV by the marinus walnut cabinet faces and aluminum handles, topped with white synthetic stone. As a stark contrast, the backsplash was made of natural stone to give it an earthy feel. Interesting to note also is the large picture window above the sink, overlooking the mountains to let a lot of natural light in.
Planning the expansion of the house started early last year. The husband and wife were very involved in planning and designing of the spaces, with help from a look-book they created as their guide throughout the design and construction stages. Functionality and flexibility were key factors in a lot of their design decisions. From the heart of their home, a hallway clad in wood paneling conceals several secret doors to different areas – one opens to another refrigerator, another to an herb garden, and the door to the left opens to a powder room. This hallway then transitions to a glass-enclosed hall with travertine-stone columns and LED floor lights, which opens to a fun and open office that the couple shares. Standing prominently behind their suitcase-shaped desk on a sawhorse stand is this Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired bookshelf that they built all the way to the ceiling to store files, recipes, menus, books and framed pictures of the family. An accent rug flown in from Italy completes the space. Hanging on the wall is a reproduction of “The Kiss,” a souvenir from the Klimt exhibit, which according to the lady of the house is a representation of their lives and passion since a kiss seals it all.
Further down the hall are the children’s rooms. Keeping the walls and floors in neutral tones, the beds, rugs, curtains and other furniture pieces add color into the room in shades of pink and aquamarine, the girls’ favorite color of the moment. “When they get older and their preferences change, it’ll be easier to redecorate this way,” says the lady of the house.
Drawing inspiration from a photo in her look-book, the winding stairs that lead to the lower ground of the house is a showcase of fine, hardwood steps. To break away from the coldness of a metal banister, the handrail was covered in real leather hand-sewn for closure by a local craftsman.
The lower portion of the house is dedicated purely for guests, and not just because the guest’s room is on this level. A showcase of the couples’ artwork collected from vast travels abroad, it opens to an al fresco bar and the garden, where the couple entertains at least thrice a week, playing host to a couples’ life group, ladies night and a movie night. With a house this centered on food and entertaining, if home is where the heart is, they’ve definitely found the way for guests to feel at home: through the stomach.
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You need to see this,” Fay Hartstein recalled saying to her husband, Jay, showing him in an e-mail, a photo of an infinity pool, somewhere in a sleepy town south of Cebu. It was overlooking Sumilon Island, with sweeping views, they’ve dreamed of owning a house with a view like this for a while. After scouring almost half of southern Cebu, the couple was soon the proud owners of this very private property in the fishing town of Mainit, Oslob.
Fay confesses to love both the openness and intimacy of the place: the former being the ability to see so many islands in the distance such as Negros, Bohol, Siquijor, and Sumilon, and even the tip of Mindanao on a clear day, while the latter being cut-off from the rest of Cebu and the hustle and bustle of the city. Even the sound of commuter buses and cars on the highway are immediately muffled once you reach the main living areas.
The property has three structures: the main house and two guest villas, which were already built before the couple acquired the property. The steps to the ocean, however, were unfinished and the house was unfurnished but this was not a challenge at all for the couple.
“We love the Filipino-native look, but with a modern touch,” and found Murillo furniture to be perfect as the couple had also noted that furniture company had some pieces included in the Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf Kreiss Collection. “Much of the house and the Guest Villa have various pieces of furniture, and we took great care to give the place a feeling of comfort, while keeping a tropical look.” Fay being from Cebu, and Jay being from L.A., the couple shuffles between the two cities regularly, with beautiful daughter Moira in tow. For the time spent away, they decided to rent the place out, and Villa On A Cliff was born.
Villa On A Cliff is a tropical estate suspended on an oceanfront cliff, roughly 20 meters above sea level. It is a fully-staffed vacation home, with four full-time employees. “George and Charito do most of the cooking,” noted Fay. “George is from Bicol so we do a mean Bicol Express at the villa.” Jay also recommends George’s fried calamari and Charito’s bam-i and leche flan “which always seems to get rave reviews.” To maximize your dining experience at Villa, it’s advised to call ahead so they can plan an excellent set menu. A masseuse is also easily available.
