How Vista Land edges out competition - Villar

RAPPLER - Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc., the property developer of the family of Senator Manuel Villar, is focusing on launching projects in “second-tier” cities.

“We’re opening more developments this year in second-tier cities such as Zambales, Kalibo and Roxas. In these cities, I don’t see any presence of listed real estate companies. I only see low-cost housing developers. I don’t see them as competition,” said Villar at Vista Land’s 2012 financial briefing on Thursday, March 21.
“Right now it’s very difficult to enter in these areas. It’s difficult to buy property. You need a lot of approvals and you have to make sure you have the logistics ability. This is the kind of thing we built over 30 years. An advantage that very few in the industry realize we have. This practically gives us a monopoly,” he added.

Vista Land, which has made a name for offering affordable houses, has a land bank of 1,962 hectares nationwide. The company has presence in 31 provinces, 63 cities and municipalities. It has 5 business units namely, Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella Homes, Communities Philippines and Vista Residences.

The company launched 28 projects with an estimated total value of P25.5 billion in 2012. Of these, 22 are in the low and affordable sector and 18 of those projects were launched outside Metro Manila.
The senator said they would enter a minimum of 10 new cities this 2013.

The landscape
However, as more big-ticket developers start launching projects nationwide, competition will start increasing.
Manuel Paolo Villar, the senator’s son who is chairman and CEO of Vista Land, said “competition is there right now. It’s not a monopoly. When we go to a new area there is generally a local real estate agent there and we compete with them. We do well because we have a brand and strong marketing.”

“We’re very confident in our building strategy mainly because we have been competing for 5 years. We accept it and look forward to the competition,” he added.
The younger Villar said most of their sales come from the Mega Manila area, the provinces surrounding Metro Manila.

“The cities that are doing quite well are not secrets; Cebu and Davao. Smaller cities have been growing quite well. We’re seeing demand in the provinces,” he said.

OFWs, retirees
Purchases made by OFWs make up 60% of their sales. According to Senator Villar, most of their OFW buyers come from the Middle East and from places in Asia such as Singapore and Malaysia.
The younger Villar said the strengthening peso has not affected sales.

Foreign nationals make up less than 5% of sales. These exclude Filipino-Americans with dual citizenship.
In 2012, its affordable housing brand, Camella made up 34% of total revenue while Communities Philippines made up 36%. The developer’s other brands – Crown Asia, Brittany and Vista Residences –made up 12%, 13% and 5%, respectively.

Villar said their mid-range brands Camella and Communities Philippines would take a bigger part of their revenue share in the future.

“They will be more than 70% in the next few years,” he said.
Villar said they would also look into retirement villages. “It’s an interesting area that we’re looking into,”

Vista Land reported a net income of P4.4 billion in 2012, exceeding its P4.2 billion goal for 2012, citing record sales.

"The market demand for housing, particularly for Camella in the provinces, continues to be robust and we don’t see any risk of a slowdown in that segment," Ricardo Tan Jr, Vista Land’s CFO, said.

Vista Land is mulling a capital restructuring plan, which is part of moves to raise funds in the future without breaking foreign ownership rules.

For more details on Vista Land residential projects, you may contact Reby Ramirez: 0922.883.9308 / 0916.4044.555 / 0919699.3572 or reby_ramirez@yahoo.com.

For latest information on the Philippine Real Estate Industry and the Real Estate Service Act (RA9646), please visit www.ra9646.com.ph.   

Property market good for next 3 years: Villar

Malaya - Vista Land and Lifescapes, Inc. is confident this year’s activity will continue to be favorable for the company, seeing overall performance indicators as going up by double digits.

Richard Tan, Vista Land chief finance officer, said they expect profit and revenues to improve between 15 and 20 percent for the year from last year’s P4.38 billion and P16.34 billion respectively as the company continue to build more residential units all over the country.

The more indicative predictor of growth of reservation sales meanwhile is seen to improve by 15 percent this year from last year’s P40.09 billion.

“Our strategy is paying off handsomely and given the strength of the property market, particularly housing, we will continue to focus on bringing the Camella brand to families around the country,” said Manuel Paolo Villar, Vista Land’s chief executive officer.

