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Recommend an area to live

3K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  Billfish 
#1 ·
Hi,

We would be moving to Philippines on a 2 year assignment in early Sept. My work place would be in Makati CBD. We have 2 kids (5 year / 2 years old) and are looking at European International School as the possible schooling option for the elder kid. I need some opinions on what area we should look at to live, considering the traffic situation is Metro Manila so our son doesnt have to spend too much time commuting to and from the school.
We are looking at area with the following parameters:
1. 2 bedroom unfurnished condo (~30K PHP)
2. Expat population
3. Family safety and things for them to enjoy (wife would not be working)

Questions:
Would Makati / Fort be out of my range even for unfurnished apartment?
How is Paranaqay? I could gather very little info on internet.
Any other pointers to properties (property name/ agent/ reference) etc you can share with me?

We would be visiting Philippines as a family in next 2 weeks on a scouting trip, so i am looking for recommendations which i can visit / meet. Looking forward to all the inputs.
 
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#2 ·
Welcome! Honestly, though, P30k is not gonna cut it in the Fort or Makati area if you're looking for an area with expats. You'd have to go to the outskirts of Makati to get your price, but of course theres a reason for that. I would plan on 70-90k for a decent 2-3 bdrm. In the paranaque area there are many small, gated sub-divisions with houses but again you're probably looking at 40-50k. The other issue is when you rent here, more often than not they ask for 12 months to 2 years of rent as a deposit. We were quite shocked by this, but it was the norm. An area that's quite popular with expats is the Alabang area, just south of paranaque. There are many gated subdivsions here (ayala alabang, alabang hills, san jose to name a few), some big malls, country clubs and now with the skyway, it's 20 min to Makati. The houses here range from ranch style to Beverly hills with rent from 40-250k, but more of a western, modern feel. I feel this is important if your spouse is not working, and needs to have things to do. There are many online real estate websites you can view regarding these areas. Also, international schools here are expensive running from P400k to P1mil. Most have very good bus service.
 
#3 ·
You might be able to find a smaller home in BF Paranaque closer to your price range. BF has a larger Korean population, restaurants, gated neighborhoods. It is actually quite nice there. It was where my in-laws live and I have stayed there for a while. My mother-in-law has a large, furnished home and rents it for 60-70k a month. She usually gets 6 months rent in advance... although, sometimes she will accept 1st month and last month for the deposit. It really depends on the homeowner and how much they want the place rented. From Paranaque you are still looking at quite a commute to Makati, even using the Skyway highway. I think my father-in-law would take about an hour each way for work. It can take 30 minutes just to get out of BF.

I agree with the other post that Makati and the Fort will be out of your price range. My husband was looking at places there and if you want to live in safer areas you are looking at paying 20k for a small studio.

Good luck!
 
#4 ·
I've rented twice before in the Alabang area, and it was common practice to pay 12 months advance + 2 months security deposit. After talking with our broker and other renters it was common practice. One renter even asked for 24 months :( . Sounds like in other areas it's negotiable. Good thing we eventually bought.
 
#7 ·
Just an update. I recently visited Philippines on our first acclimatization visit. The rental in nice areas are quite high (does most of the expats have it covered as part of their company pay package?). So far the reasonable option i could find was Merville in Paranaquy, though i fear constant noise from airport during the day. Other area where rent seems to be reasonable is Wack Wack (Any thoughts on this area?).
The apartment which was shown to us in Alabang (90 sqm/2 bedroom) was not very nice and that too for P60K (Is this the real rent in Alabang?). I still have till Oct first week when i need to move in, but want to hear some more views.
 
#10 ·
Are you moving into the Manila area by choice or because you simply don't know where else to live?
Trying to live and stay alive in areas like that is about the same as being in South Central Los Angeles in California..
 
#9 ·
One has to be very careful in considering to live in Paranaque because it, like Baclaran, is considered to be a high crime area.
 
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#16 ·
Wack Wack is ok, and is just opposite Ortigas which has plenty of amenities. Traffic to Makati isn't too bad once you learn how to drive through Mandaluyong though I can't think of an international school near there.

Merville is a bigger area and quite nice (and not too expensive). Nomad's Sports Club is there which is superb for the kids and not too bad for yourself. There is an international school nearby, MGIS Mahatma Ghandi School. Not sure of the educational standard however the grounds look nice.
 
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