Seedr.cc - Your new favorite download companion!

Hey guys, how have you all been?  As promised, I'm back to share another wonderful site that offers excellent value (like, FREE!) if you like downloading stuff from the internet like me.  Now, I'm not going into the intricacies of what stuff I'm talking about because that's not the point of this post; what I'm talking about here is the website that you can use for that.  Introducing Seedr.cc.  Okay, for the sake of clarity, let me use an example.  Say there's something you wanted to download via torrent, and you don't want to download a torrent software or you feel torrent downloading is too slow (which it is), then Seedr.cc will become your best friend.  Just sign up for an account and you get a free (yes, free, no strings attached) 2 GB of space that you can download torrents with!  Sounds too good to be true?  Well, to be honest, I thought so too.  I used a different site before, but it only gave me 1 GB and disconnected me from my downloads often enough that I wanted to pull my hair out in frustration.  Worse, they downgraded all free accounts to just 500 MB!  Good thing somebody posted the link for Seedr.cc!  Needless to say, I went there, watched the video of what it can do, and promptly signed up for an account; got my 2 GB space, and took it for a drive.  Let me tell you, I'm never looking back!  Aside from that, they give you the opportunity to "earn" space for just making an effort (like this hehe *wink*) of sharing this blessing to other people.

What do you need to use this service?  Well, just download a free download manager (they have a tutorial here), find a torrent you want to download, plug that torrent link into the site, and wait for Seedr.cc to download it for you.  Once your file is downloaded into your account, you can then download it to your PC (or stream it if you don't want to download it) using the free download manager.  Easy, right?  Of course, if you need more, they have very budget-friendly upgrade plans (with a monthly fee) that will suit your needs: 30 GB, 100 GB, and 1 TB! 

Don't take my word for it, go and sign up now!  Here's the link to sign up!

I'll post new stuff once I find something worthwhile to share with the world again.  For now, enjoy it and take care!

Sincerely,

Jon

Hello...

Hi guys,

I'm no longer a real estate broker, because I didn't renew my license anymore.  It's too expensive, too much work to maintain the license when I didn't really make a decent living out of it.  Still, I can't say I didn't enjoy it, because I really did.  In the future, if I even get the chance, I'll become a developer instead.

I'll come by every now and then to update this blog.  Thanks for reading.

Best,

Jon

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hey y'all!

I haven't logged in for some time, but here I am again!  Some quick updates: I've been married for a year now and we've been to two (2) countries so far - Phuket and Taiwan.  We loved Phuket, but we adored Taiwan even more!  We were even thinking of finding work there so we could live there.  Taiwan is kinder than Hong Kong, with a terrific transportation system and exciting night markets.  Don't even get me started with the fashion sense of the Taiwanese - legs, legs, and more legs, even when it's freezing and raining.

Anyway, on to other things.  I left my last employment, QBE Insurance in BGC Taguig, as a Service Manager for personal reasons, so I'm on the run again.  Hopefully, 2015 will be a better year for me in terms of finances.  Our other plans for 2015 are: to have a baby, and to be able to afford a new car and a home to call our own.  Maybe too much too soon?  You never know :)

See you all next year!!!

God bless us all.

Jon

2013: New Year. New Hope.

It's 2013!  How time flies...  Happy New Year!

2012 was a tumultuous year for me.  I'm proud to say that I learned a lot about myself, and I was able to do some things I didn't know I was capable of.  I had the pleasure and honor of working for an Ayala Land subsidiary (Alveo Land), and I met some cool hardworking people in the course of that stint (shout out to Orange Stallions!).  I'm happy to say that my confidence went up accordingly, even as my wallet got lighter overall.  I'm also ecstatic to add that last December 15, 2012, my fiancee and I went ahead and 'officially' got engaged by telling our parents of our plans to settle down by December 2013 (woot woot!!!).

