Online at last!

Thumbs up to PLDT. I paid the installation fee last Saturday and their contractor came to my place on Monday afternoon. The only problem is I was at work. The guy came back early yesterday and got the phone and the DSL line installed. Now to see if the service is as horrible as its rumored to be.

One month into the adventure

It's been one month since I moved in and a few things I've learned and realised:

• I should have delayed buying a washing machine and pay for laundry services instead. In the end, it will end up being cheaper if I factored in the soap, water, electricity and my time and effort.
• I should have taken care of internet connectivity ASAP so I can blog about my experience regularly.
• I should have bought a more advanced induction cooker specifically something with very accurate temperature controls. The one I have does not have settings for temperatures below 140 degrees celsius.

I now know how to prepare a few dishes like:

• sunny side up egg
• omelet
• longganisa
• hotdog
• ulam burger
• pancake
• chicken nuggets
• pansit canton
• noodles
• tinolang manok
• nilagang baboy

I finally moved

I finally moved in to the unit last Saturday. I still don't have a phone line and an internet connection so the updates to this blog might come slower especially during the weekend. I got to the unit around noon and was disappointed when the guard told me that a delivery truck left just a few minutes before I arrived. I had no choice but to wait for them to return. All the items I was waiting for arrived late in the afternoon:the bed from Mandaue Foam, the Samsung refrigerator, washing machine and airconditioner. Images to follow.

The long awaited pictures

Furnishing the unit: Day 2

In order for the unit to be livable, we really need to decide on what queen sized mattress to get. Here are our options:

• 6" Uratex Orthocare @ 14,000.00
• 6" Senso Memory Foam Mattress @18,000.00
• 6" Flex/Memory Foam with cotton cover @ 7600.00
• 6" Flex/Memory Foam with quilted spring cover @ 9,000.00
• 14" Memory Foam/Gala Spring Mattress @ 13,900.00

We believe that the 14" Memory Foam/Gala Spring Mattress @ 13,900.00 offered the best value for money at this point even though I could not find any reviews on the internet. We went back to the Mandaue Foam showroom to place our order. The staff who handled our purchase was very accomodating. We even took the bed sheet we got the day before and tried it on the sample mattresses. We also found some nice pillows to go with the new mattress. All in all, the items we purchased added to a total of 15,080.00 which already includes deliver charges. It also includes the 10% discount since I opted to pay in cash via EPS. The discount would have been lower (5%) had I used my credit card to pay. I hope to provide more feedback on the mattress and pillows once they deliver it on Saturday. We went to visit the unit primarily to take measurements and to take some pictures. Will upload them soon.

• Refrigerator - L:21 W:27 H:67
• Washing Machine - L:24 W:24
• Small bedroom window - L:77 W:35
• Big bedroom window - L:77 W:71
• Living room window - L:47 W:47
• Front door - W:36
• Airconditioner - W:23.5 H:15.5
• Planned Counter - L:48 W:24 H:40
• Planned Shower Glass - W:72 H:56
• Planned Bathroom Cabinet - L:10 W:18
• Planned Bathroom Mirror - W:40 H:30

And the buying begins

Our first stop for the day is the Uratex outlet located in QC. We are considering getting the Orthopedic Mattress(14k@7yrs warranty) and the Senso Memory Mattress(18k@10 yrs warranty)
We next went to Mandaue Foam located at the corner of Quezon Avenue and BMA Avenue. They also had a spring mattress with a memory foam topper which in my opinion provides more value for money. After looking around the store, we took a quick lunch in the nearby Chowking outlet.
We then proceeded to Ortigas Home Depot where we were almost convinced to buy overpriced appliances we don't really need at this point. The details of the story can be found here. We looked around the facility but we didn't find anything we liked except some high stools which we could use for the planned meal counter.
We then went to SM Megamall where there was an ongoing sale of appliances. Most of the items aren't exactly on sale. Instead, they can be purchased on installment. After checking out all the booths, we settled on the following:

• Refrigerator: Samsung no frost 7 cubic feet
• Washing Machine: Samsung 8kg Fully automatic
• Airconditioner: Samsung 3/4 HP with timer and remote

We didn't purchase anything yet as we had to make sure the appliances would fit the planned spaces. I'll probably pay for them late monday evening. Next, we went to the department store's home section where we bought:

• Water dipper(tabo)
• Pail
• Laundry Basket
• Hangers(2 dozen)
• Basin
• Ironing Board
• Toilet Brush
• Bath Towel
• Soft Slippers
• Sanitized Bed Sheet and Pillow Case

All of the items above adds up to 3,727.00. We also got a teflon coated dry iron at the appliance section for 900.00. We also bought 2 units of Dehumidifier and a unit of Glade scented gel from Blade to improve the smell of the unit although to be honest, I don't mind that the unit smells like brand new.
All in all, we spent a total of 4,902.25 for the first day of purchases. More purchases to come.

