The CIPS Institute COMES to MANILA, PHILIPPINES

2:46 PM

In cooperation with the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR), the largest trade association of real estate agents in the USA, we are proud to offer the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), a well renowned training for international real estate transactions. The five-day curriculum will provide all participants full interactive participation, working groups, learn how to solve case studies, and most especially learn how to package and market yourself for global exposure!

FOUR (4) MORE COMPELLING REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THE CIPS COURSE AND OBTAIN CIPS DESIGNATION:

Be the first 100 REALTORS® to register at the special price of $595.

CIPS is the only designation of its kind in the worldwide real estate community. It bespeaks of expertise and global perspective, backed by powerful brand recognition across 60 countries.

A special-programmed tour of the choicest project sites has been prepared for your enjoyment while in Manila, Philippines and be privileged in becoming a referral agent thus earning referral commissions.

The institute shall be taught by the world renowned instructor Ms. Aida D. Turbow an International Real Estate Professional with over 25 years of experience in Global Marketing & Strategic Sales. She was instrumental in the development of the CIPS Program, Chair of numerous international committees, and the intellectual architect of the Portal for worldwide real estate developments. She was also awarded as the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) Outstanding Instructor of the year in 2003 and 2011.

Qualified as a Trainer? Take advantage of the one (1) day, “Train the Trainer” program compliments from the Instructor on Saturday, 25 February 2012.

See the attached program details and be sure to contact us for early reservation. For reservation and questions, please let us know via email at crebanar@yahoo.com / creba_national@yahoo.com or eyia888@gmail.com.

Be a CIPS Designee!

Very truly yours,

EVANGELINE A. YIA JULIUS G. TOPACIO

Chairman, CREBA-NAR Global Real Estate Council Vice-President for Global Real Estate Alliances

Ten Ways to Prepare for Home Ownership

6:00 AM

Decide what you can afford. Generally, you can afford a home equal in value to between two and three times your gross income.

Develop your home wish list. Then, prioritize the features on your list.

Select where you want to live. Compile a list of three or four neighborhoods you’d like to live in, taking into account items such as schools, recreational facilities, area expansion plans, and safety.

Start saving. Do you have enough money saved to qualify for a mortgage and cover your down payment? Ideally, you should have 20 percent of the purchase price saved as a down payment. Also, don’t forget to factor in closing costs. Closing costs — including taxes, attorney’s fee, and transfer fees — average between 2 and 7 percent of the home price.

Get your credit in order. Obtain a copy of your credit report to make sure it is accurate and to correct any errors immediately. A credit report provides a history of your credit, bad debts, and any late payments.

Determine your mortgage qualifications. How large of mortgage do you qualify for? Also, explore different loan options — such as 30-year or 15-year fixed mortgages or ARMs — and decide what’s best for you.

Get pre-approved. Organize all the documentation a lender will need to pre-approve you for a loan. You might need W-2 forms, copies of at least one pay stub, account numbers, and copies of two to four months of bank or credit union statements.

Weigh other sources of help with a down payment. Do you qualify for any special mortgage or down payment assistance programs? Check with your state and local government on down payment assistance programs for first-time buyers. Or, if you have an IRA account, you can use the money you’ve saved to buy your fist home without paying a penalty for early withdrawal.

Calculate the costs of home ownership. This should include property taxes, insurance, maintenance and utilities, and association fees, if applicable.

Contact a REALTOR®. Find an experienced REALTOR® who can help guide you through the process.

Evangeline A. Yia
International REALTOR® Member
REALTORS® Magazine ( REALTORMag.REALTOR.org )
copyright 2008. All rights reserved

House And Lot @ Shangrila Village, Baguio City

8:39 AM

House and Lot at Shangrila Village, Baguio City

Property Details:

Address: Shangrila Village, Baguio City
Price: Php 12,900,000
Category: House and Lot
Year Built: 2008
House Size: 310
Lot Size: 354
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 3

Property Description:

Where the cool, fresh air and mountain vistas of Baguio is within reach...witness the dramatic cloud as it envelopes your very own backyard and enjoy a "Relaxing Baguio!" everyday...

