Even before Visayas and Mindanao have become real estate investment hotspots, visionaries like Jose R. Soberano III had already started to unlock countless possibilities.
Since he founded Cebu Landmasters in 2003, Soberano has since expanded this “family-owned and professionally run” property developer. From its inaugural project, it now has 76 projects in varying stages of development across 15 key locations, enabling it to become the leading real estate developer in VisMin as declared by Santos Knight Frank market studies in 2019 and 2020.
And as it diversified its products, CLI forged ahead in the residential space. It took on vertical and horizontal projects to dovetail its portfolio with the evolving needs and wants of its market.
To date, its residential segment includes Premier Masters which offers premium, world-class living in prime urban locations; Garden Series for a midmarket that prefers open spaces and great vistas; and Villa Casita, a socialized housing option that offers the simplified life. In affordable housing, CLI offers Casa Mira, its flagship economic brand that reflects the beginnings of the brand.
CASA MIRA
‘Giving more to the Filipino family’
The Casa Mira brand, its line of affordable housing communities that cater to the lifelong aspiration of many Filipinos to own a home, has also proven to be profitable for CLI, contributing 29 percent of the company’s nine-month sales take-up for 2020. The strong performance is perhaps because of the scintillating promise of “More for the Filipino family,” which provides generous amenities and spaces in an economic housing segment. The developer’s portfolio includes 14 Casa Mira projects in different stages of development across 11 key cities.
The biggest under the brand is the 32-ha Casa Mira South in Naga and San Fernando, Cebu—built on a rolling terrain that allows for expansive views, generous open spaces and equipped with a clubhouse and an impressive chapel, among others. In 2018, it was awarded as the Best Housing Development in Cebu at the Philippine Property Awards. The biggest residential community of CLI thus far, the project offered and sold nearly 3,200 house-and-lot properties.
Casa Mira also went vertical with condominium offerings in the cities of Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. Casa Mira Towers Labangon is a sold-out pioneering vertical project under the brand, rising on CLI’s old headquarters in Labangon district. For an investment of P690 million, it generated a sales value of P1.3 billion. Casa Mira Towers CDO is CLI’s first project outside of Cebu, whose units had sold out for P2.5 billion in May 2020, despite the nationwide community quarantines and the pandemic. This project and Casa Mira Iloilo, which reached 70 percent take-up, are among CLI’s top sales contributors for 2020.
INTEGRATED RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES
‘Spaces in the new normal’
Especially with the current pandemic, CLI puts more importance in creating integrated residential communities. Its projects serve as safe and secure spaces where the new normal ideals of work, life and play can take place in one address. Retail areas, food and entertainment zones, residences and even hotels and offices coexist in one place.
Some of the upcoming exciting residential projects to be launched early 2021 are Velmiro Heights CDO, boasting beautiful views in an ideal community; Mandtra Residences in Mandaue City; and Terranza Residences in Iloilo City. The latter, which is a joint venture between CLI and Alfonso Tan of Iloilo, will have direct access to retail and restaurant establishments situated in prime locations.
Other ongoing integrated residential and mixed-use communities include 38 Park Avenue, The Baseline Center and Astra Centre in Metro Cebu; and The Paragon Davao and LPU in Davao.
DAVAO GLOBAL TOWNSHIP
‘A Pioneering endeavor’
Another pioneering endeavor is taking shape in Davao. Davao Global Township, launched in 2018, is CLI’s first township project. The company entered a joint venture with Davao’s Villa-Abrille family on this P33-billion undertaking which would transform the 22-ha Davao Golf Club into a progressive central business district, stomping grounds for a chic and cosmopolitan demographic.
Phase 1 of the development will include residential towers, corporate offices, culture-and-arts space DGT Gallery and leisure-and-wellness complex DGT Town Strip. With an investment of P10 billion, phase 1 is expected to finish in 2023.
After the township project, CLI geared for aggressive expansion, establishing more presence in Bohol, Iloilo, Ormoc and Puerto Princesa. Soon, it will also enter General Santos and Butuan cities. Undaunted by the pandemic, five of its 45 projects in the selling and development phase were launched in 2020. Basing on the company’s performance over the first nine months of 2020, there is no reason to expect a slowdown. It registered a record-breaking take-up of P10.5 billion, 14 percent higher than the same period last year. Shockingly, much of the sales happened in second quarter, during the strictest COVID-19 lockdown.
There is no better explanation for such an exemplary performance than CLI’s corporate values. It has built its lead by focusing on the demands of customers. It has been known for delivering well-spaced homes situated in communities with value-adding, community-building amenities like chapels, gardens, pools, clubhouses and more.
All its other products espouse the connection and congenial character that are so endearing about VisMin. This localization does not compromise the quality of the build and overall selling proposition of CLI’s projects. Plans are realized with expert care and top-notch materials. The developer also boasts a stringent vetting process for lots to acquire for development, ensuring that they all enjoy accessibility and sustainability over time.
Phase 1 of Davao Global Township will include residential towers, corporate offices, DGT Gallery, and the DGT Town Strip, a leisure and wellness complex.
The customer-centric ethic guides marketing and sales at CLI, as well. It has in-house sales support. The company makes sure to report construction updates at least on a monthly basis through various channels, including social media. It has round-the-clock customer support to answer queries and concerns on Mondays to Fridays. CLI also puts high priority in digitalization and innovations making sales transactions and experiences convenient for buyers and sellers: creation of a Masters Portal or app for homeowners, Facebook chatbot for 24/7 response to general inquiries and so on. To help homeowners protect their properties and communities from wear-and-tear, CLI Property Management steps in upon takeover.
All these steps undeniably signal that CLI is interested not simply in selling houses but in ensuring that those who move in have all the support they need as they warm up to their new address and beyond. Truly, CLI takes its slogan seriously: “We Build with You in Mind.”
This article originally appeared in Inquirer.net.