Villar expressed confidence that the property market is assured of a good run for the next three years in which Vista Land is expected to benefit.

Vista Land said last year’s P4.38-billion profit was a 24 percent improvement over the previous year’s P3.53 billion, while the P16.34-billion revenue was a 21 percent uptick from the previous year’s P13.51 billion.

“We have exceeded our target for last year when we targeted a 21 percent profit growth and a 20 percent revenue growth. 2012 is the best year for Vista Land since 2007,” said Tan.

Vista Land was the former C&P Homes, Inc., which was restructured by the Villar family in 2007 after several years in the doldrums as a result of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

“This year will be another record year for us,” said Tan, noting that the company’s tack will remain in developing affordable housing units under the brand Camella.

At 34 percent of total revenues, Camella’s contribution in Vista Land is the biggest among the four brands of the company. Units Crown Asia contributed 12 percent; Brittany 13 percent; Vista Residences 5 percent; and Communities Philippines 36 percent.

Communities Philippines is not a particular brand within the Vista Land group but a marketing arm of the company that sells the other four brands outside greater Manila area.

“We will continue to take advantage of the demand in the province and greater Manila for Camella,” said Tan who noted that “market demand for housing, particularly for Camella in the provinces, continues to be robust” without a hint of any slowdown.

For latest information on the Philippine Real Estate Industry and the Real Estate Service Act (RA9646), please visit www.ra9646.com.ph.   

Asiamoney picks Vista Land as ‘Best for Investor Relations’

Philippine Star - Manny Villar-owned Vista Land and Lifescapes, the country’s leading homebuilder, is the best company in the country for investor relations, according to the results of Asiamoney magazine’s 8th annual corporate governance poll.

The Hong Kong-based publication tallied votes from 137 CEOs, CIOs, senior executives from fund management and hedge fund companies in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as heads of research and senior analysts in brokerages across the region.

The results were revealed in the January 2013 issue of Asiamoney magazine. Only one company in the Philippines is cited as the “Best in Investor Relations” in Asiamoney’s annual poll.

Vista Land, which was listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2007, prevented Ayala Corp. from making a clean sweep of all categories in the poll, which included best for corporate governance, disclosure and transparency, responsibilities of management and the board of directors, and for shareholder’s rights and equitable treatment.

“We are pleased to see our efforts in building strong relationships and improving communication with the financial community being recognized,” said Ricardo B. Tan  Jr., Vista Land chief financial officer.
“Our team will continue to work harder to further improve transparency and encourage feedback from investors, analysts, and other stakeholders,” he added.

The recent Asiamoney magazine poll further reinforces the results of a similar international poll conducted by rival publication FinanceAsia Magazine last year, which placed Vista Land among the top five in the “Best mid-cap” category, and among the top 10 “Best Investor Relations.”

Manuel Paolo Villar, president and CEO of Vista Land, stated: “I am extremely honored to see that Vista Land has been voted by key executives in the Asian region as the “Best in Investor Relations in the Philippines” in the recent poll conducted by Asiamoney magazine.

He added: “As I have said before, we will continue to strive to improve our standing both at home and in the international financial community, and hopefully we will continue to reap the rewards of our hard work in the future.”

For latest update on real estate development and its RA 9646, the Real Estate Service Act of 2009, visit www.ra9646.com.ph.

Villar-led Vista Land posts P2.19-B profits in H1, up 25%

RAPPLER - Villar-led Vista Land & Landscapes reported a 25% jump in net income for the first 6 months of the year, reaching P2.19 billion from P1.74 billion during the same period last year on the back of strong demand and expansion.

"The macroeconomic situation of the philippines has been good for real estate, there's a lot of confidence," said Company President and CEO Manuel Paolo A. Villar.

Sales were robust, registering 47% growth to P20.0 billion. Revenues grew 22% to P8.1 billion in the first half of 2012 from P6.6 billion in the first half of 2011.

The company launched 15 subdivision projects worth about P12 billion during the first half.

Vista Land is the holding company of the real estate units - Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella Homes, Communitities Philippines and a condominium development subsidiary, Vista Residences.

For more details on Vista Land & landscapes projects, you may e-mail reby_ramirez@yahoo.com or contact her at 0922.883.9308 / 0916.4044.555 / 0919.699.3572 / 4044-534.

