IN ONE of our recent phone convos with Butch Francisco, of the many things na aming pinaksa ay nauwi sa property na ibinebenta ni James Reid sa Loyola Grand Villas in Quezon City.
Believed to have stood as their love nest noong sila pa (hindi na ba talaga sila ngayon?) ni Nadine Lustre, sa halagang P85 million ang selling price nito.
Katumbas ‘yon ng 1,000 square meters plus amenities like gym and recording studio.
Ayon kay Butch who’s an expert in real estate (he can dabble as an agent, mind you) sa ganu’ng usapin, makatwiran as in reasonable na raw ang nasabing presyo considering its location, current business trends, etc..
Siyempre, ‘di hamak na mas mababa ang pagkaka-acquire ni James ng property na ‘yon, that because ilang taon na rin ang nagdaan is justifiable enough for its price to jack up. Puwera pa rito ang katotohanang negotiable ang presyo na hindi puwedeng hindi tawaran ng prospective buyer. May agent’s commission pa.
Butch couldn’t help but share his experience ng mismong buhay niya.
Sa edad na 10, he had dreamt of acquiring a huge family house while most kids his age would never think the same. Sa kakukulit niya raw sa kanyang mga magulang ay nakapundar sila ng property.
Dala-dala ni Butch hanggang pagtanda ang ganitong pag-uugali’t pag-iisip. Noong mga panahong malakas siyang kumita (ABS-CBN then sa GMA), most of his earnings were channeled to acquiring what he could afford, palibhasa’y hindi naman siya maluho.
Noong mawala si Butch sa Startalk as it folded up in September, 2015, nagkataong nasa initial phase ang pagpapagawa niya ng bahay sa New Manila, but he made sure he still had the budget for it. May iba kasi siyang income sources mula sa paupahan niyang condo unit in Q.C., a house in Baguio and God knows where.
Madalas nga namin siyang biruin, “Ikaw naman ang jobless na nagpapagawa ng bahay.”
Back to James Reid’s house which is up for sale. It connects to one gate of La Vista (kung saan meron ding propiyedad si Butch) na minsang binansagang Forbes Park of Quezon City (doon nakatira si Ms. Charo Santos-Concio).
At the Loyola Grand Villas, unang nag-settle doon si Jaclyn Jose, then si Claudine Barretto, si Jericho Rosales and later, Deo Endrinal.
Convenient ito lalo’t malapit sa ABS-CBN at GMA, and this makes us understand kung bakit pricey ito.
Ang tanong: why is James disposing of it?
Ayon sa tsika, ang pagbebenta na rin niyon ay paraan ng aktor para mabura ang mga alaalang iniwan ni Nadine. Nagpapaalala nga naman ‘yon kay James ng mga pinagsaluhan nila ng aktres.
The other possible reason is practical. Wala nga naman tayong nababalitaang project ni James, which means puro palabas ang pera niya. Kakambal ito ng what does he need the house for kung kakalug-kalog nga naman siya roon?
James can settle for a condo unit instead. Sooner ay may pagkakabalahan naman siyang trabaho which will not render him fund-depleted.
As for another girl in his life, hindi namin masasagot ‘yan, not even the real estate brokers have an anser to it.