The Price of a View (and Other Real Estate Love Affairs)

by Richard Valdez - www.RichardValdezRE.com

Buying a property, I’ve realized, is never just about square meters and price per lot — it’s part logic, part love story.

There’s the rational voice armed with spreadsheets and slope analyses, and then there’s the hopeless romantic in me whispering, “But look at that view.”

Jon and I have been dancing between those two voices lately as we weigh the pros and cons of a 1,633 sqm hillside lot in Rainbows End Village. I’m smitten — completely taken by its quiet grandeur and the way the light hits the mountains at dusk. Jon, however, is a little more grounded. But even he admits, with a smile, that old saying: “Happy spouse, happy house.”

We’ve walked through the engineering talk, the retaining wall logistics, and the lap-pool daydreams. What we really want is simple: views, exclusivity, and privacy. The kind of place where you can sip your morning coffee and feel like you’ve bought not just land, but peace.

So when Jon told me to ask our realtor Timons Cabansi to find out how flexible Elisa’s client might be on price, I knew we’d reached that point in the relationship — not with each other, but with the property — where you start to ask, “Can we make this work?”

We’re not clinging to our original $400,000 ceiling anymore. We’re open, curious, and cautiously optimistic. Because when you fall for a view, sometimes you have to leave a little room in the budget — for both construction and serendipity.

And as every realtor (and romantic) knows, in love and in real estate, it’s all about finding the right foundation.

If you’re dreaming of your own real estate love story — whether in the San Francisco Bay Area or someday in Baguio City — visit www.RichardValdezRE.com and connect with me.

I’m licensed in California for now, but when I move back to the Philippines in five years, I plan to bring this passion — and perspective — home.

Turning Setback Into Strength.

by Richard Valdez - www.RichardValdezRE.com

Every so often in this business, you find yourself standing on ground you didn’t expect. You look around, and you realize—you’ve been digging in the wrong place all along.

That’s exactly what happened recently. A soil test was performed, carefully, thoroughly, but on the wrong lot. Now, on the surface, that sounds like nothing but a mistake—a costly one at that. But if you lean in a little closer, if you listen past the noise of embarrassment and frustration, you’ll find there’s a deeper lesson to be learned.

The truth is, leadership isn’t measured by how many times we avoid stumbling. It’s measured by how we rise after the stumble. By the courage it takes to stand up, admit the misstep, and steer things back onto the right path.

And so we wait. We wait for the soil report from the wrong parcel. Because knowledge, even misplaced, still carries value. And while we wait, we give thanks for the geodetic survey that has already shown us the truth—the real lot, the right foundation, waiting patiently for what comes next.

There is another step here, too. The rightful owner of that parcel deserves to know a study was done on their land. And what could’ve been a source of conflict can instead be turned into a gesture of goodwill. After all, a ₱32,000 soil study offered freely is not just a report—it’s a gift, a reminder that even our mistakes can serve a greater purpose if we choose to let them.

Because in life, as in real estate, setbacks are inevitable. Lots get misidentified, boundaries get blurred, plans go awry. But setbacks do not define us. What defines us is the way we respond—with honesty, with transparency, with grace.

And perhaps, when the dust settles, no one will remember the soil that was tested on the wrong ground. They’ll remember the trust that was built in its aftermath.

That, after all, is the real foundation we’re laying. Stronger than concrete. Stronger than steel. Built not just on land, but on integrity.

—Richard Valdez