For latest update on real estate development and its RA 9646, the Real Estate Service Act of 2009, visit www.ra9646.com.

Camella Homes readies more projects for Mindanao sites

Businessworld -- Camella Homes, Inc., the low-cost unit of Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc. is looking at building more projects in Mindanao this year.

The company is initially targeting sites in Cagayan de Oro City and Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental, Koronadal in South Cotabato, Valencia in Bukidnon and Butuan City in Agusan del Norte as part of its mixed horizontal and vertical expansion plans, Marlon B. Escalicas, general manager of Camella Homes Davao, said.

In Cagayan de Oro for example, the company is planning a vertical development sometime this year, which is seen to employ green design. This will reportedly include solar panels and ultraviolet-resistant glass that keeps internal temperatures cool.

Davao City is also included in the blueprint as the company’s plans to set up two offices to serve the north and south portions of the area.

This will make it easier to facilitate inquiries and applications as well as scope for new sites for expansion, Mr. Escalicas said.

“We acquired 20 hectares near the Davao International Airport.

The development is now in the works and we are looking to opening it towards the end of third quarter or fourth quarter this year,” he said.

The cost of developing horizontal projects is pegged at around P100 million per hectare, he said.

Earlier, Camella Homes similarly announced it would expand its Mediterranean-inspired subdivision project in a nine-hectare land in Mintal district.

The site is about 30 minutes away from Davao City’s downtown. The company has allotted P500 million sourced internally to build more units.

Plans for other potential investment areas, outside of Davao and Cagayan de Oro, could change depending on the availability of land and market demand. Buyers of the company’s residential units, Mr. Escalicas said, are mostly entrepreneurs, overseas contract workers, foreigners, and investors who purchase units to rent out.

Cynthia A. Villar, mother of Vista Land president and chief executive Manuel Paolo A. Villar, for her part said the family-owned business is bullish on Mindanao, citing existing communities Camella Homes has developed in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Tagum, Butuan and General Santos.

For more details on Camella Homes projects, you may e-mail reby_ramirez@yahoo.com or contact her at 0922.883.9308 / 0916.4044.555 / 0919.699.3572 / 4044-534.

For latest update on real estate development and its RA 9646, the Real Estate Service Act of 2009, visit www.ra9646.com.

Puregold ties up with Vista Land on store space lease

MANILA, Philippines—Grocery chain Puregold Price Club Inc. is set to open by year’s end a new supermarket in The Lakefront property of Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. in Sucat, Parañaque City.

This is seen as an opening salvo to more retail property deals between the groups of businessman Lucio Co and Senator Manny Villar.

Villar-led Vista Land announced on Saturday the signing of a 10-year lease agreement with Puregold covering an area of 2,350 square meters at the 60-hectare The Lakefront, which boasts of a commercial hub called The Wharf hosting restaurants, convenience stores, spa and beauty salon, a bank and some offices.

This is part of a previously announced plan by Vista Land, whose core business is selling residential property, to likewise generate recurring earnings by developing a substantial leasing portfolio.

“Vista Land and Puregold are currently exploring the possibility of signing similar lease agreements in other key projects under development by Vista Land such as Evia in Las Piñas, Cavite and Sta. Elena in Sta. Rosa, Laguna,” the Vista Land statement said.

“We appreciate the confidence and support shown by Puregold in choosing to partner with Vista Land and become a key locator at The Lakefront,” said Vista Land chief executive officer Benjamarie Therese Serrano. “We are looking forward to building a mutually beneficial relationship with Puregold through this and other commercial transactions in the future.”

“Our supermarket at the Lakefront should be open for business by the fourth quarter of 2011,” said Puregold president Leonardo Dayao. “Puregold is pleased to have forged this agreement with Vista Land and we expect to further strengthen our business relationship by setting up stores in other key developments of Vista Land in the coming years.”

Vista Land has completed several subdivision developments and buildings at The Lakefront over the past few years.

These include San Francisco-inspired subdivisions La Posada and Marina Heights and the mid-rise buildings Presidio and Marfori. The company recently announced the launching of mid-rise projects in the area.