Home Features:

kitchen with granite countertops and backsplash
breakfast bar with glass tiles
cathedral ceilings with crown mouldings throughout
huge master bedroom with walk-in closet
cozy family room
granite and hardwood floors floors
front porch
view decks
2 huge water tanks
big side yard
outside kitchen
Property has a separate one bedroom/1 bath guest suite

View Photos Here

The accuracy of all information, regardless of source, including but not limited to square footages and lot sizes, is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified through personal inspection and/or with the appropriate professionals. The information at this site is provided solely for informational purposes and does not constitute an offer to sell, rent, or advertise real estate outside the state in which the owner of the site is licensed. The owner is not making any warranties or representations concerning any of these properties including their availability. Information at this site is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified.

Panagbenga 2012 Schedule Of Traditional Activities

10:39 AM

The major annual festival in Baguio City has been officially declared open last November 14, 2011. Panagbenga 2012, formerly known as the "Baguio Flower Festival" is in its 17th season with the theme "Community Convergence for a Sustainable Tourism Growth" is expected to attract thousands of spectators as well as tourists as it did in the past celebrations. Baguio City is now gearing up for the events and the secretariat has released recently the schedule of traditional activities.

Panagbenga is a "Kankanaey" term for “a season of blooming”.

Panagbenga 2012 Major Highlights

Panagbenga Opening Parade	February 1, 2012
Market Encounter	February 1 - March 4, 2012
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom	February 11, 2012
Handog ng Panagbenga sa Baguio	February 12, 2012
Fluvial Float Parade	February 12, 2012
Chinese Spring Festival	February 21, 2012
Grand Street Dancing Parade	February 25, 2012
Grand Float Parade	February 26, 2012
Session Road in Bloom	February 27 - March 4, 2012
Pony Boy's Day	March 2, 2012
Panagbenga Closing Ceremonies	March 4, 2012
Grand Fireworks Display	March 4, 2012 @ 7:00 PM

Minor events and activities can be found elsewhere all over Baguio City during the whole month of celebration.

* Tips

Book early.
Scout on possible viewing spots before the major events.
Consider access to the nearest comfort rooms.
Before going to watch the major events, secure all your belongings, only bring what you need; umbrella, bottled water, camera and so on.
Park your vehicle on a secure location, better yet, park it on the hotel's parking lot where there is security.
Do not bring bulky things such as child stroller/carrier and bulky packs during major events.
Keep a close eye on your children, put identification cards and the like in their pockets and instruct them what to do if in case they get separated.
Stay away from small exits.
Bring small bills.
Keep wallets, cellphones, and other valuables in front pockets, wear clothing with deep pockets.
Report any untoward incidents to the nearest law enforcement.

Panagbenga 2012 Launched

12:19 AM

Once again, the rhythmic Panagbenga hymn composed by Dean Macario Fronda of the Saint Louis University shall be heard as Baguio Flower Festival (BFF) 2012 is launched during the city hall flag-raising ceremonies this Monday, Nov. 14.

Expected to be simple yet colorful, the launching ceremonies for the 17th staging of the Panagbenga festival shall have the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) band render the Pambansang Awit. This will be done after the parade of colors; the Philippine flag, the Baguio banner, and the sunflower-laden Panagbenga flag.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan shall declare the festival open, as Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) officer and Baguio Country Club General Manager Anthony de Leon and Freddie Alquiroz unveils the flower festival logo and theme.

The SLU dance troupe shall present a Panagbenga-inspired dance number. The mayor shall give the inspirational message, with the Baguio Hymn to close the ceremonies.

As in the past years, Panagbenga 2012 shall open with a parade on the first day of February, a month-long Market Encounter, and Session Road in Bloom during the last week after a weekend of streetdancing and float parades.

Other activities; the fluvial float parade at Burnham Lake, Chinese Spring Festival and pony boys’ day are also included in the Panagbenga calendar.

Conceptualized in 1995, the crowd-drawer flower festival has grown through the years with the Cordillera motif in all the activities, in the costume, street-dancing, float and even in its hymn. Innovative activities emerged, some worked well with the flower concept while others did not; while still others were revitalized year to year.

View Panagbenga 2011 Photos Here

Article source: Julie Fianza, PIA
Slide show photos by: Oswald Reyes

REALTOR.com Goes Global, Launches International Site

7:58 PM

Today the National Association of REALTORS®, and Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE), the leader in online real estate and operator of Realtor.com, extended the lead of Realtor.com as the world’s largest online destination for real estate listings with the launch of the Realtor.com International web site.

Available at www.realtor.com/international, the new site delivers the millions of for-sale property listings displayed on Realtor.com to buyers across the globe, as well as residential properties fed to the site by foreign content providers. At launch, Realtor.com International will feature residential real estate listings from Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Spain. The Realtor.com International site can also be accessed from the homepage of Realtor.com.

