Sta Lucia ventures into home building

MANILA, Philippines - Sta. Lucia Land Inc. (SLI) has formed a new subsidiary to focus on the construction of houses for the nearly one million lot buyers of the Sta. Lucia Group’s development projects across the Philippines.

Sta. Lucia Homes aims to build communities in the group’s various subdivision projects from the low to mid-market segments to high-end subdivisions, with key areas in Pangasinan, Quezon, Antipolo, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Iloilo, and Bacolod.

“While condominium units are purchased for investment, house and lots are often bought for the end-users, specifically families,” noted Liezel Tuason-Magpoc, SLI senior vice president for marketing and sales. “Lots remain to be our most affordable product, and it is still a viable investment as the value of land doesn’t depreciate.”

Sta. Lucia has entered into ventures with property owners to penetrate more areas outside of Metro Manila. Its project Colinas Verdes, a masterplanned community in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan is a joint venture with Araneta Properties Inc.  Sta. Lucia has also partnered with the Yulo family for Carmel Ridge and Morning Fields at Carmeltown in Calamba and Canlubang in Laguna,  as well as the Jaka Property Group’s South Cavite Land for Nueva Vida at Mesilo, a 30-hectare property along Aguinaldo Highway in Dasmariñas, Cavite. 

Sta. Lucia Homes prioritizes existing lot buyers with fully-paid lots, who can then apply for construction loans.  Sta. Lucia Homes also offers house and lot packages with flexible installment terms and stretched downpayment to encourage lot buyers to start investing on their future.

“With lot prices constantly increasing, buying the lot first ensures that the buyer is protected from future price increases,” Magpoc stated. “This works best for Filipinos who are planning to own a home but are still saving up. With this scheme, they have lower monthly payments, giving them ample time to save for house construction, which will start when at least 50 percent of the lot is paid.”

The main advantage of contracting a company like Sta. Lucia versus individual contractors for house construction is protection from the increase of prices of cement and steel.

“Individual contractors can charge clients every time there is a price increase in construction materials, but with Sta. Lucia Homes, we stick to whatever contract price was signed,” Magpoc explained.