By Marcos de Guzman Jr.
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Space is a prime commodity and not many of us have the luxury of it. We continually have to rethink and reinvent our area to suit our ever-changing requirements.

On top of this, we likewise want our space to look neat and presentable. It’s a need and a wish we are faced with as soon as we get to our front yard.

Parking

One common problem most homeowners experience is lack of parking space. In many subdivisions, homeowners are forced to park on the street. This practice is a form of injustice to the neighbors. The streets are meant to be used by everyone and are not privately owned, even the one directly in front of your home. Some people even go to the extent of converting their garage to another purpose and parking all their cars on the road. This, of course, is not just an inconsiderate act; it is also against the law. Just because your neighbors are not complaining does not make things all right.

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By Charles E. Buban
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Any residential property must be taken care of both from the physical (maintenance and upgrade of the place) and tenant-relations standpoint.

In addition to acting as liaison between the owner of the property and the current tenants, a property manager sometimes takes on the job of attracting tenants.

“Indeed, the knowledge and skills of a property manager are in demand since a growing number of property owners understand that the beauty and grandeur of their developments may not be enough to attract or keep tenants,” said Joey Bernardino VP for sales and marketing of Quantum Hotels and Resorts, which manages a variety of properties in the Metro Manila area and very soon, in Boracay.

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By Amado de Jesus
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Termites are everyone’s nightmare. They are the most destructive wood insect in the world. Subterranean termite species live in large colonies underground and affect houses, buildings and cellulose-based products. Most of these species thrive in the tropics and warm temperate coastal and inland regions.

Subterranean termites enter structures by tunneling in through the soil. There are several ways they can gain access to wooden parts of a structure. They can tunnel through timber in contact with the soil; they can make shelter tubes along foundation walls; and they can make shelter tubes through a crack or void space. The key therefore to termite control is finding a way to block off these entry points by installing barriers.

Some of the most common termite control barriers are soil poisoning using pesticides, physical barriers around the house, a combination of the two or the bait and monitoring systems.

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By Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson
Inquirer

SM Investments Corp., the publicly listed holding firm of the mall magnate Henry Sy, said it would merge all its property interests under Shoemart Inc., a privately held investment company of the Sy family.

Inquirer sources said the SM group could be preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) of Shoemart stock, but they stressed that a decision on this had yet to be made.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, SM Investment said the consolidation would be done through a share swap.

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By Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Rockwell Land Corp., the real-estate arm of the Lopez Group, is eyeing an initial public offering in the first quarter of 2008.

The move is expected to accelerate Benpres Holdings Corp.’s proposed asset divestment plan and the retirement of $400 million worth of debts.

Benpres is the listed flagship firm of the Lopez family with interests in power distribution and generation, broadcasting and cable operations, infrastructure, telecommunications, health care delivery and real-estate development.

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