Receiving the keys

I was contacted by my realtor, friday last week, to inform me that my unit is ready for final punch listing. I scheduled it and went to see the unit last Wednesday. I had minor complaints at that time which the turnover group promised to fixed within a few days. I got a call the following day informing me that the unit is now ready for acceptance. I skipped a few hours of work at lunch to go to tivoli gardens and handover a check amounting to 15k for the move-in fees and to finally accept the keys to my kingdom. The keys in my hand gave me a sense of achievement. I will be posting pictures of the building, its surroundings and the bare unit soon.

Doing the numbers

I got some expert advise from some people who have done this before. They told me to consider prioritizing based on activities:

moving around in your home - subtotal:4,200

Item	Price	Notes
front door lock	no price info	I was advised to use bolts. No idea yet what to get.
fluorescent bulbs	???	Light emitted by the bulbs have different properties which are appropriate for certain activities. Color Rendering Index(CRI) measure how accurately a lighting source renders the color of objects when compared to sunlight. The CRI of sunlight is 100. Color Correlated Tempearture(CCT) refers to how warm or cool the light emitted by the bulb. Warm light(2500-3000K) is characterized by a yellowish color ideal for dining room, living room and bedroom. Cool light(4500-5000K) characterized by a yellow white to white color ideal for use in the kitchen. The international color code is often used to denote the temperature of a lamp's light. This code is a three digit number. The first digit refers to the color rendering index: if it is 8, then the CRI is between 80 and 90, if it is 9, it lies between 90 and 100. The next two numbers are the color temperature (to the nearest hundred) divided by one hundred kelvins, thus if the temperature is 6500 K, the number is 65.

sleeping - subtotal:28,700

Item	Price	Notes
mattress	1,300 or 7,900 or 23,000	The cheapest option is to get a queen sized air bed for 1,300, the next one is to get a 4" Uratex Comfort Plus Foam with a 2" Bio Aire Mattress topper for 7,900 and the most expensive one and the most comfortable as claimed by the various salesmen we talked to is a spring mattress from slumberland. The particular model comes in at 23,000.
bed frame	no price info	I believe the cheapest route is to have someone custom build a frame. I found several platform beds online that I'll show to a furniture shop so they can give me a quoute. Another option is to just purchase a 6x8 carpet initially and put the mattress on top of it. The carpet can later be reused if I'm able to get a frame.
bed sheet/pillow cover/comforter	4,800	Found good quality sets on sale in SM Megamall
pillows	no price info	Still have to do research on this
airconditioner	15,000	Planning on getting a 0.8hp Condura, the one with a timer, a remote control and a special plug that will allow us to connect an electric fan so that when the airconditioner shuts-off, the fan turns on.
stand fan	1,000	my brother claims that the industrial types last longer

preparing for work

Item	Price	Notes
mirror	no price info	the bathroom finish does not include mirrors

doing the laundry - subtotal:11,200

Item	Price	Notes
washing machine	10,500	8.5kg whirlpool unit with dryer
flat iron	700	3D steam and dry iron

eating and drinking - subtotal:20,300

Item	Price	Notes
refrigerator	15,000	no frost models are less power efficient but are much easier to maintain
rice cooker	1,300	3D 2.5L Stainless Rice Cooker,Model MF-90S. I tried looking for one that uses induction but haven't found one yet
induction stove	2,200	I found several but I don't know if they are any good.
air pot	1,800	3D 3.2 Liters Stainless Electric Airpot, Model AX-300E

Current total not including things that still need canvassing: 64,400

• front lock
• bed frame
• mirrors
• pillows

Everything else, I plan to borrow and steal from people who'd let me. Thanks in advance.

Planning the interior

The realtors where kind enough to send me the floor plan for my unit. This is the first time I'll be on my own and also the first time for me to fill up a place with stuff to make it livable. I am open (read as begging) to any/all your suggestions.

Tentative List of essential things to get:

• Bedroom
  
  • queen size bed
  • carpet
  • aircon
  • pillows,sheets,blankets,curtains
  • stand fan
  • mirror
  
  
• Bathroom
  
  • mirror
  • toiletries
  • towels
  • pails
  
  
• Kitchen
  
  • refrigerator
  • rice cooker
  • induction stove
  • turbo broiler
  • microwave oven
  • airpot
  • oven toaster
  • plates,saucers,pitchers,glasses,utensils
  • pots,pans,cookware
  
  
• Living Room
  
  • sofa
  • bean bags
  • center table
  • mirror
  • curtains
  
  
• Dining Room
  
  • table
  • chairs
  • mirror
  
  
• Others
  
  • washing machine
  • flat iron
  • hangers
  
  

Please leave a comment if I missed something you think is essential. Better yet, link back to this post and answer on your blog or profile. Up next, I'll be doing the numbers i.e. how much do these things really cost and where to get them on the cheap without sacrificing quality

Making the Down payment

I met with the realtor who handled my purchase at the Tivoli Gardens sales office. It was a bit embarassing because they were early and I was late. If you've never purchased a property before that required you to issue post dated cheques then you might be surprised just how tiring it is. First, I had to sign the contract. The contract is about a dozen pages, I had to sign on all the pages and I had to sign SIX(6) copies. I thought the worse was over but I was wrong. Next came cheque signing, I had to issue 33 post dated cheques, filling up the date field, amount field, amount in words field and payee field. I then had to print my full name and sign it. My advice is, don't do this in one sitting like what I did. Prepare the cheques in advance, say a dozen every day, so you don't end up with a strained wrist.

