Most reasonably-priced condo near Makati, BGC and Ortigas

     Maybe you are one of those who wants to invest or have his own condo in Makati or BGC but just could not (yet) afford the current market prices. You thought Ortigas is fine but then you prefer something that is near Philippine's financial district Makati City and major BPO hubs such as Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

     Did it ever occur to you that in the middle of these business districts namely Makati, BGC and Ortigas lies a mixed-use urban development that can already be considered a mini-CBD in its own right? Why? As you can see in the map below (thanks to Google), there is a sweet spot right in the middle of the Metro Manila's central  business districts. That red circle there, that's it. A stretch of office buildings, BPOs, restaurants, a few banks and a mall lies at the east end of Boni Avenue in Mandaluyong City which is none other than Pioneer Street.

     After real estate developer Robinsons Land started developing and building the Cybergate Complex along Pioneer Mandaluyong more than two decades ago, several developers began to see the potential of the location. SMDC built its SM Light Residences with a podium mall, Megaworld's Empire East, on the other hand, have Pioneer Woodlands beside SM Light right across Robinsons Land's projects and just a little over four years ago, DMCI started building its 2-tower condo, Sheridan Towers.

     In the aerial view above, you can see how Pioneer's mini CBD is very much accessible as it is directly connected to Manila's main thoroughfare EDSA (Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue) where practically all provincial and city buses, taxis, some jeepneys and private cars including Uber cars use every day. The nearest MRT (train) station to Pioneer, Boni Station is just 5 minutes walk or less if you walk that fast, so if you don't want to be stuck in the world-famous Carmageddon of EDSA during rush hours, you can take the MRT train but be prepared to experience Zombie Apocalypse going in and out between 5pm until 9-ish - at least you're not stuck in an hour or two of slow moving traffic going home, if that's any consolation. This traffic problem is the same reason why most employees would prefer to rent an apartment or buy their own condo in or near Metro Manila's major cities.

     In terms of proximity and neighborhood, these are the travel time* and exact distances to and from the following spots according to Google maps:

• Robinsons Forum Mall - 350 meters (5 minutes walk)
• SM Light Mall - 550 meters (8 minutes walk)
• Gold's Gym - 650 meters 
• Puregold Junior Grocery - 650 meters
• TV5 Media Center - 600 meters
• Top Gear Philippines - 200 meters
• Rockwell Powerplant Mall Makati - 3 kilometers (8 to 11 minutes drive)
• Glorietta Mall Makati - 4.5 kilometers (12 to 15 minutes drive)
• Greenbelt Mall Makati - 5.4 kilometers (15 to 20 minutes drive)
• SM Megamall Ortigas - 2 kilometers (10 minutes drive)
• High Street BGC - 5.5 kilometers (20 minutes drive)
• Market Market BGC - 5.6 kilometers (20 minutes drive)
• La Salle Greenhills - 4.3 kilometers (15 to 20 minutes drive)
• Lourdes School Shaw Blvd - 1.3 kilometers (7 minutes drive)
• Poveda College Ortigas - 2.9 kilometers (11 to 15 minutes drive)
• The Medical City Ortigas - 3.9 kilometers (19 to 25 minutes drive)
• St Luke's Medical Center BGC - 5 kilometers (15 to 25 minutes drive)
• Mandaluyong Medical Center - 1.9 kilometers (10 minutes drive)
• The Legend Villas Hotel - 300 meters
• Gohotels.ph - 550 meters
• Pioneer Street Market - 500 meters (This place is heaven for foodies, see here and here)
• 10 Best Restaurants in and near Pioneer Mandaluyong 

      
     LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. I can't stress enough the importance of location; of a neighborhood. Just like in a regular business, the most important factor is still location - most especially if you are buying your property for rental investment or you are just simply tired of enduring the long hours of travel to and from work and is now financially ready to have your own place in the city. This post hopes that it is able to show Pioneer, Mandaluyong's value as a viable investment hub just in case it has never crossed your real estate radar.

     As you may have noticed, almost all of the well-known developers that have residential projects in this area were already mentioned...but wait, there's obviously more and it is the main objective for this post to give you industry information which you do not easily have access to due to reason that there are still good projects that rely only on word-of-mouth, referral marketing, and social media instead of pouring a millions of pesos budget for billboard and mass media advertisements just like what well-known developers normally do, throwing in celebrity endorsements as well.

