Eton Properties attracts buyers for projects

Optimistic that real estate sales will continue to be steady for the rest of the year, Lucio Tan’s Eton Properties Philippines Inc. has launched the third residential enclave in its flagship Eton City project in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The company has also lined up three other projects to launch in the next six months, said Danilo Ignacio, Eton Properties president and chief operating officer The company launched the first phase of the at least 100-hectare mid-priced housing community in Eton City, which covers 100 hectares. Developed by fully-owned subsidiary Belton Communities Inc., the West Wing community features two, three and four-bedroom house and lot units ranging in price from P1.3 million to P4.9 million. Each model house is named after US presidents Jefferson, McKinley, Roosevelt and Eisenhower. Floor areas range from 50 square meters to 110 square meters while lot areas are between 80 and 130 square meters. The project is designed for start-up families, overseas Filipino workers, retirees and families upgrading to a larger home. Other projects that will be launched are those in Laguna, Manila and Quezon City. Ignacio also revealed that the company’s sales in August, despite being a “ghost month" when investors usually hold off huge spending owing to the Chinese belief of bad luck, was the company’s best in terms of sales so far for the year. “August sales were even better than our combined sales in January and February of this year. The higher sales started in June," Ignacio said. The best sellers were One Archers Place, a high-rise condominium project mainly intended for students in De La Salle University, and other schools in the area; 68 Roces, a high-end residential townhouse in Quezon City; and Baypark Manila, a luxury residential condominium which has front-row views of Manila Bay and Rizal Park. Meanwhile a large Indian BPO company, Wipro, has signed up to occupy half, 6,000 square meters, of Eton Cyberpod Centris’ BPO space along Edsa in Quezon City. University of East, a school also owned by Tan, is looking at the possibility of leasing the top floor of the building to put up a graduate and IT school in the facility. Other tenants in the Centris Walk, the retail component of the project, are bookshop Fully Booked and a number of restaurants. -GMANews.TV