A Look at Philippine Real Estate’s 2014 Performance

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With China’s property market cooling after years of rapid growth, and Singapore’s and Hong Kong’s housing markets expected to decline steadily, 2014 has seen real estate in the emerging markets come into focus. The Philippines, in particular, performed (and is performing) well. Although GDP growth slowed slightly, the country’s economy continues to outperform most of its neighbors.

“The Philippine property sector’s 2014 performance is marked by exuberance in certain segments traditionally overlooked,” said Lamudi Philippines managing director Jacqueline van den Ende. “For example, Metro Manila’s commercial real estate sector was and continues to be buoyant, bolstered by a healthy demand from traditional office takers and the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.”

As the year draws to a close, global real estate portal Lamudi looks back at an eventful 12 months for the Philippines’ property sector.

Lamudi Relaunches With Intuitive New Design

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International property platform Lamudi has relaunched with a complete revamp of its website to offer a more intuitive design that streamlines the online house-hunting process for users globally.

The new website introduces a responsive design, with the site adapting to match the user’s particular device and screen size. The platform’s appearance has been improved to display properties for sale and rent in an easier-to-read format with larger photos. Dedicated sections for real estate agencies and new space for advertisements have also been introduced.

Lamudi is a global real estate portal focusing exclusively on the emerging markets. The website is currently available in 28 countries in these regions. The new design has been rolled out for all countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, with Latin America to be relaunched in early 2015. To ensure the website remains highly relevant for each of its local markets, Lamudi has introduced different variations of the website, including a customised search field for each country.

Lamudi’s Global Co-Founder, Kian Moini, said: “This redesign puts the user at the center of our product. The responsive design is very important because we know an increasing number of our users access Lamudi on a mobile device in addition to a desktop PC. The new design is tailored to our customers’ needs, making it easier than ever before to find the perfect property online and to contact real estate agents via phone, SMS or email.

Tethered Premieres on Discovery Channel

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Man’s greatest survival tool in dire situations is the strength, comradeship and skill of the people he is with – so long as he can stand them. In each episode of Discovery Channel’s latest original series TETHERED, two people from opposite backgrounds and philosophies must embark on an epic journey across treacherous terrains on a mission to escape the wild. But in the harsh wilderness, the best way to force two polar opposites to work together is to physically lock them at the waist by a steel cable. Stripped of nearly every modern convenience, they will be forced to pool their ingenuity and work together – whether they like it or not! TETHERED premieres every Tuesday on Discovery Channel at 8:00 p.m., starting December 30.


The men and woman of TETHERED have varying degrees of survival experience – from none to some! A rich real estate mogul is paired with an environmentalist dedicated to a non-materialistic lifestyle; a shaman with a biology professor; a free-spirited yoga expert with a hard-headed military man. They might not all have the necessary survival expertise, but the common thread that links them is the eagerness for a life-changing experience that will either see them forge lifelong friendships or arch enemies in the process!

Dropped at a meeting point with just either a four-foot (over 1.2 metres) or six-foot (almost 2 metres) steel cable that binds them together, a basic map and a limited survival kit, each contrasting pair has 10 to 12 days to overcome their differences and work hand-in-hand to escape the wild. From swimming across shark-infested waters, trekking through bear-infested woods, dodging alligators and hanging over dangerous waterfalls in addition to fighting hypothermia and dehydration, each duo may have to learn the hard way that the best way to survive is to stick together.