Our latest polls show that outside of the more established business hubs, Makati fringe and Quezon City remain the most preferred locations for office expansions and relocations. This preference is supported by the availability of competitively priced, high-quality office spaces, as well as strong access to transport terminals and nearby residential communities.
Meanwhile, ready-for-occupancy (RFO) condominium units in Pasig emerged as the attractive investment choice among respondents, supported by developers offering generous discounts, extended payment terms, and rent-to-own options. Interest in residential properties outside Metro Manila also remains strong due to their capital appreciation prospects and appeal among end-users seeking more affordable housing options.
At the same time, the sustained rise of online shopping, combined with increasing consumer traffic in physical malls, underscores the need for developers to expand their omnichannel strategies.
Lastly, given the rising cost of domestic travel, Taipei emerged as the most preferred destination of our respondents, given a budget of PHP30,000. Other preferred destinations include Bali, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. The most popular local destination was Siargao.
Office: Malls as viable locations for flexible workspaces
Nearly half of our respondents believe that malls are viable locations for flexible workspaces, followed by cafes and restaurants (15%), condominiums (12%), and hotels (11%). Colliers previously highlighted that a number of malls in Metro Manila already feature flexible workspaces.
In our opinion, flexible workspace operators should consider occupying space in transit-oriented retail developments to leverage high consumer traffic. These workspaces may complement small retail formats, including food and beverage (F&B) stores.
While some operators are starting to have co-working stations in condominium towers and industrial parks, developers should aggressively ‘think out of the box’ and explore other options. In our view, industrial parks are also viable for co-working facilities.
Office: Attractive office sites outside of the established business districts (Makati CBD, Ortigas CBD, Fort Bonifacio)
Makati fringe and Quezon City emerged as the most preferred locations for office expansions and relocations, supported by the presence of high-quality office spaces offered at discounted lease rates.
In our view, these locations will likely continue to remain attractive due to their accessibility to transport terminals and residential communities.
Residential: Top factors affecting decision to acquire a condominium unit
As of end-2025, unsold RFO condominium inventory in Metro Manila stood at 29,400 units. To address the sluggish pre-selling take-up, several developers are aggressively offering more attractive and innovative promos such as bigger discounts, longer payment terms, and more innovative rent-to-own schemes for some of their projects. The promos appear to be working, with Colliers recording an improvement in take-up, particularly in the mid-income residential segment (PHP3.6 million to PHP12 million a unit) during Q2 and Q3 of 2025.
For non-RFO units, developers may offer extended downpayment terms even beyond turnover. These promos should be highlighted especially for a client base concerned of still-elevated mortgage rates.
Residential: Attractive fringe location for condominium investment
Colliers believes that the Metro Manila condominium segment will likely remain a buyers’ market for 2026. For residential end-users looking to acquire RFO units, now is a very good time, given the availability of nearly 30,000 units of unsold inventory strategically situated near major business hubs.
Colliers encourages buyers to be on the lookout for projects located in areas such as Quezon City, Cubao-New Manila, Pasig City, Manila, Bay Area, and Alabang-Las Piñas. These submarkets accounted for nearly 70% of the total unsold RFO inventory in Metro Manila as of end-2025. In our view, developers with unsold projects in these areas are likely to offer more attractive payment terms and heftier discounts.
To be continued.
#PhilSTARPropertyFeature
#FeaturedStory
