A YEAR after beginning their partnership RLC Residences and actress Heart Evangelista are collaborating on their first project — Love Marie Designs with RLC Residences.
The project is a vlog featuring Ms. Evangelista’s design process at her RLC condominium unit at The Sapphire Bloc.
According to a press release, the project “is one of RLC Residences’ efforts to empower Filipinos to design their best life by giving them the right environment to execute their home ideas to life.” It also aims to show how the brand “can help homeowners design their own condo.”
In designing her one-bedroom condominium unit, Ms. Evangelista, or Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero in real life, worked with her friends — interior designer Geewel Cabungcal-Fuster, Astrid Bello with architect Chris Bello of Pbell + A.id Architecture and Interior Design.
“I love white,” Ms. Evangelista said in a press conference on May 20 at the Sapphire Bloc. “I was given a beautiful space to work on already. I just needed to add my personality.”
Chad Sotelo, senior vice-president at Robinsons Land Corp. and business unit manager of RLC Residences, told BusinessWorld that Ms. Evangelista “was very interested with Ortigas as a location. When she took a look at it, she was very happy.”
“I think one of the things that got her attention were the color white and the high ceilings,” he said.
Ms. Evangelista chose the unit for its space, well-lit rooms, high ceilings, and windows. She also cited the location and the amenities as reasons for choosing a unit at the Sapphire Bloc.
“It’s always a good investment if the place is near malls, and hospitals,” Ms. Evangelista said. “Amenities would be one [reason],” she added, citing RLC Residences’ other amenities such as swimming pools, a gym, a private theater, and a children’s playground.
The Sapphire Bloc is a four-tower complex bounded by Ortigas Center’s Sapphire and Garnet streets. It has easy access to commercial and business establishments.
“A property is always an investment. With having [condominiums], you also think about the different stages of your life, and what you need it for,” she said.
The Sapphire Bloc’s North Tower 1 and West Tower 2 are ready for occupancy, East Tower 3 is accepting buyers, while South Tower 4 is expected to finish construction by 2025.
Mr. Sotelo said that despite challenges and the financial impact brought by the pandemic, sales have been “proceeding at a brisk space.”
“Some people who have not yet decided if they’re going to continue their purchases last year are only deciding this year. But we are confident that the sales are going well. Despite some people canceling, we’re pretty bullish about the situation,” he said.
In regard to RLC’s expansions for vertical development, the urbanization of the area is a consideration.
“Some provinces may not be ready yet to take in a high-rise residential building. Sometimes we look at indicators like how many malls are in the area, and how many offices,” Mr. Sotelo said. “The BPO sector is typically a good barometer to check if a place is somewhat ready for a condo.”
“It also helps if an airport is close by,” he added.
The pandemic has made buyers more conscious of not only savings and income but also investments.
“Interestingly enough, what we discovered is for those people who are actively looking for a condo to buy — 60 to 70% of those are women,” Mr. Sotelo said of buyers’ demographics.
“The other thing we discovered is that people who are looking for a condo this year, while some of them are still after living in it, a lot of people are looking to buy a condo for investment purposes,” he said. “Either they’ll rent it out, or they buy it and then sell it.”
For those looking to invest in a condominium unit, Mr. Sotelo’s advice is “don’t rush, do your research first,” and make location a big consideration.
“Location is very important. But if you think about it, location based on what? In five years, where will you be? If you’re not married, will you still be single? Or if you’re married, will you have kids already? If you’re a fresh grad now, you’ll probably be on your first or second job,” Mr. Sotelo said. “Location is a bigger consideration than most people realize.”
Watch Love Marie Designs with RLC Residences (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8QyMKvy9OA&t=149s) on Heart Evangelista’s and RLC Residences’ (https://www.youtube.com/c/RLCResidences) YouTube page. For more information on RLC Residences properties, visit rlcresidences.com. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
