For Sale

Address: Avida Settings Cavite

Floor area: 84 sqm
Lot area: 162 sqm

Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Study room: 1

Village amenities: 24 hour security, clubhouse (with convenience store), swimming pool, multiple playground areas, two basketball courts.

Location:

Accessible via Daang Hari, Molino Boulevard and Aguinaldo Highway.

2 minutes to The District Dasmariñas
3 minutes to Metro South Hospital
5 minutes to SM Molino*
20 minutes to Alabang Town Center*

Shuttle services to Alabang, Makati and Lawton are available nearby (UV Express).

*Without traffic.

For more information:

- The Village
http://twostoreys.blogspot.sg/2011/04/village.html

- Security
http://twostoreys.blogspot.sg/2010/11/security-detail.html

- The House
http://twostoreys.blogspot.sg/2014/02/before-after-part-1.html
http://twostoreys.blogspot.sg/2014/03/before-after-part-2.html

Inquiries:

Please send me an email using the Contact tab above.

Renovation Update 14

Well, the garage floor is now finished and so is the back roof. We're just waiting for the contractor to touch up a few things and the house will be ready for renting.

We've decided that we'll only plant grass and trees once we have a renter as the lawn will need to be watered on a daily basis. Also, we'll have the house professionally cleaned right before the renter moves in because if we do it now, no one will benefit and things will just get dusty again in case it takes months to find a lessee. Ditto with the pest control.

Renovation Update 13

Earl is not too happy (again) with Maricel of Rabacon.

When we came home two months ago, the garage floor and all other pending items should have been completed so that we can already have the house rented. That didn't happen so I booked yet another ticket to Manila for October. That trip ended yesterday and the house still isn't done.

In July last year, before we moved to Singapore, we paid the down payment for the installation of a narrow roof to cover the backdoor and the outside sink (you can read the details here). The purpose of the roof is so that people can still work despite the downpour and the rain won't be coming into the house through the back door. Guess what? Maricel forgot about it. She was only reminded of it when we reviewed all the contracts a couple of days ago.

The garage floor that Maricel promised would be completed before October 20 still isn't finished:

Earl is so upset he insisted on talking to Maricel last night (though he's not yet at boiling point). He told her that we pay on time and never even ask for a discount with all the quotes she's given us, but we're clearly not a priority to her. I told Earl that I am partly to blame since I've been quite lenient as I like her and Í can't seem to get mad when I'm with her (it helps that she's nice).

Renting Out: Part 2

As of this week, the construction of the garage floor has started. The goal is for it to be finished by the time I get back to Manila in a few weeks. The contractors will also finish all pending items and the house should be ready for renting.

If no one rents it by Christmas this year, Earl and I will be looking forward to camping out in our house!

Renting Out: Part 1

Before we moved into our current apartment, we were told that the unit will be professionally cleaned. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and it took a week for me to clean and disinfect everything. So we were thinking that if ever we did get a tenant, and provided there's enough budget, we'd have the house cleaned.

I only know of two companies that provide this service in Manila. The first is Dirty Business which I got from a local décor magazine. They had an issue on suppliers that the top interior designers go to and Dirty Business was mentioned by one of them. According to the article, the company "Focuses on post-construction cleaning as its core offering. This could mean full detail cleaning of new or newly-renovated houses."

The second was found in an advertisement in Real Living Philippines (I think). Merry Maids is an international franchise based in the United States.

Dirty Business
dirty_business_inc@yahoo.com

Scope of work:
• Dust and dirt extraction of all rooms,
• Sanitizing and cleaning of all cabinets and shelves,
• Cleaning of laundry, pantry and utility areas and maid’s room,
• Cleaning of doors, sliding doors, stairs, windows, and walls,
• Sanitizing and disinfecting of toilets and bathrooms,
• Cleaning of all indoor glass fixtures,
• Sanitizing and disinfecting of kitchen and dirty kitchen,
• Polishing of all stainless steel fixtures,
• Cleaning of all lighting fixtures, and
• Cleaning and disinfecting of all interior floors.

Contract price: Php 8,400 (Php 100 per sq.m.)

Price includes cost of wages, supplies, supervision and use of equipment.

Terms of payment: By cash or check made payable to DIRTY BUSINESS, INC. 50% down payment upon acceptance of offer, which serves as reservation for requested cleaning date. Balance to be paid upon turnover of house.

Merry Maids
inquiry@merrymaids.ph

Scope of work:
• Wiping/dusting
• Vacuuming
• Rest room Cleaning
• Glass Cleaning
• Wet Mopping
• Sanitizing

Contract price: Php 8,900

Price includes the equipment, tools, supplies, and chemicals needed to complete the work.

Manpower: Four (4) Merry Maids

Term of payment: Immediately after completion. Please make check payable to JOLLY MAIDS INC.VIII. VAT Inclusive.
____________

In case anyone has tried out either cleaning company, we would love to hear from you.

The Decision

In a previous post, we were thinking about selling or renting the house (or just keeping things as is). After much consideration, we've decided to have it rented.

Here are the reasons why:

1. We are currently paying for three properties - the rent for our current apartment, the house in Avida, and my mother-in-law's house. The last house is in Alabang Hills Village and while we split the expenses with Earl's two other siblings, the three storey abode is not cheap to maintain.

2. We'd like to have a baby and if our recent intrauterine insemination (IUI) doesn't work, our doctor here has advised that our only option is vitro fertilisation (IVF) the cost of which will be around SGD 14,000 (Php 453,600 at 32.4 exchange rate). We've asked around and found that this procedure has a better success rate in Singapore or Taiwan and costs roughly the same as in Manila. It's cheaper in Taiwan but will require a five week stay which we cannot do due to Earl's job.

3. It occurred to us that we might be able to find someone who'll love our house as much as we do and treat it like their own.

4. We don't know when we'll be going home.

I recently asked a chat group I belong to about tips on renting - both as a tenant as a landlord. And based on their replies, it's safe to conclude that the more furnished the house, the easier it will be to have it rented out. But since we don't have the budget to buy appliances, our target market will have to be those who already have their own furniture.

Here's our to-do list:

1. Have the contractor finish up at the house. They were supposed to resume once we came back permanently (originally less than a year from now).

2. Check how much cementing the garage area will cost.

3. Inquire about having the yard fixed.

4. Have Mapecon return to do pest control.

5. Inquire with Merry Maids about their rates. My plan is to have the house cleaned professionally right before the renter moves in.

6. Contact a lawyer for help in drafting the lease contract.

Ah, this list really makes me want to move-in! But then again, I've been wanting that since we paid the reservation fee. Sigh.