7 No-Cost Energy Saving Tips

Now might be the perfect time to buy a for sale condo property in Quezon City. Why? Lamudi, an online real estate portal, says on Rappler that Quezon City is the most preferred property area for property purchases in the metro. Makati City and Manila are on the second and third spots respectively. In relation with this, there is an oversupply of mid-range condos and steady demand for low-end units. This kind of investment will surely pay off in the end if your lifestyle is not as luxurious as the condominium unit you’re living in.

You must not be just a smart home buyer but also a smart home user. How? For starters, reduce your energy consumption. What are the consequences of excessive energy use? It can increase carbon footprint; worsen climate change; reduce the power supply and could cause higher energy costs, SFGate Home Guides explains. As a condo owner, your utmost concern is the last one. On the other hand, reduction in energy or power supply is the fear of the national government especially this coming elections. It is a nationwide threat, too.

This fear happened when National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) issued a red alert for the Luzon Grid from 1 pm to 3 pm on April 15, 2016 last Friday, based on a report in Manila Bulletin. Red alert means “the power demand is higher than the available supply,” Manila Bulletin says. But it was later lifted at 3:01 pm on the same day “due to sufficient regulating reserves.”

The red alert was lifted, right? Should we not be bothered anymore and just continue with the careless use of electricity? Spend more time inside an air conditioned room – that one inside the condo property in Quezon City you’ve bought for sale? Or continue the prolonged use of electric fans day and night 24/7? Absolutely not, despite the fact we’re experiencing intense summer heat due to El Niño, we should still be responsible from using every watt we juice from our power grids.

How can we go on a ‘diet’ with our power consumption? It is easy and you don’t have to spend a single centavo. Just follow the energy saving tips below:

1. Pull the plug when not in use. Do you want ‘phantom load’ to sneak in and increase your electricity bills? Then make this a habit because even though the appliance is turned off it can still suck in watts. Plus, the ‘standby’ mode is a poisonous enemy of energy conservation.

SEE Cool Ways to Style a Newly Bought Condominium

2. Dry your clothes outdoors. You can dry clothes faster thanks to the heat of the sun. You’ll also save 6% of a home’s total electricity usage from skipping the dryer, according to Consumer Energy Center of California Energy Commission. It’s also free sun bleaching to boot!

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3. Turn off the lights and fans when not in use, a tip from Energy Star. The same reason as the ‘phantom load’ and the heat the lights radiate can add to your discomfort.

4. Clean your fridge regularly. Defrost it at least once a week, vacuum its coils and make sure its door seals are airtight. Proper maintenance of your refrigerator extends its shelf life and prevents it from working harder.

5. Again with refrigerators—use them properly. What do we mean by the word ‘properly’? Don’t use it like an electric fan and spare the innocent fridge from your selfish desires, okay? According to Energy Star, “an open door allows warm, moist air in, which makes the compressor work harder.”

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6. Another refrigerator energy-saving trick from Duke Energy. Always keep the freezer full as it uses less energy than an empty one, Duke Energy explains. You don’t need to stuff it with frozen goods. Load it with bottle filled with water which is a good thing because you will not run out of chilled drinks to cool you down.

7. Wash clothes in full load. Schedule your laundry to prevent wasting energy because a half load of dirty clothes uses the same power as a full load wash. In addition, use cold water when washing. Based on an article in Smithsonian, “it saves energy and money, and colors lasts longer and clothes retain their size and shape.”

What is a Commercial Property?

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So there are these terms residential and commercial properties. We all know residential properties are those properties that resides people – in short a house or a home. But commercial property, what was that? Let’s take a close look.

Commercial property refers to buildings or land intended to generate a profit, either from capital gain or rental income. It may include office buildings, industrial property, hotels, medical centers, retail stores, warehouses, and malls.

Office Buildings

Office buildings range from large multi-tenant structures in the city business districts to single-tenant buildings. The employment growth, a region’s economic focus and productivity rates influenced rents and valuations of a particular office building.

Individualized tenant improvements are usually not very involved, but credit quality of tenants’ key role. Re-leases of office space typically require some lead time to consummate. Offices often have longer-term leases that can lag current market leases rates, so that “step-ups” and “step-downs” of rental rates are not infrequent when leases expire. Due to the fact that most of these buildings are often leased to businesses, not just individuals, the tenants often demand special features in the leases, including rights of first refusal to rent contiguous space, signage rights or even building purchase options.

