Aug 19 2009
Carpe Diem!
We’ve seized the day, The Husband and I. We’ve decided to do something that was just a tiny presence between our long-term plans and complete wishful thinking. We’ve decided to buy a house.
It all started when I was leafing through paperwork that my aunt gave me. She’s one of Filinvest’s managers, you see, and we got together over lechon at CnT last Friday to discuss a possible online campaign that my sister and I were planning to put together for her.
As I looked through the gorgeous homes and the price lists, I realized that we can actually afford it, especially since the income coming from one of my projects substantially increased over the past week or so for the long term. The next day found myself, The Husband, and the entire family on a tour through the various Filinvest projects, and we fell in love with the Cypress houses they were offering at Corona del Mar in Talisay. We did some serious number-crunching on the spot, and had a lot reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Young. As of this moment, Mr. and Mrs. Young are going through mountains of paperwork.
From what I’ve seen of it so far, Corona del Mar looks like fantastic neighborhood. The houses and their yards were spotless, the streets even more so. There were no stray dogs doing their thing everywhere, and the people kept themselves to themselves. The entrances were also properly guarded, so we’re not likely to ever encounter grubby people with small brains and an inclination to pee on walls and trees and gutters. And we all know what this means: The Husband and I might actually enjoy some peace and quiet and neighborly harmony for a change, which means that I no longer have to be scared to death of shady characters lying in wait to rough him up on his way home from work. (This also means that my poor, poor heart won’t need a Philips AED anytime soon, no sir-ee!)
The house itself is a Spanish-Mediterranean beauty with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a dining hall, a kitchen, 2 living rooms, an open garage, a balcony, and a HUGE roofdeck. We plan to turn one of the bedrooms into a little study and library for myself and the upstairs living room into The Husband’s home cinema room. I also plan to host barbecue parties aplenty, both on the balcony and the roofdeck. Both spaces are so big, it can comfortably fit about 50 or so people, I believe.
We’re actually quite lucky that we managed to snag a slot in the new Escala phase of Corona del Mar (it’s a huge project with several phases) because we’re within walking distance of the pretty clubhouse, fabulous infinity pool, and – drumroll, please – the beach! It really does feel like being in some sort of resort settlement. But then again, that’s what it probably is!
Truth be told, the beach isn’t that much, this being Talisay and all. We’ve been told, however, that there’s a rehabilitation and clean-up program going on in that stretch of beach, sponsored by both Filinvest and the Talisay government. It’ll never be excellent for swimming, but the pool is awesome enough AND they’re supposed to be planting mangroves, so that’ll be really great for wildlife – something both The Husband and myself are very passionate about. Why, he’s already even told them that he’ll be happy to volunteer in the effort! Isn’t that sweet?
We don’t have upwards of P4M to throw around, so it’ll probably be a couple of years or so before we can move in. Not only that, we’ll both have to do some serious lifestyle cutbacks because the payments are pretty steep. But then, we don’t go crazy on expenses anyway (we ride jeepneys, for crying out loud!), so it’s not that big a transition.
It’s a wonderful, heady feeling, knowing that you’re buying a home before you’re thirty. Admittedly, I do feel a slight twinge of fear from time to time. It’s a huge investment, after all, and the life of an online writer/freelancer/outsourcer isn’t always the most secure. But more than that, I’m excited and giddy and feeling very positive about the whole thing. Most of all, I have faith that we can both see this through until the last drop of red paint in the master bedroom is finally dry. And yes, one can never go wrong with faith.
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Wow! Congratulations Iris.
I am planning to buy a house too but not until next year or so. I need to be sure where to settle down first. I can’t wait til I can grow my own garden.
Kessa Thea´s last blog ..Polyvore and Some Updates
Haha! That’s quite good to hear, Te! We’re practically going to be neighbors! hehehe Well, if ever I’m home from the holidays! But think about it! Talisay isn’t a bad city. It just started to be this really sleepy town, forced into citydom due to it’s population boom… But I like it a lot because unlike Cebu City, it’s actually quiet. hehe By the way, where is Corona del Mar actually located? Near the beach of Pooc?
Kaye´s last blog ..Sci-Fi Dad
@Kaye: I looked at the map, and it’s actually quite close to your old street! How cool is that? Weeee! I did like the area a lot. It’s close enough to the city to be quite convenient, but far enough to seem like a completely different place.
@Kessa Thea: Hahaha! The Husband is most excited about the garden. I’m more excited about all the stuff I can do with a roof deck. LOL.
On a side note, it does seem like a good time to buy a house, especially here in the Philippines. If anyone is interested in house and lot and condos, shoot me at email at irisgodd3ss [a] gmail [dot] com, and I’ll put you in touch with somebody who can give you great deals. (Okay, shameless plugging done. Back to regular programming.)
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