Preparing the Down payment

If you're like me, you probably don't have all your money in just one account in just one bank. To come up with the down payment, I had to open a checking account at the bank where my salary account is at. I then had to transfer most of what I have saved from my savings account in another bank to this new checking account. The first step involves going to the bank branch where the company I am working for opened my salary account. All that is needed is to fill up a form and make a PHP 5,000.00 deposit and pay PHP 120.00 for the cheque book. I also enrolled both accounts into the online banking system of the bank which will allow me to transfer funds between the two accounts with minimal fuzz. For the next step, I had to transfer the bulk of my savings to the new checking account. I am not comfortable with lugging around a large sum of cash so lucky for me, I already have a cheque book and used it to transfer the required amount. To know what happens next, stay tuned.

Making the reservation

It was a rainy and gloomy afternoon when I finally made my decision. Making a reservation for me means that barring any unforseen life changing event, I'm going to push thru with the purchase of the condo unit. I'm not in the habit of throwing away sizable amounts of cash. Before I paid, I asked to see the unfinished unit. I wanted to visualize where I will be spending the next few years of my life. Normally, they don't allow clients to see the unfinished units but they made an exception in my case. It really helped me see myself living in the unit. The down payment for a unit in Tivoli Gardens is PHP 20,000.00. I believe the amount is fairly standard as most of the other projects I looked at also asked for this amount. Once you pay this amount, the unit is reserved for you for one month. You have one month to complete the requirements otherwise the reservation you made will be forfeit. It was very convenient for me to make the reservation. I didn't have to bring any cash, instead I used my credit card to pay for the reservation at the DMCI sales office in Tivoli Gardens.

Choosing a condo

So you're like me, thinking about purchasing a condo to live in. Here are a few things I considered that you may want to also think about:

• Location - My ideal location is at most 30 minutes away from where I work. This requirement rules out a lot of the other projects since I work in Makati. Your own ideal location maybe driven by other factors like proximity to a school or hospital of choice but for me, being close to Makati is at the top of my list.
• Delivery - I don't want to wait too long for my unit. I want to live in it ASAP. This next requirement again crossed out a lot of projects on my list.
• Developer - I did some research on the developers of each of the projects to form an informed opinion whether they can finish the project or not. I checked their track record and read about any news of financial trouble or other problems.
• Amenities - I thought about what amenities I would be using frequently. I really would like to go back to exercising and an in-house gym would be really nice. Most of the projects I checked had this so it shouldn't be any problem.
• Monthly Dues - This is usually computed on a per square meter basis. This is the price you pay for the 24-hour security and the use of the amenities. This can range from a low PHP 50.00 per sqm to a high PHP100.00 per sqm.
• Move-in Fees - This includes the meter deposit and the association membership fees.
• Price and Payment scheme - I took a lot of time going over the payment schemes of the different projects I am eyeing. Most of the projects required a reservation fee, and a 20% downpayment and a move-in fee. I sat down and did the math to determine the total cash I needed to have to buy into a project. As it turned out, this last step eliminated almost all my choices except for a few. I also had to determine whether I can live with the monthly amortization:
• Total Monthly Net Income - Total Monthly Expenses > Monthly Amortization

With all these things considered, I chose to purchase a unit at Tivoli Gardens. It's near Makati. The first building was finished in January of 2009 and fortunately, they still had a few units available. The developer of the project is DMCI. I've heard a lot of good things about them and none of the bad things that would have immediately made me wary. The project includes a gym and nice water facilities. The floor area of my unit is a little less than 50sqm. The monthly dues that I will need to pay comes up to about PHP 2,500.00 which is not bad since I used to pay the same amount to Fitness First.
What really made the deal for me is the very flexible payment scheme:

10% downpayment (I can move in already after paying this)

10% spread over 12 months (considering I can already move in, this is like paying rent)

80% can be thru in-house financing or thru a bank loan

The payment scheme above made it possible for me to purchase a unit as normally, developers require 20% downpayment and I don't have that much cash in the bank.
If you would like to have a similar deal, I can refer you to the realtor who handled the transaction for me. They're a nice team of husband and wife. They're trust worthy and attentive. They don't do hard selling tactics and will allow you to think about your purchase and decide when you're really ready. You can email me your contact info at condoliving-ph@henyo.com and I will have them contact you.