Industrial

These properties include warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and research and development space. Warehouses and distribution centers can easily to re-lease for they are some kind of generic buildings, while manufacturing can be hard to re-lease without extensive modifications.

Industrial properties are influenced by local job growth than by large economic drivers – like that of global trade growth.

As per office buildings, industry property leases tend to have longer terms. Most importantly, industrial properties tend to be occupied by a single tenant, adding another level of risk to the property.

Retail Space

Retail spaces include single buildings used as store for clothing, electronics and other consumer products – like that of strip malls and shopping malls. Restaurant spaces treat specially by retail category, with some listings shown as restaurant/retail.

Valuations can be based on size and land value, retail sales per square foot or other investment return calculations.

Location plays a vital role t retail space tenants. They need foot traffic or at least exposure to pull people to the parking lot to shop. For strip centers and malls there is often an anchor tenant. It’s a larger and very popular retailer. This “anchors” the center and the other merchants that are attracted to lease are often in related businesses. A best example would be a major department store as an anchor with jewelry, shoe and clothing stores around it.

Land

The land commercial property includes investment properties on the raw, undeveloped, rural land in the path of future development. Or, infill land with an urban area, pad sites and more.

It is a distinct classification for real estate. Commercial land not only differs because it is where businesses are usually located but also because it is treated differently by municipalities, utilities and other infrastructure providers.

Commercial land value can fluctuate wildly depending on its location and what other businesses are located nearby.





This clearly defines commercial property. I hope you learn something from this!

Need a commercial lot or space in Cavite? Check out Suntrust Ecotown!

How to Effectively Advertise a Property for Sale in Baguio

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Property for sale in Baguio ads are nothing new. We see these often at property listing sites and even on online public forums. It seems an easy deed. Search a reputable listing site, create an account or register, and go through the whole process of advertising it. However, this is not usually the case and it is a lot complicated than you think. You need to play the role of a salesman, designer, digital artist, photographer, and handyman. Seems a daunting task, isn’t it? But have no fear, we will help you out. That is, if one day you need to move to a different location and let go of your house.

We will not delve in a step-by-step list. Instead we will give you some tips on how to prep your house and how to market it. This is not limited to Baguio properties alone. Here are some that you may try out:

Price it right

The house’ price tag is the first thing buyers want to see when they start searching for their dream house. This is one of the main factors they consider in buying a home. If your price is too high, then don’t expect anyone to ring in. On the flipside, if the price is too low, they’re going to assume it as “too good to be true” deal. To find some leverage, know the prices of your competitors. You may also use these as baselines.

Organize all the documents

Gather all the papers to avoid the hassle of rummaging through your things at the last minute. A prospective buyer may want to ask for the complete set of documents which is a proof that the house they will move in is legit. This includes the deed, bill of sale, affidavit of title, and tax declarations.

De-clutter and de-personalize

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes: do you want to move into a messy and worn-out home? It would certainly be less appealing to the buyer, right? Make sure your house is always presentable for those who want to appraise your home. Be ready for unannounced visits. Do a weekly cleaning as much as possible. Remove personal items like memorabilia, religious items, or anything you added to give a “personal touch” to your home. This is to give the new owners a chance to picture themselves as the possible occupants and not even a family portrait will get in the way. Well, you may leave the iconic “barrel man” since the property for sale is in Baguio City. It is kind of a good clincher to everything.

Immerse your buyers

How will you show your home to prospect buyers without needing to invite them in? Create a video! By using the video recording feature of your phone (it doesn’t need to be a hi-tech video camera; your smartphone will suffice) make a walkthrough inside and outside your house. And if the property for sale is in Baguio then it is your chance to show off the tourist attractions around. It increases the marketability of your house and your credibility as a buyer.

Use social media

Never underestimate the power of social media. Aside from posting cute puppies in both JPEG and GIF format, social media is the most potent means of communication. Imagine making your ad visible to 1.96 billion (based on statista.com) social media users worldwide! It sure fires up your visibility not just across multiple sites but in multiple platforms as well. Post stunning photos and don’t forget to upload your walkthrough videos where you’re not just displaying your property for sale in Baguio but also the must-see attractions as well.

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