HELMET HOUSE – a pandemic business venture

By: Fredolin P. Aguinaldo

One year into the pandemic, the Philippines leasing market seem to have pickup significantly. It is noticeable with Small and Medium-size Enterprise (SMEs), as business owners are now scouting for bigger showrooms for their expansion programs - taking advantage of economical deals in the same vicinity of their company's operation and preferably, their homes..

Credit to the photo owner

With all the talks about working at home nowadays, you might think that internet speed or the home office space tops the priority list of people. However, some entrepreneurs are also on the lookout for a suitable areas for their physical stores. 

Photo shoot by Lady of Helmet House

It is unfortunate that the frequent advisories of lockdowns in the Metro and near-by provinces, non-essential goods and service providers will have to wait longer to bounce back. Nevertheless, some young entrepreneur have been capitalizing on the pandemic, take their chances and start their own businesses.

 

Photo-shoot by Lady of Helmet House

Jaypee, a young engineer and motorcycle enthusiasts who envisioned having his own business related to his passion. He is a perfect example of someone who started his businesses, Helmet House during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photo-shoot by Lady of Helmet House

His great insight to service the needs of the elite motocross aficionados and various courier providers that sprouted during the pandemic are now part of his ever-growing clients.

Photo-shoot by Lady of Helmet House

 

Photo-shoot by Lady of Helmet House

After a period of inactivity, we decided to rent out Ela-G commercial space and waited for interested individuals with bated breath. As luck would have it, a few days after announcing our space was vacant, several offers begun pouring in. After careful assessment of these various possible tenants, we decided to collaborate with HelmetHouse StaRosa.

 

Soft-opening banner of H E L M E T  H O U S E

 

Ela-G guest condo at The Manors, QC

The Manors at North Belton Communities, Quezon City

Ela-G is a line of affordable student condominium units that are designed for students, reviewers, and young professionals. Most of our condo units are strategically situated at the university belt Manila. Ela-G student condo at the Manors is located near to UP Diliman QC, Ateneo de Manila University QC, etc.

Ela-G series was offered by elabizProperties, targeted towards woman clientele, single occupancy, dabarkads, etc. Come home & live with us.

Development Features:

5-storey Mid-rise building

24-hours security

CCTV Camera

Ample water supply

Laundry area

Individual mailbox

Individual Unit Drying Area at the roof deck

Centralized garbage collection area

Two elevators/access

Amenities

Clubhouse

Party Hall & General Purpose Areas

Adult & Kiddie Swimming pool

Gym & indoor playroom

Covered Basketball Court

Chapel

Adult & Kiddie Swimming pool

Space

View: Amenities

Balcony: No

Floor area: 30 sqm 

Accommodates: 4

Bathroom: 1

Beds: 2

Property Type: Condominium

Room type: 2-bedroom suite

Unit parking: 1 (separate bill) 

Status: Occupied

Unit Provisions

Air-conditioning unit & wall fan

Entertainment systems (flat screen TV w/ USB port, sky cable)

Complete kitchen showcase including electric stove & refrigerator unit 

Provision of additional overhead cabinets in bathroom

Laptop friendly workspace

Closet & hangers

Utilities & other

Water & electricity, cable and association fees are for the account of clientele

Note: You can pay your water & association fees at the condominium association office. All other fees can be paid to the nearest utility providers offices or accredited pay points 

  

Prices

This fully furnished 2-bedroom unit cost: Php 14, 500.00 monthly

Maximum occupants: 4

Description

Sleeping arrangements

2-Single bed with pull-out

Extra bedding when required  

Common spaces, etc

Comfortable living area

Complete kitchen showcase

1-bathroom

Resident access

You have access to the whole unit and the common areas and swimming pool of the condominium.

Interaction with guests and residents

We and our staff will be attending to your needs pertaining to your rental, booking and to any concerns that you may have.

Note: Gym access is for members only

24/7 Guardhouse

Indoor recreation facilities

Getting around & transport facilities /routes

Taxis can be called to take you to any point in the city. Grab Taxi services are also available so getting around is convenient even without your own vehicle - 24/7. 

Public transport utility (jeepney, tricycle) line available nearby, a minute walk from the place – Varies timing. For easy navigation, use Waze.