Puregold, owned and operated by the family of Co, has a network of about 70 stores, which would be built up to 100 by year’s end. It also plans to debut on the Philippine Stock Exchange and sell as much as P11.2 billion worth of shares to the public.

For more details on Vista Land projects, you may contact Reby Ramirez @ +63 919.699.3572 / +63 922.883.9308 / +63 916.4044.555 / +632 404-4534 or e-mail her @ reby_ramirez@yahoo.com.

Lastly, FYI for related information on the new real estate law, RA 9646, please proceed to www.RA9646.com, the online repository of updated information on Real Estate Service Act of 2009 (RESA).

source: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Apr 10, 2011

Camella Tarlac and Camella Apalit

Tarlac today stands proudly as a crossroads of art, history and progress.

Guests are treated to the many natural, historical and cultural sites it offers. Most popular is the Mt. Pinatubo trek where adventure seekers get to go up to the crater formed after the volcano’s eruption in 1991. There are also the Bueno Hot Springs and the Dolores Springs which are believed to be medicinal.

The residents of Tarlac have literally risen from the ashes of Mt. Pinatubo to re-fashion this heritage-rich province into a modern melting pot where traditional culture has blended with the new. The presence of economic zones resulted into rapid industrialization, bringing in more jobs. The completion of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) has cut travel time from Manila, making the travel safer and faster for commuters.

Just 10 minutes away from the exit of the SCTEX is a growing community that is now providing a safe and secure home appropriate for the modern Tarlac resident. Camella Tarlac is a 61-hectare property that offers stylish homes that are affordable.

"Its proximity to the commercial hubs, financial districts, major universities and hospitals makes it an ideal property investment – its value rising as the growth of the province continues," said Camella President Maribeth C. Tolentino.

"It has three enclaves that provide this community a variety of options with seven model homes," added Dante Julongbayan, Camella’s Head for North Luzon. "Each was designed to respond to specific needs of varied homeowners."

With the launch of Camella Tarlac, visitors can view and experience the advantage that the Camella lifestyle offers. A showcase area features the Affordable Series and the Lessandra Series – space-efficient homes designed to respond to various requirements.

The Lessandra series offers model homes such as Reana, Margarita, Reena and Marga. The Affordable Series has five model home choices namely Lara, Marvela, Carmela, Drina and Elaisa.
The new community also offers amenities that are standard in residential developments in the country’s major cities. This includes a clubhouse, swimming pool, basketball court, tree park, jogging park, picnic area, playground and exercise area. The development likewise offers various security measures to ensure the community’s safety. There is also a shuttle service that brings residents to drop off/pick up points in the city proper at specific hours.

Tarlac’s neighbour, Apalit, is also showing signs of progress and prosperity. It is no surprise then to find a Camella development in this place. Formally established in 1582, this municipality is a gateway to Pampanga and the northern regions – it being the first town of the province located right next door to Bulacan.

Today, the presence of many manufacturing firms, refineries, and a multinational oil corporation has fast-tracked Apalit’s growth and attracted commercial, financial and retail establishments to cater to the needs of residents.

Camella Apalit is a Mediterranean-themed community on a 15-hectare property. Homeowners can enjoy amenities at par with developments in the country's major cities including a clubhouse with swimming pool, parks and playground, and a basketball court. It offers 12 model homes – each one tailor-made to respond to the market’s varied needs.

From the Crown Jewels series, model homes Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Pearl and Jade are available. From the Camella series, one can choose from Elaisa, Drina, Carmela and Marvela. And from the Lessandra series are Rina, Marga and Reana.

Camella Tarlac and Camella Apalit are developments of Camella, a subsidiary of Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc., the country’s largest home builder.

For details on Camella Tarlac and Camella Apalit, contact Reby Ramirez @ +63 916.4044.555 / +63 922.883.9308 / +63 919.699.3572 or e-mail her at reby_ramirez@yahoo.com.

Source: Manila Bulletin, 24 November 2010

RA 9646, popularly known as Real Estate Service Act ( RESA ) has been approved for implementation when its Implementing Rules and Regulations ( IRR ) was published on July 24 2010 at Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star. For details on the RESA Law, visit www.ra9646.com, the central repository of all updates on RA 9646.