Selling Real Estate Properties to Filipino Expatriates
The OFW’s and Immigrants
You can never find anybody in the entire Philippine archipelago without any relatives working abroad. This has been a common predicament among Filipinos: to have family property tax consultants members or entire family groups, migrating overseas. In many communities around the country, it would be easy to see which family group have family members who are either migrants or OFW’s. Their houses would stand-out and look different; household amenities would be numerous and branded, and; they would be dressed differently. It would not be surprising to find Mediterranean-inspired houses in the far-flung barrios with different vehicles in their garages. These would include: SUV’s, cars and tricycles among others. Household equipments would include the most recent models of DVD’s, television sets, and computer systems that blares out with impunity for all the world to see and hear!
Filipinos are by nature, family-oriented. They may have roots in other parts of the world, but they are expected to come back after sometime as “balikbayan”. This term is common parlance, which means “coming home”. This is a most common Filipino trait, of not wanting to cut the umbilical ties from the motherland. There is always this desire to come home and be one with the family again. It is not also unusual to see that remittances from migrant workers and OFW’s remain at a robust 9% of the country’s Gross National Product (GNP) today. These remittances are used to support and uplift the living conditions of family members that are left back home. Hence, it would not be surprising to see family members going into better schools, and having amenities that other people can only dream of having.
Coming Home for Balikbayans and OFW’s