HAVING four sons in college in Cebu City, Balamban resident Alex Alasco has been paying P12,000 a month for a small room in Talamban to house the four boys. The room was across a university, and while it served its purpose, Alasco felt it was time to pay for something he could eventually own.
He checked several developments and open houses and found the 22-square meter studio unit at the One Oasis in Kasambagan most suited to his sons’ needs. Alasco was one of several unit owners who received their keys from Filinvest Land Inc. last Saturday.
Alasco’s unit was one of 129 studio units that made up the fourth building in the development. He said that if he had to shell out an amount each month, it might as well be for something he could own eventually.
The plan is to build 10 buildings, but FLI area general manager for Visayas and concurrent vice president for strategic business development Allan G. Alfon, said they are negotiating with owners of adjacent lots to expand the development. He assured, though, that any changes will not affect the close-knit environment they envisioned for One Oasis. They will are preparing to launch the fifth building soon.
The fourth building called the Garden Suites 3 began construction in the fourth quarter of 2013. Although it was completed much sooner, Alfon said they secured occupancy permits two weeks ago and made sure all units were in top shape before these were turned over to 100 buyers.
One Oasis project development officer Archie Igot said that homeowners who moved in had no complaints, which he takes as a testament to the quality of their project. Almost 600 units for four buildings have been turned over and they recently completed their amenities last year.
The amenities were what attracted Alasco to his second floor unit. He purposely chose the unit that had a balcony that would open up to the view of the pool. He expressed an appreciation for the feel of the community and the fact that the building is a mid-rise level. It’s also near the city and midway to his sons’s schools. One is studying medicine at the Cebu Doctors’ University, two at the University of San Carlos in Talamban and one at the University of the Visayas. He also appreciates that they have a parking space when he and his wife are in the city to visit.
Most buyers are end-users just like Alasco’s sons, although there are also investors wanting to put up their units for rent. Igot said studio units could up to P20,000 a month and assured Alasco that he could have his unit rented for this amount once his sons are done with their studies.
Alfon said that FLI is also looking into other sites around the Visayas and Mindanao, including Iloilo and Dumaguete. He also assured that they still have several properties for Cebu and that aside from residential condominiums, they can still develop subdivisions, socialized housing and economic housing options.