It’s already November! Who would have thought this is still where we would be this month?
The coronavirus is still altering life as we know it. Many schools are still closed, professionals have somehow adjusted to working remotely, and a lot of us are now enjoying comfort and convenience in our home and spending more time with our family.
With social distancing protocols still being implemented, some of us might be wondering what condo residents say about their experience living through this pandemic.
As we know, condo living is very practical. It is living with comfort and convenience in a secure community that is within short distance to key establishments, schools as well as transportation and entertainment hubs.
Condominiums are also complete with amenities such as swimming pool, fitness gym, study hall and function room. It is for these reasons that many people opt to live in condos. Many professionals prefer to live in a condo close to their workplace to avoid the hassle of long commute and daily traffic. With the daily demand of work, most professionals do not have the time to deal with household chores and home maintenance.
Living in a condo will definitely save their time in dealing with repairs since condominiums have maintenance people who can help with minor repairs that need to be done. One of the conveniences of condo living is that cooking is not a problem – convenience store, café and restaurants are literally just a few steps away. But with the current pandemic, do condo residents still enjoy these perks? How is their condo living experience?
Pam is a marketing communications professional who lives in a Vista Residences condo in Quezon City. She works from home and does regular virtual meetings with her team and agency partners. For someone who is used to media relations, late night brainstorming and personal interaction, she misses this kind of set-up and somehow experiences mental stress of just staying at home.
To cope up, she has turned her energies to working out, cooking, baking and de-cluttering her condo unit. Living and (being stuck) in her own condo unit has helped her discover new skills and realize the value of self-care.
Meanwhile, Anna, a parent of a university student who used to stay in a Vista Residences condo in Manila, shared that since schools have shifted to online classes, her daughter decided to stay in their home in Cavite.
Prior to leaving the condo, she has witnessed how the property management took the regular sanitation and disinfection of the building seriously. From social distancing protocols, cleaning of building premises especially the most exposed areas to regular health monitoring among the residents. However, they still decided to bring their daughter home to be with their family during this difficult time.
According to her, they are still in a wait-and-see attitude since the resumption of class is still uncertain. If this set-up will continue next year, they might have their condo unit leased through the developer’s condo leasing services. They also want to keep their unit because of the foreseen infrastructure developments in Manila that will surely help increase the value of their property.
Alex, on the other hand, is a businessman who has condo unit in Quezon City. He enjoys staying in his condo because despite the pandemic, he is still able to access some of the amenities like the swimming pool and lounge provided that social distancing protocols are observed.
Aside from keeping his unit, he wants to purchase from the same developer who has condo properties in Manila to be able to diversify his portfolio. He is into stocks and mutual funds but would like to venture into real estate investing. According to him, he wants to take advantage of the flexible payment terms being offered by the developer.
He is eyeing one of the newest condominium projects of Vista Residences in Manila which is in close proximity to premier universities and transportation hubs. Although he is aware of the recent news about shutting down of POGOs in the country, the uncertainty of school resumption and the possibility of prolonged work-from-home scheme, he would still like to invest in a condo for eventual rental income and property value appreciation. He is seeing these opportunities with the number of upcoming developments in Manila.
If there is one thing we have learned from this pandemic, it is resiliency. We all face different struggles wherever we live and whatever our status in life is. It is up to us on how we will take it and how we will move forward from life’s difficulties and tough surprises.
Do you want to share your condo living experience as well? Share with us your story and be able to inspire others on how you live through this pandemic.