The two guest villas are always ready for occupancy. Villa 1 is the most elevated of the levels. It is equipped with its own bathroom, a refrigerator, a queen size bed, and a cozy seating area. It is air-conditioned but you can let the sea breeze in without letting the bugs with the sliding screen doors. The second villa is perched on a lower cliffside and has the same provisions as the first villa. The lower level of the main house also has two bedrooms with a private bathroom and allows exclusive use of the living and dining areas.
Security is not a problem: apart from the towering wall around the villa, and the full-time staff living there as well, the property is also guarded by two big dogs, Bo and Robin. And as it’s better safe than sorry, the couple had installed a security system as well in the main house.
Staying in Villa On A Cliff doesn’t necessarily entail a sedentary lifestyle, although that can be very appealing. There are many activities you can busy yourself with. Oslob has suddenly and is increasingly becoming a popular destination to see and swim with the spotted whale sharks, or butanding. Oslob has its own waterfall as well, Ginatilan Falls, and Kawasan Falls is merely a short bus ride away. “We also love taking our three-seater kayak for a ride down the shore,” mentioned Fay, or take a quick trip to Sumilon island for some snorkeling or hiking, or plan a diving trip to nearby sites, then come back to the villa to slowly take it all in, and reflect on what adventures have gone on in the day.
Oslob’s close proximity to neighboring Dumaguete also makes it an ideal vacation property. When you’re done with the many activities in Oslob and its nearby towns, a daytrip to Negros Island is also very feasible.
For more information on Villa On A Cliff, visit and add them on Facebook: Villaonacliff Cebu, e-mail them at: villaonacliff@gmail.com, or talk with them via Skype: VillaOnACliff
- by Ian E. Baol
- photography Genesis Raña
The temperament is noticeably different once you hit the heights of Busay Hills, the mountainous range that lines the vista of Cebu island. The air is cleaner and the weather is much cooler at over 1,000 meters above sea level, and it’s easy to drift into a cloud of tranquility and watch the bustle below disappear.
Buying a house up in the Busay Hills was a dream to businesswoman and mother, Coy, but was made a reality by her husband, Wilson, who said, that if they were going to get away from the city, they might as well go all the way up the mountains. He surprised her with a 7,500 square-meter property located in the Balamban vicinity.
Driving closer to the structure, the exteriors give off an “industrial” impression, from the amount of polished concrete, steel bar railings, and tall glass windows used. But the exacting elements are broken by the tugas hardwood double-door, and upon entering, the organic feel of the wood-plank ceiling. The use of many tall- and corner-windows and multiple open spaces give a sense of the outdoors wherever you are in this house.
Taking note of the homes around the area, Architect Ed Gallego drew plans for a structure that would be welcoming and homely, and require low maintenance but at the same time take full advantage of the surrounding nature. The result is a symmetrical, four-level, eight-bedroom house that stands on a little over a thousand square meters of floor space. It uses corner glass windows to take full advantage of daylight; glossy coating to finish the insulated concrete; and high ceilings for natural ventilation.
The main level has the living area, the dining room and the kitchen all within easy reach of each other. One set of wood stairs lead to the master bedroom and two bedrooms on the second level, while another set of stairs, enclosed in sliding glass walls, leads to the highest level, where the daughter’s library is located.
All the planning was done with the primary consideration of the children’s needs, Coy admitted, which were mostly privacy, and a place to chill and entertain. Daughter Diandra wanted her own place to read and have her quiet-time, so the library was built for her collection of books.
“We sourced as much of our furniture locally,” said Coy. “The interiors are still a work in progress, but it has already been enjoyed by friends since September of last year.”
“My favorite part of the house would be the masters bedroom,” says Fatima, one of Coy’s best friends, “when you open the curtains, you get a postcard view of the mountains.” Wesley, the second of the two boys, loves the basement the most, where he and his friends gather. This lowest level of the house has an entertainment area with a fully-stocked bar and two spacious guest bedrooms. A second kitchen is also being worked on for this level.
That’s the great thing about the multi-tiering of this house—a party can go on at different levels, and without interrupting each other.