   

     Right in between Robinsons Land's Axis Residences and DMCI's Sheridan Towers  is the under-rated residential condo project Sunshine100 along Pioneer Street. This project is the brainchild of a group of Filipino-Chinese investors who has forged a partnership with Beijing-based condominium developer Sunshine 100 Group to build a three-tower high-rise condominium project called Sunshine 100 City Plaza - Pioneer in Mandaluyong City. Profile of developer can be found here and here.

     After deciding whether a project is in a great location or just so so, next thing to look at closely is numbers. A wise and diligent buyer does not only look at nice model units and sample computations but gathers data, calculates and compares the pros and cons among his options. Our team made an independent data gathering and we were able to come up with a comprehensive guide in comparing projects in Pioneer area. This is not a perfect table as there are some categories not included such as monthly condo dues rate and project's amenities but it will definitely be of great help for the most part in your decision-making.

Projects comparative study applying unit prices as of March 31, 2017

     With the price per square meter of each project, you can tell which projects have the room for highest potential in terms of value appreciation granted all of them will be well-maintained and managed equally (as poor property management will badly depreciate a condo's image and value). Terms of payment is also a big factor if you do not have much of an excess fund or savings to invest in a bigger downpayment that some developers will require. The flexible and low equity offer of Sunshine100 and SMDC wins in the downpayment category, however, the price per square meter of SMDC here is also the highest and will likely leave a very little room for a price increase/appreciation or none at all if you decide to resell your condo later on. I will create another blog post on why there are condo projects that will not likely be good for flipping/resale but good for rentals and should be avoided if the reason for buying is to make money out of buying and selling.

     Last but not the least, your personality and lifestyle should be taken into consideration so you won't have or at least minimize the gap between your expectations and reality. Are you a sociable extroverted person so you need all possible amenities that a developer can throw in a project so you will always have something to do and be having constant friendly interactions with your condo neighbors? Or are you the shy type, not comfortable with small talk and prefers to mind his own business? Seasoned condo investors with a goal to lease out to white-collar yuppies focus more on the location, comfort, and price of rent. It's nice to have a pool just an elevator click away but in reality, who swims every day or every week when they rather sleep or cook or play with loved ones in their quaint condo unit? Exercise is very important in the huge but densely populated mega city that is Metro Manila but the reality is, working-class condo residents rarely use the pool or even the gym (hats off to those who do keep an active lifestyle no matter what). Are you the claustrophobic type? Can you stand hearing the cars and noise EDSA makes every day or would you rather be at least 500 meters away from all the noise and eyesore? Forgive me, I love my country but EDSA with slow-moving cars due to traffic has been an eyesore since the day I started to drive in it.

     The sossy life. If you fancy grandiose lobbies and resort-type amenities such as spa, sauna, jogging path, meditation gardens and what not, Sunshine 100 is not recommended. You will be better off with DMCI's Sheridan Towers. And although this condo has its own pool and temporary gym pending the completion of the main gym in Tower 2, it is not as big as those as those in DMCI and SMDC. If you are looking for something luxurious and sosyal or something that pretends to be sosyal, pun intended, it will be in a different post soon or you can check out the Grand Hyatt Manila BGC; just be informed that high-end condos in Metro Manila will cost x4 or more of the projects discussed here.

     If you value affordability in a prime location, the comfort of semi-furnished unit finishes (you have to see their turnover units in person to appreciate and compare) and less density more than the luxuries of hyper amenitized and popularized projects, then Sunshine 100 is that no-nonsense sulit match for you.

The swimming pool is located in front of the condo towers behind Madison Square shops

Function rooms

Garden view deck are available in each of the towers

Temporary Fitness gym in Tower 1

     Now that we have seen this project in a macro perspective, let's take a look at unit details and see if its free sets of furniture are worth it and if you notice anything, positive or negative, pros and cons, feel free comment down below.

Furniture included: Double-size Bed, Bed Side Table, 
Dining Table, Dining Chairs (2pcs)

Sunshine 100 Pioneer 
Studio @ Tower 2
Floor Area: 19 sqm
Turnover Date: 1st Qtr. 2018

Sample Computation
Total Cost Price (TCP): P1,824,822.53
20% Downpayment: P364,964.51 
Reservation Fee: P20,000
(DP Payable in 18months): P19,164.69  monthly 

Balance Loanable = P1,459,858.02 
thru PAGIBIG Financing
15 years: P13,121.62 monthly
30 years: P9,712.47 monthly

All Prices quoted herein are Inclusive of Government Taxes (E-Vat), Processing and Transfer Fees, Registration fees, Doc stamp TAX-BIR, Transfer Tax-City Treasurer and other Admin Charges except for Meralco and water connection. COMPUTATION IS FOR REFERENCE ONLY. Final Computation will be given by the Developer.

