Naghahanap ng Bahay? — 7 Helpful Tips When Buying a House

Last Updated on June 30, 2020 by ITPM

Note: The writer is not an expert on real estate. These tips are compiled based on experience after going through the ‘hunt for our family home’.

When my husband and I started looking for a house, these were helpful things to consider before making the decision. These compiled tips when buying a house came from family, friends, brokers, reviews on different developers and subdivisions, etc. Sana makatulong din sa inyo, lalo na sa mga magsisimula ng pamilya, o kahit sa inyong mga OFW’s na naghahanap ng pwedeng investment.

Tips When Buying a House — Consider these:

#1: Location

Saan ang napipili mong bahay? Iba-iba ang nagiging presyo per square meter ng mga bahay (or kahit condo). These were some of the tips when buying a house pertaining to this aspect: location. Check these attributes about the location, apart from the price per square meter.

• Is it at a major fault line? Lalo na kung condo ang hinahanap mo at nasa high-rise ang unit na gusto mong bilhin. You can check FaultFinder web app ng DOST-Philvocs at ibang mga Faultline Geomap ng Philvocs para dito.
• Madalas bang bahain ang lugar na yan? Lalo na kung hindi ka madalas nagagawi sa location na yan, it’s good if you can ask the locals who live in the area. Kung wala, kahit na ang mga nakapaligid sa lugar. You can also look around the location if you see a good drainage system. I-research mo rin kung gaano kataas ang bayan na yan above sea level. Pag mababa sya kumpara sa mga kalapit bayan, there’s a good chance na dyan umaagos ang tubig tuwing tag-ulan.
• Nasa choice mo rin if you want to live in an urbanized area, or the sub-urban areas (or even remote areas). Pag ganito, i-expect mo nang mas mataas ang presyo per square meter ng urbanized areas.

Here are tips when buying a house in Bulacan. You can check this site since it gives the realty rates (per square meter) for the different cities and towns within Bulacan. Go to the specific town, and click under “Business” tab for that town to show these (and other) details.

#2 Access

These are tips when buying a house related to this attribute: ACCESS. Make sure you check around the location. How accessible is it to both public and private transportation? Kahit na may sarili kang sasakyan, importante pa ring alamin kung ano ang options for public transportation? Tricycle lang ba? Ilang salin ng jeep? May dumadaan ba or malapit na bus station?

Check also how easy it is to go, not just to nearby establishments within your town, but also how to go to other towns or even to Metro Manila. Checking out your options will make it easier for you, especially since buying a house is not a short-term investment. You would most likely stay there for years and years to come, if not for most of your remaining life.

Maganda ring alamin ang mga balita tungkol sa magiging future modes of transportation na malapit sa napupusuan nyong bahay. For example, ang laking ginhawa once tumatakbo na ang PNR patungong Bulacan. So kung may malapit sa station sa napili mong bahay, WINNER!

#3 Proximity

This was one of the main tips when buying a house that we got from our parents. Lalo na kung may pamilya ka, check mo kung malapit ba yan sa school, hospital, palengke, at sa lugar na pinagtatrabahuhan mo (or pwede ring sa ibang mga lugar na maari kang maraming mahanap na ibang trabaho). You should consider how difficult it would be to go to these places, since it can affect your quality of life and quality time with your family.

Another point also on proximity to these places is that it can possibly increase the value of your house later on. Having schools nearby, especially good schools that people would want to send their kids to, would always be a plus. Yan ang reason kung bakit mataas ang value ng property, lalo na sa mga lugar na malalapit sa malalaking universities.

#4 Budget

This impacts all the other tips when buying a house that you can read here. Ito ang isa sa mga pinakaimportanteng elemento — HOW MUCH ARE BUDGET MO? This is a combination of how much you’ve saved so far, and how much you can afford in terms of monthly payments if you will pay for the house via financing / housing loan.

Make sure that when you are buying the house that you understand also who will pay for other items — transfer of title, documentary stamp tax, capital gains tax, brokerage fees, notary fees, etc. You should include these in the budget as well, since these costs do add up.

Some people say that there foreclosed properties tend to be cheaper. Ito yung mga nakasanla sa bangko na naremata na at nakaschedule nang isubasta. You can look these up also. Most banks do publish the list of these properties. Just be careful when buying these, of course. Make sure you do your due diligence. Here are some tips when buying a house that is listed as foreclosed property from motivational speaker and guru: Chinkee Tan.

#5 Financing

Syempre, after assessing your budget at kung di kayang i-cash, check out your financing options. One of the main tips when buying a house is to make sure that you understand your financing options. Minsan, may mga financing options rin na inhouse na irerefer sa’yo ng broker / developer. Hindi mandatory na sila ang kunin mo. It’s better to weigh your options.

Check with your own bank as well. Research ka rin ng iba-ibang bangko na may mga mababang interest for Housing Loans. Bukod sa mga bangko, lalo na kung contributing member ka, maganda ang terms na binibigay ng Pag-IBIG Housing Loan. Pag-aralang mabuti ang mga terms nito.

Make sure na kung ano mang financing scheme ang kukunin nyo, intindihing maigi ang kontrata at terms. Magkano ang total na babayaran sa principal, at ang interest. Magkano ang kailangang hulog buwan-buwan or taon-taon? Ikumpara ito sa inyong budget to make sure that you really can afford the regular payments required. Of course, make sure that you’ve assigned buffer funds in your monthly earnings. Just to make sure that even during months when there are more expenses than normal, you will not default on your financing payments.

#6 Developer / Contractor

Mahalagang icheck ‘to lalo na sa mga condos at subdivisions. Alamin ang feedback ng mga taong nakatira sa mga existing developments (condos / subdivisions) na gawa ng developer ng mga pinagpipilian nyong mga bahay. I-research ang reputasyon ng developer.

Lalo na kung hindi mo mapapagtuunan ng maraming panahon ang pagpapagawa ng bahay, or di ka masyadong maalam sa mga materyales at disenyo, mainam na maghanap ng bahay / condo na gawa ng mga developer / contractor na may magandang reputasyon. Kung may kakilala kang may-ari ng bahay na gawa ng parehong developer / contractor, mainam na magtanong at alamin mo ang feedback nila. Ask about their experience with the property, and support even after they’ve moved in.

#7 “Feel” of the Home and the Community

Tandaan nyo na dyan kayo titira. Di lang ikaw, pero buong pamilya. So it’s important that you feel at home. Nung naghahanap kami ng bahay, nakailang ikot at options kami ni hubby. Lalo na sa mga options na gawa na (e.g., pre-owned / condo communities).

Magandang libutin nyo rin ang paligid. Would you feel safe walking around at night? Or if your children will go out on their own? Do you imagine yourself living there?

Kung pasok sa budget at sa iba mong criteria, and feel at home ka sa lugar, G!

Read: TOP 5 PINOY SAVINGS CHALLENGE

Do you have other tips when buying a house? Share with us too via the comments below! Thanks!