Video Presentation

Please CLICK the image below for more info.

House Rules

No illicit drugs, liquor or smoking inside the unit. Smoke only in the designated areas provided by condominium complex property management office.

No loud music, parties or events gathering

No gambling of any form is allowed
No hanging of clothes outside the windows

Kindly be considerate of others who are also staying in the condominium.

Please do not undertake activities offensive to the other unit owners, other guests and staff or damage to the common areas of the condominium.
Kindly park your vehicle only at the designated parking space

Safety features

Fixed smoke detectors 

Hallway emergency lightings

Fire extinguisher

Escape routes

Availability

The minimum stay for this listing varies.

Communicate with Evelyn L. Aguinaldo (Ela-G) at elabiz06@gmail.com for more details.

Hosted by Evelyn

A vacation property manager in Baguio and Metro Manila, I own and manage several properties in Baguio as in Metro Manila. If you are in need of fully-furnish housing, condominium pad, flat, apartment, and house better than hotel rates in Baguio as in Metro Manila, give us a call on 092139671170 and we will let you know we have in your budget. Thank you for your interest and we hope that you choose elabizProperties as your residential & vacation Specialist.

Evelyn Lopez Aguinaldo (Ela-G) – Owner / Broker / Property Manager 

Ultimate Guide to BNB Hosting by Ela-G (Part 3)

Fredolin P. Aguinaldo

Property Management

Property management provides complete real estate and property management solutions focusing on maximizing yields and enhancing the intrinsic value of an asset.

Click for a Sample of 360° video - credit to the owner

However, the real problem of knowing your competitors is still not very clear. How much opportunity is there for us property owners?

Despite some missing links, we can still increase our rental sales by focusing on the listing description. The lead picture should match perfectly with our listing description to attract attention. If potential clients read your listing and are not impressed, they are on the next one.

All furniture is loaded for the stylist and the interior decorator to work on. The decorative frames, corner plants, etc. are now positioned to client satisfaction and the testing of lightings, the entertainment system, and the electronic entrance key system is done in preparation for the arrival of the professional photographer.

Ela-G guest condo Living Room

Upon arrival, the photographer asks to open-wide all the windows so that natural lighting can enter the room then set their lenses to begin capturing the lead picture that best describes the listing description. They always position themselves on the 4-corners on every room to get a better, balance views, and selectively focus on several unique items that best describe the beauty of the rental property.

Photographer in action - Credit to the photo owner

Staging the living rooms follows by the master bedroom and the kitchen using a 360° videography shoot found to be most important, based on our own rental experiences. By doing this, the property is seen online anytime so that your prospective clientele can easily visualize their future home without visiting your property personally.

Ela-G guest condo Bedroom no. 1

Website developments are part of our service. Our web developer is now testing the listing description. The lead picture and the 360° video shoot on the entire space is loaded. They are also incorporating easy-to-use web-based internet applications with electronic businesses, and social network services into the system in order to reach more customers worldwide. Likewise, in order to increase the quantity and quality of traffic to the website, the latest SEO available and Pay-per-click options are included in the site to increase the owner’s revenue.

Credit to the photo owner

Privacy, space is all yours! This sparkling clean condominium is your perfect Family Home. We need to "go live" and launch the website property listing by clicking the image below.

The key to any successful BNB rental business is to have 24/7 communication line. When your guest first reaches out to you about renting your property, you must get ready to answer back immediately ‘coz this will determine whether they want to book with you or not. It is a crucial time to show off your guest precise and good communication skills to win guest approval. Ela-G.

-END-

Click below Image for Ela-G Business plan (Part 1)

Ultimate Guide to BNB Hosting by Ela-G (Part 2)

Fredolin P. Aguinaldo

Marketing Strategies

When you visit a new place, you are probably thinking of many things: The great restaurant, the beach, the lush mountain trails, the parade, and other outdoor activities. However, there is so much more to see and visit.

65th Miss Universe visits Baguio - Credit to the photo & video owner

In fact, one of the greatest things to do about the place is to find and bring your client to the absolute gorgeous street Art: the colorful murals. There’s “The Colors of the Stobosa Mural” painted beautifully at the cliffside of a mountain or the lion sculpture with “Welcome to Baguio” scripted on the foot of the statue as an example of instagrammable murals, but the list doesn’t stop there. With so much street art on what seems like almost every corner, your client will likely need a full day to explore the community has to offer.