Now, it's 2013, a new year again.  It's time to really buckle down and start making some serious income.  So I decided to go back to the BPO industry to get a steady income which is badly needed, especially with the upcoming events.  I'm not saying goodbye to real estate, though, I'm just going to let it take a back seat for now.  After all, I am a licensed broker, and that distinction is NOT easy to come by, especially in the years ahead, with plans to finally require a real estate course in college before you can get a license.  However, if you want to get me as your broker to help you buy or sell property, just holler (or contact me via my Facebook page).

So this short post is only to greet you good people out there, and to announce my intentions.  I know that things will work out, and good things will come to pass this year.  For the licensed professionals like me, it's additionally the time to renew your CoR (certificate of registration with the BIR) and the PTR (with your local municipal hall).  That's another Php 800 right there.  But you know what they say, the only things permanent are change, death, and taxes.

Happy New Year!  May God bless us all.

- jon

Can You Afford That Property?

There you are looking at the classifieds, searching for the perfect home for you and/or your family. You don't want to get the services of a broker because you thought you'd have to pay him/her (FYI, you don't) so you're going to take your chances and find something on your own, your pride depends on it!  Well, OK, sure, why not, it's your prerogative if you don't want to get the services of a broker, but just so you know, you don't HAVE to pay the broker/agent.  Let's clarify some terms before we move on to the meat of the story.

An agent may or may not be a licensed broker.  An agent is somebody utilized by the developer to market their properties.  In that sense, even a licensed broker may work as an agent for a developer.  However, a salesperson is somebody who works for a licensed broker.  So if you were looking to find a property that is no longer owned by the developer (resale properties), then you should not be talking to an agent, you should seek the assistance of a licensed broker or a salesperson who is accredited under a licensed broker.  So if you want a property that is still sold by the developer, talk to an agent working in-house for the developer, or find a salesperson with a broker who's accredited with the developer, or the broker himself.  If you want a resale property (property that's being resold), then look for a salesperson accredited under a broker, or a broker, not agents. 

Why look for a broker or salesperson accredited under a broker?  Well, the seller is the one who pays the broker/salesperson the commission, not the buyer.  Of course, if you want to give the broker/salesperson some incentive for helping you out, or you're so very happy with the service extended to you, then you may do so, but you are under no obligation to.  In fact, if the broker is being compensated by one party (either buyer or seller), he should make it known to the other party so the other party may choose not to pay the broker anymore.  So really, it's to your best interest to get the assistance of a licensed broker or an accredited salesperson (or an in-house agent) if you're buying property because IT'S FREE!

Now, once you find that dream property, how do you know if you can afford it?  It's really easy.  Well, I say easy in terms of computing for it, not in terms of affording it.  That's up to you!  If you know the monthly amortization, how do you know what your gross income should be to find out if you can afford the monthly payments?

• Monthly amortization / 30% = Gross income needed

If all you have is your gross income, how much can you afford in monthly amortization payments?

• Gross income x 30% = Monthly amortization

Let's have an example:  Your gross monthly income is P50,000.  How much monthly amortization can you afford to pay?

• 50,000 x .30 = 15,000

Another example:  The ad you saw says that the monthly amortization is P12,000 for 15 years.  Your gross monthly salary is P30,000  How do you know if your income can pay for that?

• 12,000 / .30 = 40,000 (Since you only make 30k a month, you can't afford it)

Now don't feel bad.  This isn't the end of the world.  You have other options.  One is to look for a bank or lender with lower interest rates.  Another is to look for a co-borrower.  One other option is to look for a lower-priced property.  You could also opt for in-house financing, if it's available.  Yet one more option is to marry a rich guy or girl... Just kidding!  If you can find an acceptable property priced just right, and find a lending institution that has low interest rates (preferable less than 10%) fixed for 10 years, then that would be great.  After doing your due diligence when looking for a good bank, make sure you ask your broker to help you figure out if it's the best deal.

Good luck!

Jon

Should Condo Dwellers Expect Higher Fees Soon?

This is a synopsis of the article "Higher Fees For Condo Dwellers?" by Mr. Jun Ramirez that appeared in Manila Bulletin on November 8, 2012 in the Metro News section.  No representations are made or claimed.

Condo dwellers and owners are likely to be paying higher association and membership dues soon because the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has decided to impose income and value-added tax (VAT) on these monthly charges.

