Amaia: Quality, affordable homes for more Filipinos

You’ve always nurtured this one dream.

So, you get a college degree, get a job (and try to get a promotion), and maybe get married. Through life's harsh realities, you've kept this dream alive: owning your own home without breaking the bank - a home that may be low in cost but is high in quality, style, and modern-day comforts.

Now, you can make your dream come true with Amaia, Ayala Land's first foray in the economic housing market, where the greater number of least-served Filipinos belong. Studies show that the low-income market makes up about 90 percent of the total demand for housing in the country. There's a shortage of 3.8M housing in the Philippines, primarily in the socialized and low-cost segment, which is mostly ignored by major property developers. And then came Amaia which changed the way we look at low-income housing, backed up by Ayala Land's untainted reputation for quality. As the economic housing arm of Ayala Land, Amaia hopes to uplift the living standards of many more Filipino households.

A Financing Scheme You'll Love From Pag-Ibig

Home sweet Amaia home! The sweeter news is that the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-Ibig), the government's leading home finance institution, has turned over P56.2M for the first batch of home borrowers for the first quarter and about P49M for the second quarter. Pag-Ibig is considered the most affordable and readily available home financing scheme in the country.

"Pag-Ibig has the lowest interest rates and the longest payment terms," says Wilborn Famatigan, Pag-Ibig sales administration head. "And all employees can avail themselves of the facilities as long as they're members of Pag-Ibig."

By the end of 2011, Amaia expects to receive a total of about P200M funding commitment line from Pag-Ibig. That means 226 families can look forward to being homeowners of an Ayala Land property.

Amaia Land has entered into a Window 1 partnership with Pag-Ibig so that should the home buyer default on payments, Amaia will buy back the property. The mere fact that you're dealing with an Ayala subsidiary makes you feel more secure.

How affordable is this financing scheme?

Home sweet Amaia: Young families find a stylish starter home at Amaia.

"You have the option to pay five percent of the selling price within six months, the balance either through Pag-Ibig or bank financing," Famatigan points out. "Or you can put a 10-percent down payment payable in 12 months, the balance either through Pag-Ibig or bank financing. The longest payment term is 30 years and monthly amortization is P4,000 plus."

There are five financing schemes to choose from: cash payment, deferred payment, in-house financing, bank financing, and Pag-Ibig financing.

With Amaia, Ayala Land, the country's premier real estate developer, takes a leap of faith and ventures into affordable economic housing. How affordable is affordable? Amaia's house-and-lot packages are affordably priced from P600,000 to P1,250,000. It is targeting to provide 10,000 units for 2011 and 15,000 for 2012.

Affordable Style & Quality

The target markets for these stylish starter homes are the hardworking middle-class Filipinos, the young professionals holding starting positions in business districts across the country, the start-up families who are first-time home buyers.

"Our market profile includes young couples with a household income of P30,000 to P50,000; newlyweds who are building their homes for the first time; the OFWs or their dependents who are fortunate to have the chance to avail themselves of a reasonably priced project by a high-end developer."

With the same quality standards and service Ayala Land has always been known for, Amaia offers home buyers the opportunity to own an Ayala Land property. Picture an environment-friendly community with lots of space devoted to greenery. Amaia aims to allot at least 3.5 percent of its total property for parks and open spaces. A welcome change, indeed, for urban dwellers who now don't have to live in a box in a poorly planned, polluted, and congested community.

Amaia is kid-friendly, too, and ideal for young families as it provides venues for shared experiences - think Village Patio with a swimming pool, basketball court, playground, and courtyards called Patio Greens.

Living Your Dream

And now, this brooding question: How safe or secure is the neighborhood?

Living in an Amaia community is like living in upscale communities known for safety and security like Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village in Makati. Every Amaia Scapes community is managed by the property management arm of Ayala Land, Ayala Property Management Corporation (APMC). Each development will be bordered by a perimeter fence. There are guarded entrances/exits. Residents and guests can count on the security guards, 24/7.

All utilities, like water, power, road networks, will be under the watchful eye of APMC. Residents will receive the same management expertise of this group.

Accessibility is a big plus, too, as Amaia developments are strategically located within city limits, within major commercial/business hubs for easy access and convenience. If not, they are very accessible via public transport and major highways.

One Amaia resident puts it pat: "Malapit sa lahat (accessible), may dating (a property you'll be proud of), napakadali (easy and affordable payment schemes), dekalidad (big on quality), paangat ang buhay (better lifestyle)."

Surely, life can't get better than this.

The Philippine Star
By: Ching M. Alano
25 June 2011