'Why show a bare place when it can be beautiful? You can change someone’s view of property by the way it’s designed. Infusing real estate with creativity, he brought sales to higher levelIt is noon and the security guards at Rockwell Proscenium outnumber the residents living there. One of the few units ready for occupancy in this elite address belongs to Richard Raymundo, managing director of Colliers International Philippines.Knowing his flair for decorating homes, We couldn’t wait to see his latest creation. He transformed the 31 square-meter studio into a classy abode, fit for a discerning expat. They say the devil is in the details. Then maybe Raymundo is the devil in disguise. No detail was ignored. From the baskets in the bathroom, the layered pillows on the bed, the overflowing vase filled with ferns and pears displayed in a matte black bowl – all these were meticulously curated and executed by Raymundo in less than two weeks.[caption id='attachment_542326' align='aligncenter' width='600'] RICHARD RAYMUNDOManaging Director, Colliers International Philippines[/caption]By sourcing from Crate & Barrel and H&M Home, he effortlessly staged a unit ready to be leased. No doubt, it will be snagged in a minute. But designing homes is merely a hobby he does for himself or his friends. A few years ago, he transformed a bare one-bedroom unit in Rockwell Manansala for a friend. Using pieces from IKEA, a reading chair from Evangelista Street in Makati and large vases turned into side tables from Mandaluyong, the result was a classy home. The unit was immediately leased.Design, the differenceAfter eight years working in Colliers Hong Kong, Raymundo returned to Manila to take on the role as managing director for the Philippines. Real Estate was not exactly the big dream of this business economics graduate from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. His first job at Ayala Land opened his eyes to real estate, leading him to work at Colliers in 1996.“Colliers was new then, just opening its office in Manila in 1994. I started from the bottom doing research.” He recalls doing fieldwork, walking from building to building to gather information. “Because the government had no database then, we would talk to security guards, property managers, kung sino-sino [whomever we met]. We would ask questions like, ‘How many square meters is the building?’ or ‘What’s the vacancy?’” For over two years, he went everywhere from Makati to Ortigas, their lean research team of two, comprised of Raymundo and the researcher manager cobbling data together and writing up reports.Raymundo can’t forget the very first time he saw a model unit, “It was around ’96 or ’97, the time that they launched One Roxas Triangle.” His mindset shifted, “That’s when I realized that you can change someone’s perspective of property by the way it’s designed.“Before that, you sold a unit and that was it. There was no brochure. There was no model unit. When they did One Roxas Triangle, they got different designers from abroad and the Philippines to design the model units. Each had a different look. Each had a different perspective. And that really blew your mind as to how luxury should be for Manila. It was also the time that retail was undergoing a change. Greenbelt was being developed.'I’ve been through so many cycles. The cycle goes up, crashes and goes up again. That’s how you learn. You cannot learn in a market that just goes up, up, up, up“Remember, when Ayala Malls used Water of March as a jingle… ‘A stick, a stone.’ It was amazing,” he gushes. “That’s when you realized that you could elevate real estate.”It struck him how a simple ditty could be used for marketing, and how it could evoke such a lasting impression. During that time, Rockwell started to change the face of real estate, boldly stating: “This is how luxury can be.” Raymundo points out: “No one thought of this area before. This was a red-light district back then.”Value-added adviceAll this creativity sparked Raymundo’s deeper interest in real estate, coupled by his trips abroad. “I got inspiration from different things like retail in Hong Kong and Singapore.” While these trips were holidays for Raymundo, his mind kept on ticking. “Some people travel for leisure without taking mental cues of things. I take mental cues of everything,” he says. “Back then, Singapore and Hong Kong were the most accessible cities. Then when you had more money, you went to New York, Europe, Tokyo, and the bar got higher and higher. It was amazing for me, someone who takes ideas. I’m a sponge.”There was one year he returned to Tokyo four times. “Every time I went there, I explored something different. It could be this small place in Daikanyama (in Tokyo’s Shibuya district) that sold chopsticks or porcelain, or a bookstore or a dog park.”Raymundo rose from researcher to consultant. “In this role, you told a developer this is what you can do. If you tell them something that is already in the market, what’s your worth? It’s already there. But if you tell them something different, like how about doing this, which was done in Tokyo or in San Francisco, then you localize it. That’s a skill I learned along the way through work and travel.”“What a consultant does is they give me bare land, and I’ll tell you what to do with it. And I’ll run the numbers for you.” That’s what I was doing in Manila, and when I went to Hong Kong, it just expanded to the region. That’s when I started doing projects in Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Ecuador, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Myanmar and Indonesia. His clients included Hong Kong Land, Petronas, Sumitomo Mitsui Bank, Ashmore Investment, United Nations (UNDP), Lotte Hotel, Caesar’s Palace, SITA, Far Eastern Group and Ascendas.Learning curveOver lunch with Boardroom Watch at the hip Dean and Deluca cafe’ in Rockwell, Raymundo explains how real estate consulting works. “You run the numbers, you give the price, then they launch it and it sells well. ‘Yes, I get to keep my job!’ And then, it gets completed and you see the final form and you say, ‘Yes, it’s working.’”Raymundo started consulting for Rockwell 20 years ago. All around us is testament of his work and his vision. But he is quick to add that it is a group effort, brainstorming with brilliant minds working with architects, engineers and finance people. While his gift for seeing the details in undeniable, this industry leader thinks it is still not his biggest strength. “I think my edge is I try to find another door for projects, something different. It doesn’t have to be something big. Sometimes small is beautiful, right?”His 23 years’ experience in real estate gives him a unique perspective. “I’ve been through so many cycles. It’s important that you see the cycle goes up and crashes and goes up again. That’s how you learn. You cannot learn in in a market that just goes up, up, up, up. Right, because how can you learn if your learning curve is just like that.” As the real estate market ascends, he is thrilled to be leading a team of 600 in Colliers Philippines.Raymundo encourages his people to travel. “It’s so cheap now with a lot of budget airline and Airbnb. My young consultants just went to Turkey. Look at that. They’re getting more adventurous now.” He tells them to soak up ideas. He asks them: “What touched you? What brought out the emotion in you? It can be tangible. It can be intangible.”Observing that the millennials currently prefer experience over ownership of property, he offers this advice, “While you’re young and you’re earning, and the market is good, go invest in real estate. We are in this industry, so you should have the confidence to know where to invest and what type of investment to make.”While this flair for design has become second nature to him now, Raymundo admits he can’t draw even if his life depended on it. He was not interested in art as a youngster, but his journeys and work exposed him to architecture and design. “You start comparing. This developer did this better than this one. It’s selling well. They’re able to price it higher.” He learned by reading design books and attending conferences like the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong for the past five years.Living in Hong Kong was also a great place to cultivate his design sense. Raymundo says: “There, you see a fashion show. You look at a fashion magazine. You go to a shop, and it’s available. That’s how connected it is. If you ride a bus, some passengers have Channel and Hermes bags. It makes design tangible. Everything is connected. Food, fashion, interior and design are intertwined.”Model unitRecognizing that people are very visual, Raymundo sees the importance of staging properties. “It is important for real estate to achieve its utmost potential. Why show a place looking very bare when it can look beautiful? That’s why all of our real estate properties, even an office, we market them with a model unit. It gives people an idea of how their space can look.”After being away from Manila for eight years, Raymundo returned home realizing traffic wouldn’t be easy. “In Hong Kong, you can have five meetings in a day easily. Here you are lucky if you can have two in the morning and one in the afternoon.” But he proclaims, “Manila is a happening place. Look at how fast BGC (Bonifacio Global City) and the (Manila) Bay Area have grown.”For this ideas sponge, it is important to be exposed to great thinkers and creative minds. “Exposure is key. Looking at the trends is key. No one has a crystal ball. You can see changes when they start to break. You’ll see ripples in the market. Because when it’s full-blown already, it’s a bit too late. Everyone’s doing it already. We try to catch it at the onset.”Raymundo is in an exciting phase in his life, while the real estate industry is also doing very well. But he is quick to add: “You can’t be complacent. You have to stay on top of your game, even if the business is doing well. Something will always change. Technology is changing, so we need to watch out for that.”Oddly, his concept of switching off from the job is also technology. “I switch off with Netflix like everyone else. But you’re never really switched off. That’s the reality.”Raymundo sums it up: “You need to have a healthy attitude for work, because if you don’t enjoy it, then you shouldn’t be there. I still enjoy it after 20 years. I still enjoy meeting clients, developers, talking to them about ideas, and trying to win the business.“You need to learn. The time you stop learning, that’s it. Stop. Leave. Go to another industry.”* * *REALITY BYTESAfter 20 years, Richard Raymundo is still as passionate about his industry as the day he joined. Some tips from him about how to keep the music playing.• Travel and soak up ideas. It’s so cheap now to do so with a lot of budget airlines and Airbnb. Be adventurous.• Invest in Real Estate while you’re young. We are in this industry, so you should have the confidence to know where to invest and what type of investment to make.• Expose yourself to great thinkers and creative minds. This is key. Looking at the trends is key. No one has a crystal ball. You can see changes when they start to break. You’ll see ripples in the market. But when it’s full-blown already, it’s a bit too late. Everyone’s doing it already. We try to catch it at the onset.• Keep learning. You need to learn. The time you stop, that’s it. Leave the job.PHOTOS BY HERMES SINGSON