Apparently, in previous BIR rulings, condo corporations that collect said fees were exempted from paying the taxes (income tax and VAT) on the grounds that these were not for gain nor profit, but for managing and maintaining the condominium property.  However, BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto Henares appears to disagree and has withdrawn the tax exemption privilege in her recent Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 65-2012 because "it has no legal basis."  She maintains that association dues and membership fees form part of the gross earnings of the condo corporations, thus subject to both income and business taxes.

Commissioner Henares further explains that the VAT collection is in line with Section 106 of the tax code, imposing it on persons or entities engaged in the sale of goods and services.  Thus, even non-profit and non-stock corporations, and even government entities, are subject to VAT on the sale or exchange of goods and services.  This ruling was affirmed by the Supreme Court on its March 30, 2000 decision (BIR vs. the Commonwealth Management and Services Corporation).

In other words, this withdrawal of the tax exemptions might (or should I say 'will?') increase the association and membership fees as well as service fees because the condo corporations and operators most likely will pass on the extra financial burden to their residents and unit owners.  

For those who do not know, VAT is currently 12%.  So if this is going to happen, expect your dues to go up by at least that much.  Ah well, it's still worth the convenience of living in a condominium, isn't it?

Keep your chin up,

Jon

Love, Sex, Money, Time and Distance

Alrighty, what do you think of the title?  Perhaps it's strange that I'm writing about this now, since this is such a break from what I usually blog about.  But on the other hand, I think it's about time I write about it.  Truth is, I once was married.  We've separated since and had our ill-fated union annulled, but the words she left me as to the reason why we didn't work out haunts me to this day.  She actually mentioned just three: love, sex, and money.  2 out of 3 is okay, she said, but we only have 1 out of 3, so it wasn't worth the effort.  I've taken the liberty of adding the fourth and fifth: time and distance.  I've realized that most, if not all, relationships fall by the wayside due to these 5 factors, and I've decided to just tackle them today.  IF by any chance you think I'm wrong, feel free to call my attention.

LOVE.
So, what about this general term?  Let's not mince words, I'll put it in bullet form.

• fell out of love
• fell in love with somebody else
• too little
• too much
• not in love in the first place (situational)

SEX.
Ahh sex.  So good, yet so bad.

• too little sex (usually for one of the parties involved)
• too much sex (again, usually for one of the parties involved)
• having sex with somebody else
• no sex at all (no more attraction or too much anger that the intimacy is lost)
• unsatisfactory performance of one or both parties (when one or both won't give in to the desires and wants of the other for satisfaction, assuming it's reasonable)

MONEY.
Money makes the world go round.  And relationships last, apparently.

• too little money (it's always more is better, yes?)
• no money! (supposedly, husband is lazy and not doing enough to make money... You expect the wife to work?!? No, they're for staying in the house looking all pretty and taking care of the kids - with a nanny and maids, of course)
• no money!! (where's the future in a relationship when the guy can't even afford the finer things in life eh?)
• NO MONEY!!! (you can't even get married the right way, don't expect to hold on to a relationship)
• lots of money (maybe in some VERY rare circumstances only, if any)

TIME.
What competes for his/her time? 

• family, work, friends, hobbies
• iPAD, smartphone games
• Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare 

DISTANCE.
Distance is not only a physical separation, but can also be emotional, spiritual, and mental.

• differences in opinion (pride on who's right)
• spouse is abroad
• differences in religion, upbringing, beliefs
• differences in education (boredom might set in)

There you have it, my 5 main reasons why relationships fail.  There might be subsets, but these, in my opinion, are the real culprits.  LOVE is a category all its own actually, since falling out of love might be a result of a lack in the other 4 reasons, or it just happens that even though everything else is perfect, you just lose it.  The other 4 are things you can do something about (be more open-minded about sex, work harder, don't spend too much time with other friends, etc.) but if love fades, it's game over anyway.

The real reason why I wrote this is to acknowledge the power of these factors in my life.  And because I'm bored and I want to write a new blog post.

See you next time!
- jon