The possibility of a landslide does not bother the homeowners because the land was shaped and matted with steel before any beams were constructed. “Stilts are dangerous because the land shifts,” said Coy, and although Wilson wasn’t very particular with the design, he was quite adamant about maximum safety. Having the grounds landscaped by family friend Prudence Salutillo added sentiment to this home. He worked with Coy on her other business, including designs for her Catholic book store Kerygma, the stalls of her House of Praise franchises, and other private projects like residential and church renovations. The homeowners entrusted most of the interior decorating to Prudence while Coy brought in more of her décor, especially inspiring quotes framed and hung on the wall, which she collects from her travels around the globe.
Now that the children are grown—with the youngest having turned fifteen recently—Coy chose to close her small bookstores and gospel music stalls, and go into a semi-retirement. “The kids think they don’t need you anymore once they reach a certain age but believe me, they will always need their parents’ guidance. I just want them to know I am always here for them, and this weekend house will always be a special place for us to spend time together.”
- by Ian E. Baol
- photography Adrian Yu producer David Jones Cua
- sittings editor Katsy Borromeo
- additional interior styling Rizelle Ostrea, PIID (Philippine Institute of Interior Designers)
One of the most fascinating things about my job as an interior designer is the people I meet and the clients I deal with. While a few can really suck the life out of you, most of my clients are really such wonderful people. Designing their living spaces entails a lot of research and getting-to-know-you on my part so it’s not difficult to establish friendships when the project is done.
Such is my story with this beautiful family from Manila. Working with this particular client was a delight because they are a very warm and endearing family, but most of all, they appreciate local art and talent. In the first quarter of this year, I got commissioned to do the interior design of their second home here in Cebu. It wasn’t by chance that led them to the queen city of the south. The cosmopolitan vibe of the city with beaches and mountains in close proximity made it easy for the family to unanimously agree to make this their second home.
From the start, they specifically told me that they wanted their house to showcase national and local artists, Cebuano designers and local craftsmen. I have never met anyone with such an extensive art collection as this family! They have original paintings from Jun Impas, Romulo Galicano, Manuel Baldemor, Mauro Malang, Manuel Sinquenco, Oscar de Zalameda and national artists BenCab and Arturo Luz, among many others. Not to be outdone, their furniture selection also consists of different designer pieces from famed furniture designers like Kenneth Cobonpue, Vito Selma, Rene Ybanez, and Clayton Tugonon; as well as furniture exporters like Mehitabel and Coast Pacific.
In the foyer, a huge Jun Impas watercolor painting is placed directly above a massive console table made of natural coco round core laminate designed by Clayton Tugonon of Classical Geometry. Florentino “Jun” Impas paints in the genre of realism where these seemingly mundane everyday scenes are given life in detail. That particular painting captures ladies doing laundry in the river. It is from these colors that I lifted the green accent color applied to one side of the walls.
During the design conceptualization phase, the wife consulted her psychic friend Stargazer, a reputable psychic medium from Manila who appears in several television programs. She recommended that the beam above the foyer be covered. As a solution, I placed this bamboo carved panel from Halsangz Plating Cebu, a manufacturer of surface decorative panels that come in different materials and finishes. The interlaced bamboo panels gave that modern Filipino twist to the Asian contemporary style of the house. Three tall rattan lamps from Obra Cebuana were suspended from the high ceiling in varying lengths and finished in different stains to add more character to the space.
The house was built on a mountain so it was only natural to do a split-level plan to follow the terrain of the land. Split-level homes offer living space on multiple levels separated by short flights of stairs, up or down. So from the foyer, a few steps down lead to the living room. There one will find a cornucopia of art pieces and fabulous furniture. Kenneth Cobonpue’s award-winning Yin-Yang sofa sits across a pair of handsome lounge chairs with sulihiya weaving in the back designed by Rene Ybanez for Obra Cebuana. On the center is a round coffee table with a simple but elegant marquetry top. A red Chiquita stool sits right next to it. The Chiquita stool, a Kenneth Cobonpue design, is made of natural rattan poles sitting on top of a polyurethane cushion inside a moulded steel base. All poles are natural untreated rattan. A simple yet brilliant feature of this design is the supreme comfort one experiences when the poles sink softly when sat upon and return to their initial height when you stand up. Behind the sofa is a spin off from Rene Ybanez’s lotus coffee table which I transformed into a wall lamp. This makes for dramatic lighting at night and a focal point in the mustard-colored accent wall.