Furniture included: Double-size Bed, Single Bed, Bed Side Table (2 pcs.), Sofa, Dining Table, Dining Chairs (4 pcs.)

Sunshine 100 Pioneer

2-Bedroom @ Tower 2 

Floor Area: 42.20 sqm
Turnover Date: 1st Qtr. 2018

Sample Computation
Total Cost Price: P4,267,499.55
20% Downpayment: P853,499.91
Reservation Fee: P20,000
(DP Payable 12 in mos): P69,458.32 monthly

Balance Loanable= P3,413,999.64
thru Bank Financing 6.75%
15 years = P30,210.81 monthly
10 years = P39,200.95 monthly

All Prices quoted herein are Inclusive of Government Taxes (E-Vat), Processing and Transfer Fees, Registration Fees, Doc stamp TAX-BIR, Transfer Tax-City Treasurer and other Admin Charges except for Meralco and other utilities connection expenses). COMPUTATION IS FOR REFERENCE ONLY. Final Computation will be given by the Developer.

1-Bedroom @ Tower 2 SOLD OUT

Actual photos of unit turnover can be found here at Prime Homes Ph Sunshine 100 Tower 2

Tower 1 (red) RFO. Tower 2 (green) Turnover 1Q of 2018. Tower 3 (orange) TBA.

Taken December 2016

   Guess that's pretty much everything there is to know about affordable and promising condo projects in Pioneer, Mandaluyong City - that sweet spot in the middle of first class cities. Oh and by the way, there is a government plan to build a bridge directly connecting Kapitolyo Pasig to BGC to decongest C5 and EDSA. Sunshine 100 is just 1.5 kilometers away from the proposed bridge. If this pushes through, going to BGC will just be a 10-minute drive. Press release here.

     You may not be in the imperial Makati or posh BGC but you are still well-connected to the best of both worlds without hurting your wallet. Here's hoping you will have a well-informed decision whether you choose any of the projects I discussed here especially Sunshine 100 or you will look for more options and research more. If I missed anything, feel free to comment or if you have any project in mind you'd like me to feature, just let me know in the comments and if you like me to write more of this, do share and recommend. Let's help each other make the Filipino real estate buyer a well-informed and location-savvy individual because the most important purchase decision one will ever make in his lifetime is a property purchase and that should not be rushed and carried away by sales talk but instead, well thought about and well-planned.

     Happy investing!

July 19, 2017 UPDATE:
BGC - Ortigas Center Bridge project of the Philippine government has finally broken ground. ABS-CBN News: BGC to Ortigas bridge seen to cut travel time to 12 minutes
Interview of Karen Davila with DPWH Sec. Mark Villar about bridge projects

From Sunshine 100 going to this future bridge's ramp in Sta Monica Street, Kapitolyo Pasig, it will take at least 1.3 Kilometer ( a 5-minute drive or 15 minutes walking distance) while the bridge will be nearly a kilometer long going down Lawton Avenue corner of Kalayaan Avenue, Makati. A viaduct from Lawton Avenue to 8th Avenue BGC will direct you closer to the first mall in the area, Uptown Mall.

With this development and the current government's aggressive approach to build massive infrastructure and Metro Manila traffic decongestion projects, residents of Sunshine 100 is not only close to Ortigas CBD, now it is also easier to access Bonifacio Global City in 3 years time. We all know what happens to property values when new roads and infrastructure projects are being build around or nearby. I say congratulations to investors in this area and especially to projects in Kapitolyo Pasig.

September 28, 2017 UPDATE:
Tower 3 of Sunshine 100 Launched!
Tower 1 Sold Out and Tower 2 is 95% Sold.

To see these projects in person, do keep in touch,
Team Prime Homes PH is more than happy to help you

Viber +63916-444-1314
email: primehomesph1@gmail.com
Zumi Santiago, The introverted Real Estate Broker
PRC Lic # 0028657
"Don't buy the house; buy the neighborhood."
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*Travel time varies depending on what time of the day one will travel. During rush hours, it is safe to double the amount of normal travel time.