Credit to the photo owner

You can also design and make your own "Artistic Media Moment or Selfie-wall" or convert your pool machine shed into instagrammable murals if any. Overall, you should bookmark this list, then grab your phone and advise your client to dress in their most insta-worthy outfit, and head out there.

Our daughter Rea Lynne at The art museum in Gruyères, Switzerland

Fred & Eve at The HR Giger Museum Gruyeres, Switzerland

Art defines the local culture and it makes a destination more interesting, the reason why tourist frequents museums. From the paintings to the sculptures, to the real stories behind their work of art, museums tell a story or two about the culture of the region and the country in particular. I must confess, the best experience I had in Baguio was when I finally saw the local artist display at “The BenCab museum” in person for they say that Art is the journey of a free soul. Snap a photo for your client and tell them to bring brochures to know the different Art story that lies behind them.

Credit to the photo owner

Show appreciation to your client who booked your place by offering a "House Guest Welcome Basket" upon arrival. The hand-picked gift basket should be carefully chosen among the best delicacies offered in the locality. After all, they travel far to reach your place and it is only fitting to offer them the luxury of taste on some energy booster food and locally brewed drinks to quince thirst.

Credit to the photo owner

Your tour operator should bring your client to visit your community production facility the like of “The Silver Jewelry Maker”, they will surely have the chance to interact with these creative people behind the making processes of their product and bring some ideas on how the product being made and might as well, buy their produce.

Credit to the photo owner

Likewise, they might also bring your client to eat at a local restaurant in order to savor their delicacy. At nighttime, you might as well bring your local grill master to display their technique with your client in your yards barbeque area as part of their experiences living in your property.

Credit to the photo owner

Credit to the photo owner

Meanwhile, the certifications of a senior citizen in the Cordillera to become a tourist guide by the Department of Tourism is admirable. The locals knew the history and traditions that are important to the community so that we don’t lose the same. The region is set to boost the tourism industry and their participation in the eco-tourism set sight that they will become social entrepreneurs on their own right. This project is highly recommended and to be emulated into your own community as well.

Credit to the photo owner

Tourism is an important sector for the Philippine economy. Today, the travel and tourism industry expected around 5M tourist arrival until December-end. The statistic contributed to 14% to the country’s GDP

For continuation, click below Image for Ela-G Management Strategies (Part 3)

Ultimate Guide to BNB Hosting by Ela-G (Part 1)

Fredolin P. Aguinaldo

There is an underlying market force that makes all of the short-term rental market possible. One is that major rental operators are renting a property long term and then re-renting it on a short term on all BNB platforms called rental arbitrage. But these kinds of business strategies are slowly killing individual operators by monopolizing the market that leads the same to dive deeper to compete with the price war. Before you even list your property on any of these BNB platforms, better to know what it means to assess your area is well suited to you to host to become more competitive. 

Credit to the photo Owner

Three Things to Consider Before you Host on BNB

Before we dive in and into some of the details, here are three major components to consider. Having a sense of these items will make your path to hosting a much smoother journey and enjoyable.

Business Plan & Interior Design

The first thing to do is to visit the project along with your marketing specialist and trusted interior decorator to come up with the best strategies to optimize the occupancy by rebuilding and rebranding. Your interior designer should be able to assess and make recommendations. On the other hand, the marketing specialist will be going to ask your monthly revenue goal as a basis for his calculations based on their research and statistics in the area.

Ela-G guest condo Site Visitation (Baguio Foreclosed Property)

Ela-G guest condo Original Sketch

After the site visitation, a business plan should be written containing the owner’s business goal, the methods on how these goals can be attained, marketing strategies, management, social entrepreneurship and the time frame in which the goal needs to be achieved. Your business plan shows how you will get from here to there.

Ela-G guest condo Business Plan Preparations / Credit to the Photo Owner

Before a work task begins, the completed plan should be discussed with the unit owner or the owner’s representative(s). The interior designer will present their sketches of the optimized new room layout, color schemes, furniture layouts, etc. and affix their signatures on the contract and construction plans.