The centerpiece on the coffee table is a Michael Cacnio sculpture. Filipino artist and 2006 Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Awardee Michael Cacnio is a world-class brass sculptor.
The hallway leading towards the kitchen and dining area is like an art gallery of paintings. On one side there is a Romulo Galicano water lily oil painting on canvas, Manuel Baldemor’s European series in oil and a small Malang. On the other side is a couple of Sinquencos showing his signature subject matter of old houses done in colors and shading to produce an old-world style.
As the saying goes, the kitchen is the heart of the home. So it applies to this family as well. The breakfast nook is the wife’s favorite part of the house because this is where her family of four gathers when they are in town. It also overlooks the swimming pool and the garden outside. The kitchen cabinets are of solid wood in dark wood stain, crafted by Anything Timber. The bar stools are a gift from one of the wife’s closest friends, Tina Lo of Coast Pacific. Shining brightly above the nook, a set of modern pendant lights made of Lucite glass was purchased from Imperial House of Furniture.
The dining room also contains big names not only in the furniture industry but also in the arts. The Vito Selma Plumeria table with this tree-like base, wrapped in stained tobacco leaves. The glass table-top shows all the branches that hold it. A perfect complement to the table are the dining chairs from Coast Pacific with a solid wood frame in a rich dark wood stain, rattan back and a removable upholstered seat cushion for added comfort. I chose a brown, leaf-printed fabric that resembled the lines of the rattan weaving on the back for the removable seat covers that were made by my good friend Ina Chona. At the far end of the dining room, a wooden credenza with slim, tapered legs carefully crafted by Mehitabel for Ralph Lauren rests against the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a pocket garden. On the red accent wall, a full-length silver-framed mirror is positioned on center, not only to give the illusion of space but also to reflect the Zalameda painting on the opposite wall. This allows diners to admire the painting no matter where they are seated. De Zalameda happens to be the favorite artist of the former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and that particular painting is also the wife’s favorite piece. Flanking each side of the mirror are works from national artist BenCab. To add some sparkle to the room, a modern set of pendants lights from Imperial House of Furniture hang directly above the table.
The kitchen, dining and living room all look out to the swimming pool outside with a minimalist landscape overlooking the breath-taking views of the city. The terrace is decked out with the Dedon Slimline collection and a red Kenneth Cobonpue Dragnet chair sits on a corner.
Up a flight of stairs from the foyer leads to the family room. Fun and quirky sets the tone in this living space where a sectional sofa in black and white is complemented by the red Yoda chair of Kenneth Cobonpue. A pair of black upholstered ottomans doubles as footstools, but can also serve as extra side tables. Pay careful attention to detail and you’ll notice that the center table is like a giant book with wooden cabriole legs. A floor lamp that extends to the center was purchased from Mandaue Foam. The scroll bench behind the sectional is an original design by Rene Ybanez for Obra Cebuana made of two-inch rattan poles with skin stained in a deep red. Directly above it is an Arturo Luz painting entitled “Cities Of the Past”, another priceless piece from a Philippine national artist.
Designing bedrooms is a whole different ballgame, but a fun one I must say! It’s always different for every person. In this family’s case, the daughter wanted a dreamy, purple-colored room; while the son preferred a more masculine approach using greys, blacks and whites with a central theme focusing on his music and records. Making room for his gadgets was a must. Given that this was their second home, the master bedroom was made to look like a hotel room with neutral colors and rich wood stains. The end result is one that makes me happy especially when I hear the children say that their favorite parts of the house are their bedrooms.
If this house in Cebu is just a second home, I can only imagine what other treasures lie in their home in
Manila. But no, their humble answer would always be that the true treasure lies in our country and our local artists and designers. Being a doctor by profession, they have had several opportunities to make a living abroad but they have always chosen to stay at home.