Hoppler expands to pre-selling properties

MANILA, Philippines - With its continued growth in the business of residential and commercial real estate rentals and sales, Hoppler has recently expanded to project selling. The online brokerage company has partnered with several developers and has produced a shopping list of residential properties to offer their clientele.

“We provide an array of options and we counsel the clients with unbiased information since we’re selling a lot of properties from different developers,” said marketing manager Kristine Astilla. “The clients’ needs are prioritized. We recommend based on what they’re looking for, not according to a limited brand portfolio.”

“We’re spending a lot of time sourcing out developers,” added chief executive officer John Riad, noting they are now working with Ayala Land, Filinvest, DMCI and SMDC. “There are also a lot of reliable developers that no one knows. They’re family owned and put a lot of care into what they do with their land and we want to help these families sell their projects because they come up with really good buildings that no one knows about,” he pointed out. On the other hand, Hoppler also wants to protect buyers from developers that do not deliver on their promises.

Hoppler guarantees more efficient customer service with its pool of 4,000 brokers. “We make sure that when they call us, we immediately extend assistance,” said project sales head Emma Concepcion. And this continues even after the sale has been closed. “They can depend on us from the moment they make an inquiry to three or four years down the road, when they want us to handle the rentals after the property becomes available. Our biggest core competence is building relationships – with owners, developers, brokers, buyers and tenants.”

Hoppler’s pre-selling inventory currently lists properties within the P500,000 to P7-million range, targeting mainly first time buyers, a good number of whom are based abroad. “For the past years, overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have remitted an average of $18 billion a year. In 2014, they remitted $24 billion. Thirty percent of this has been used for property acquisition,” said Concepcion. “Even for the sales that were generated locally, if you go deeper into the profile of the buyer, and track where the money is coming from, it’s still from somebody abroad,” she pointed out.

Aside from the OFWs, foreign investors are also attracted by the relatively low price tag of properties in the Philippines and the high return on investment (ROI). “The ROI from our pre-selling properties average between nine percent and 15 percent per annum. In Malaysia, it’s only 2-3 percent; in Singapore, it’s about 6-7 percent.” The foreign investors reportedly buy in bulk, to lease out eventually. So Hoppler has strengthened its network to include international agents based around Asia, the UAE and even London and the US.

Hoppler has offices in Makati, Ortigas Center, and Alabang. They offer end-to-end services which include negotiating, writing and processing contracts, and assisting all the way to moving in. For inquiries,  email at [email protected] or call (02) 890-0062.