BIZ STILL BRISK. Haus Talk Inc (HTI) director and president Rachel Madlambayan is optimistic about the growth of the residential property developer, citing that homebuyers payments remain updated amidst the pandemic and business remains brisk. She said gains from the firm's initial public offering (IPO) on Monday (Jan. 17, 20222) will further bolster its capacity to expand in more areas in Luzon. (Photo courtesy of HTI) MANILA - The pandemic has not hampered clients of mid-range residential property developer Haus Talk, Inc. (HTI) in paying their amortization, partly making the company, which issued its initial public offering (IPO) Monday, more bullish in their operations. In a virtual briefing, HTI director and president Maria Rachel Madlambayan said the company is optimistic about its operations since it requires homebuyers to pay 15 to 20-percent equity and are assessed based on their capacity to sustain their payments. "We're very flexible because we have very different price ranges for our products. So, we try to match their income to our products," she said. The company offers houses and lots priced at around PHP750,000 to PHP3.5 million that are mostly located in Region 4. Madlambayan said they want to see "exponential" growth for the around four-decade company following its public listing at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on the small, medium, and emerging (SME) board. The company raised PHP750 million, with shares priced at PHP1.50 apiece. It currently has existing projects in Antipolo, Laguna, Marikina, and Metro Manila. Madlambayan said they are eyeing to launch new projects within the year. Some of these projects are located in Laguna, Antipolo, Quezon City, Mariveles in Bataan, and Calasiao, Pangasinan. "And we also have upcoming projects which are under negotiations (to be launched) by next year which are located in very strategic locations," she said. "We have ongoing negotiations now with different landowners in the area of Calabarzon and Central Luzon." Madlambayan said the company is focused on the middle market sector as it intends to help address the 6.5 million housing backlog for this segment. "We also have our social responsibility to help people by having their own homes," she said. Most of the company's clients are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are first-time homebuyers and most acquired their real estate properties through loans from major banks, she added. (PNA) }