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Buying Property in the Philippines

Plan the financing, verify the property and seller, understand the contract, then close and transfer with fewer surprises.

Start with due diligence How to Verify a Clean Property Title The essential checks to make before paying a reservation fee, deposit or purchase price.

1. Budget and finance

2. Verify the property

3. Compare the contract

4. Close and transfer

Latest in this guide desk

Updates and supporting guides

Modern condominium towers in Makati, Philippines — the type of high-rise project where foreign nationals can legally own units up to the 40% foreign-ownership cap, since Philippine law bars them from owning the land itself

Buying 16 min read

Can Foreigners Buy Property in the Philippines? Condo, Land and Ownership Rules

Foreigners cannot own Philippine land, but they can own condo units outright, own a house separate from its lot, and lease land long-term —…

Apartments.ph guide Buying

Buying 6 min read

Metro Manila Foreclosed Properties Weekly Watch: Aug 31-Sep 6, 2026

This week’s Metro Manila bank-acquired property watch compares verified listings from Security Bank, Bank of Commerce and Metrobank, including price per sqm and disclosed…

Buyer closely reading a paper document at a desk, representing the careful side-by-side review needed to tell a TCT, a CCT, and a tax declaration apart before a Philippine property purchase

Buying 19 min read

TCT vs CCT vs Tax Declaration: Philippine Property Titles Explained

A TCT covers land, a CCT covers a condo unit plus its share in common areas, and a tax declaration is only a tax…

High-rise Philippine condominium tower showing rows of individual unit balconies within one shared building, illustrating the separate-unit-plus-common-areas ownership structure created by the Condominium Act (RA 4726)

Buying 13 min read

Condominium Act (RA 4726) Explained: Ownership Rules Every Condo Buyer Should Know

RA 4726, the Condominium Act, is what makes owning a condo unit legally possible in the Philippines — separate ownership of your unit plus…

Narrow residential street providing the only access road between houses on adjoining lots, illustrating a right-of-way / easement situation for Philippine property buyers

Buying 17 min read

Right of Way and Easements in Philippine Property: What Buyers Must Check

A right of way is not automatic just because a path exists — learn the Civil Code requirements for a legal easement, how indemnity…

A tax document being stamped at an office desk, illustrating the documentary stamp tax (DST) required on a Philippine real estate deed of sale

Buying 18 min read

Documentary Stamp Tax on Property in the Philippines: Rates and Computation

Documentary stamp tax on a Philippine property sale is 1.5% of the higher of price or fair market value. Here are the current rates,…

Vacant, weathered house sitting empty — representative of a Pag-IBIG acquired asset resold as-is, where-is after foreclosure

Buying 15 min read

Pag-IBIG Acquired Assets: How to Buy Foreclosed Properties Safely

Learn how Pag-IBIG acquired assets are sold through public auction and negotiated sale, including financing, due diligence, occupancy risks and current foreclosed-property resources.

Property buyer and seller signing a Deed of Absolute Sale or Contract to Sell document at a desk in the Philippines

Buying 16 min read

Deed of Absolute Sale vs Contract to Sell: What Property Buyers Should Sign

A Deed of Absolute Sale transfers ownership immediately upon signing; a Contract to Sell keeps ownership with the seller until you finish paying. Here's…

A residential apartment building under construction with scaffolding and a tower crane, illustrating a pre-selling condo project still being built versus a finished ready-for-occupancy unit

Buying 15 min read

RFO Meaning in Real Estate: Ready-for-Occupancy vs Pre-Selling Property

RFO means a property is already built and move-in ready; pre-selling means it's still under construction and sold under a DHSUD-regulated Contract to Sell.…

Construction workers in high-visibility vests conducting a final on-site inspection of a building's walls before an occupancy permit is issued in the Philippines

Buying 13 min read

Occupancy Permit in the Philippines: What Buyers and Condo Owners Need to Know

An occupancy permit is the Office of the Building Official's confirmation that a finished structure passed final inspection and may legally be occupied. Here's…

1. Budget and finance

2. Verify the property

3. Compare the contract

4. Close and transfer

Updates and supporting guides

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