Credit to the photo Owner

Credit to the Photo Owner

Ela-G guest condo Final Floor Plan (Baguio Foreclosed Property)

Ela-G guest condo Contract Signing

The construction contractor assigned to rebuild the property should seek relevant permits from the building administrator’s office and pay the corresponding construction bond. The same processes are done to all government offices along with the utility provider in the area, when required.

Credit to the photo Owner

Credit to the photo Owner

The project reconstruction includes a comprehensive and safe dismantling of the existing interior. Reconstruction and rebuilding should have adequate construction materials fitted for the purpose. When backyard renovation is involved, a detailed plan should be prepared and approved as well.

Ela-G guest condo Dismantling of Interiors (Baguio Foreclosed Property)

For more Ela-G Construction actions CLICK Image (Baguio Foreclodes Property)

Safety to employees and pieces of machinery is everybody’s concern following safety procedures during construction activities.

Credit to the photo Owner

As the construction progresses, the interior designer along with the owner or owners’ representative is now busy shopping for the required furniture. They should collaborate and agrees to what type of furniture to buy, the color scheme on the bedroom, living and dining room accessories, etc. The entertainment system, the refurbished window frame, along with the aesthetic design of the property should create romance and luxury fitted to an ultimate travel experience.  

Credit to the photo Owner

For continuation, Click below Image for Ela-G Marketing Strategies (Part 2)

MY AWESOME ADVENTURE AT PIIQ – AirCon Tech

By: Fredolin Pagdilao Aguinaldo

I am privileged to be a part of the Philippine Integrated Institute Qatar 2018 class, the celebration of weeks of hard works, practical exercises and sharing of personal experiences while working abroad culminating in the graduation of more than a dozen participants from Air Conditioning Technician course and form part of more than 200+ overall graduates, each of which is ready to expand their expertise to become entrepreneurs back home.

PIIQ Graduates 2018 (Batch 1 & 2)

Yes, for today, the 17^th of August 2018 marked another milestone.

Being an OFW for more than 3-decades working as Senior Electrical and Instrumentation Designer at Qatar Petroleum I still spent many hours honing my skills by attending forums, reading books, viewing the instructional manual, etc. so that I can share my experiences and skills to the Filipino community where I belong.

But perhaps there is no comparison to my awesome adventure in taking up the Air-conditioning Technician course at PIIQ.

Please CLICK image for My ABS-CBN Kabayani Video

In here, I can able to apply the design theory that I always wanted to do and with the watchful eye of our instructor Mr.Rufino Manago and to my more experienced practitioners in the field, we can able to perform and solve various technical issues.

The practical part of using various types of equipment the like of on-hand multi-meter readings on the compressor windings, fan motors wiring, capacitor testing to name a few gives participants the chance to find-out the required pole (Start, Run, Common) of the compressor, thanks to one of our classmates who brings with him his FLUKE precision multi-meter for our use.

AirconTech instructor and his very talented students

On the other hand, the use of tube flaring tools and techniques of how to seamlessly join or weld two pieces of tubing as demonstrated by our instructor and practical use by everyone is less expensive than using various tube fittings (Hoke-Gyrolok) give participants more options and confidence when doing the tubing part of the air-conditioning system.

The outdoor and indoor installations along with the evacuation process using specialized vacuum equipment to store the refrigerant into the compressor and charging back the refrigerant into the system, leak testing, PACU testing, system cleaning, and maintenance has been simulated to make sure that all the procedures and processes have been taken care of.

PIIQ Career Fair

This group of remarkably talented individuals has been academically prepared by sketching our own electrical wiring diagrams on paper and turns the system into reality by wiring the air-conditioning unit individually.

In here, we have alternatively been tested for strength and heart to be able to wire-up and do the tubing into the system without glancing our own wiring diagrams and sketch, which by the way collected by our instructor beforehand. Some of us will have to do it twice or thrice until we can able to master the circuitry.

PIIQ Career Fair at Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel

To be able to survive the written and practical test gives us more confidence to fully understand the whole system. More problems being solved during the processes can be used as our guide to further our new-found knowledge. 

So, may you keep learning, and evolve by the test of time and adapt to new technology changes.

Congratulations to the graduates of 2018 (Batch 1 & 2)! Thank you and have a wonderful time at PIIQ.    

#Ela-G