In the past three months, nearly 2.6 million international visitors searched for U.S. real estate on Realtor.com. The top five countries where searches originated from are Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and India.

“Increasingly, more and more Realtors are working with international clients who want to buy property in the U.S. and the new Realtor.com International web site will not only allow Realtors to offer their expertise and knowledge to a broader audience, but will also bring buyers and sellers together across the globe,” said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, Rhode Island. “Foreign buyers understand the value of owning a home in the U.S. and can rely on a Realtor because of their global perspective and understanding of different cultures and real estate practices. This collaboration with Move is just one of many ways Realtors can expand and grow their business globally.”

To help international and foreign-born buyers as they search for U.S. residential real estate, the new Realtor.com International search experience delivers enhanced translation options in 11 languages including Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. The site also features easy-to-use currency and dimension converters available on all pages.

“The U.S. continues to be a top destination for international buyers from all over the world, and Realtor.com remains a natural choice for international buyers because we offer the largest, freshest and most accurate collection of property listings available online,” said Realtor.com President, Errol Samuelson. “In recent years, foreign buyers have increasingly become interested in owning real estate in the United States. Like millions of U.S. consumers, they trust the Realtor.com brand to help them connect with Realtors and find the property that’s right for their needs. Opening up the world of real estate on Realtor.com to include an international search experience is a natural evolution of our offerings at Move. We’re very excited to help hundreds of thousands of Realtors grow their businesses beyond U.S. borders as they connect with international buyers.”

NAR’s 2011 Profile of International Home Buying Activity reports the U.S. remains a top destination for foreign buyers with international purchases surging $16 billion in the last year. According to the survey, total residential international sales last year in the U.S. equaled $82 billion. Total international sales were split evenly between non-resident foreigners and recent immigrants.

International buyers of U.S. residential real estate came from 70 countries; the top five (Canada, Mexico, China, U.K., and India) accounted for 53 percent of all transactions from March 2010 to March 2011. Most states in the U.S. had at least one international transaction, while Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas—accounted for 58 percent of all U.S. residential transactions completed by international buyers. Proximity to the home country, the convenience of air transportation, and climate and location are the most important considerations to international buyers.

Presentations for international content providers interested in learning how to feed their listing to Realtor.com International will be held at the 2011 Realtors® Conference and Expo in Anaheim, California, November 11th through 14th.

Evangeline Alzona Yia Was recognized for breaking ground on the REALTOR.com International launch as an initial data content provider.

Read more: REALTOR.com Goes Global, Launches International Site | REALTOR.com® Blogs

View Photos Here

REALTORS® Catch the Wave

4:35 AM

"Celebrating the launch of REALTOR/International (Booth 1301) on Sunday were (from left) Sambuddha Kishore, Collabera, Westlake Village, Calif.; Bob Greenspan, REALTOR.com; Dan Neguescu, APAIR, Bucharest, Romania; Errol Samuelson, REALTOR.com; Janet Branton, NAR senior vice president of global business and alliances; Shonee Henry, Asian Real Estate Association of America, San Diego, Calif.; Bob Goldberg, NAR senior vice president of marketing and business development; Evangeline Yia, CREBA-NAR Global Real Estate Council, Philippines; Alessandro Stupp, Brasilia, Brazil; and Eleonore Rojas, Move Inc."

Bolo Hills Beach Club Perspectives

6:50 PM

Two-Storey Single Detached

The housing units are available with a single basic plan of a 2-storey single detached house.

It follows the mexican theme of the whole development and is complimented by beautiful landscaping. each housing unit will have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a guest room, living, dining, kitchen and maid's room with own toilet.

Bungalow Single Detached

The 1-storey bungalow units take up 2 lots.

It follows the Mexican theme of the whole development and is complimented by beautiful landscaping. each housing unit will have 3 bedrooms, bathrooms, living, dining, kitchen and maid's room with own toilet.

Condominiums

Bolo Hills Subdivision will have a package for you, whether your family will be staying for a few days or for good. 4 3-storey condominum buildings will rise right next to the main entrance for family that would want to own a unit.

The condominiums will have 24 units per building for a total of 188 units divided into 2-bedrooms, 1-bedroom and a studio-type unit. a twin 3-storey boutique hotel on the other hand caters to travelers that would want to relax for a few days.