The Beverly Place Golf Club
BY BUDDY DE JOYA ON JULY 8, 2017SPORTS Beverly Place Golf Club is one of the best places to go to, on the north side of the country. It is...
By Henry Ong in Esquire Magazine | May 21, 2019
Exequiel Robles was only 17 years old when his father, Buenaventura Robles, died unexpectedly of a heart attack, leaving him and eight of his younger siblings in the family.
During that time, the senior Robles had a small real estate trading firm which he put up with his sister, Marcella Robles-Santos, who unfortunately also died the following year. Left with no other choice but to help his siblings and cousins at a young age, Robles, who was taking up accounting in college, decided to take night classes to continue the family business. The realty business, which involves buying and selling of raw land slowly grew as Robles learned the ropes of the trade. But one day, he discovered from one of his customers that they could make more if the land were developed.
Robles diligently inquired about the process and soon started developing his first subdivision in Pasig. The project was so successful that it encouraged him to develop more in Cainta and its nearby areas.The family realty business that would eventually be known as Sta. Lucia Land when it became public in 2007 with his cousin and co-founder Vicente Santos has since developed about 300 subdivisions, 15 golf courses and 20 condominiums to date.
Today, Sta Lucia Land is one of the largest property developers in the country, with market capitalization of P15 billion at the Philippine Stock Exchange.
How did Robles manage to transform his family business into a leading subdivision developer in the country? What success lessons can we learn from Robles, who was recently awarded the Property Man of the Year by the prestigious International Real Estate Federation? Here are the five business lessons every entrepreneur can learn to succeed in real estate from the co-founder of Sta Lucia Land, Exequiel “Exy” Robles:
1. Know how to uncover market opportunities
Understanding the growth potential of a market can help you identify new business opportunities in the future. With market research, you can develop a strategy that can open new markets for developments and increase your revenue base. “We are now in the golden age of real estate because our market is growing,” says Robles. “The Philippines may be a small economy, but our market is huge because we have more than 100 million people. “With a growing population, there are lots of opportunities for infrastructure development. For example, there is an (expressway) leading to Urdaneta but there is no diversion road going to Cabanatuan. But look at Batangas; because they have Star Tollway, they have become more progressive.“There are many areas that the government needs to develop. New roads will not only help the agriculture sector but also provide new frontiers to developers. I hope someday we can also have our own bullet train like those in China that can transport people from Hong Kong to Beijing.”
You may have probably heard the age-old mantra: Location, location, location. The reason why this word needs to be repeated three times is to emphasize the long-term profitability of a real estate investment depends on viability of location. “A good location is somewhere near the town or city and it depends on the size of the property,” Robles says. “For example, here in Metro Manila, if you can find a lot size of 100 to 200 hectares, that would be great because Metro Manila has a big market. “But if you will get this size of land in the province, it may be more challenging. You may need to develop some attractions such as a golf course, a lake or some commercial establishments. Maybe you need only 10 to 30 hectares to develop a plain subdivision if it’s in the provinces.”