Article by Andrew Simmans

There are occasions when the prices for a house in Manila can put purchasing a property outside of the reach of the normal household. Real estate developers are eager to convince possible householders that a condo unit might be better suited to their monetary standing. Customers should take into account the benefits and drawbacks that are natural to a condo and a house, and determine which is better suited to their situation.

The main benefit of a condo over a house is its practicality. The more busy someone life is, the less time they have to clean up their dwelling. A condo complex will frequently have a team of repair and maintenance workers on hand for any unit holders to call upon. A condo unit, in contrast to a house in Manila, will also spare owners from any garden work or arduous house upkeep duties.

An additional benefit to a Manila condo is the locale. Many condo building developers build in the center of key metropolitan areas, rarely too far from major highways or business facilities. The common condo is located within walking distance of essential amenities, such as laundry washing providers and restaurants. The close proximity of condo units to monetary and business facilities also indicates that they are an ideal dwelling place for employees.

There are, of course, some downsides. Costs for a condo for an expanded time period can often total to more than the amount of money it would take to buy a house in Manila. Besides the regular mortgage on the unit, owners must also pay a maintenance cost. This fee is for the servicing of the common areas of the condo. There are conditions where a person might find he is spending more every month for the condo than he would be having to pay if he had purchased a house of identical value.

Philippine houses also have their own advantages over a condo unit. A house will be more family-friendly in comparison with a condo unit. There is more breathing space for kids, and a number of the houses in the marketplace allow for them to have separate rooms to themselves. A house can also allow house animals that are unlikely to be allowed in a condo unit. For folks with families, a house also offers more security, with no other renters in the same building.

A house in Manila also offers up far more living area. Adults and children equally need their areas to have enough time to themselves. Potential customers who have space-intensive hobbies would also be more content with a house and not a condo. Doing business from home is also normally more comfortable in a house. The extra space means that there is much more room for all that an individual has.

As opposed to a Manila condo, a house would require the owner to compensate for all upkeep expenses on his own. This usually means that anything that must be fixed must be covered out of the owner's wallet. Any repair service people must also be called by the owner rather than be supplied by building management. The bigger the property is, the more time and cash should be put in it. On the bright side, this can enhance the house's resale price down the road if carried out properly.

The selection to buy a house in Manila or choose a condo instead is an issue that should not be taken without due consideration. There are apparent advantages to both, and a prospective owner should examine their necessities before making a selection.

About the Author

The author is an expert in Manila Real Estate. His past experiences will definitely be of great help to those trying to find a site to settle. For more info, visit HousingManila.com.

Stock home plans are of the same quality as a set of custom designed house plans, but are less expensive. This is the primary reason we have seen such a boom in the sales of stock house plans since the mid 1990's. Stock house plans are generally home plan designs the were created for the mass public based on the current trends of the home plan shopper. Building designers gain great knowledge through feedback from builder clients as well as the general public to stay in tune with the market demands. By creating house floor plans that have the essentials of what is required by the public, building designers can continue to make buying house plans affordable to the average working American.

The biggest advantage of stock plans again is the affordability. Unlike custom home designs, stock house plans are a product and not a service. In other words, they are ready for immediate delivery upon ordering. Prices vary among building designers and average around 0.00 for a normal size home plan. The cost is a fraction of what a custom set of house plans would costs which can be several thousand on the low end.

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of websites which offer stock house plans for sale. The choices can be a little overbearing. You have many broker websites offering thousands of plans by many designers and then you have the many designer owned websites with several hundred home designs or less. Most designers offer modification services if you require some changes to the house plans. The cost involved will vary depending on the amount of changes and the method by which the building designer charge for the service. A typical house plan purchase with modification request can be anywhere from ,200.00 to several thousands of dollars. This depends entirely on the extent of the modifications involved. For those who do not offer modification services, you usually are able to purchase a reproducible set (for minor changes) or the cad electronic files (for more extensive changes) so your local building designer can make those changes for you. In the end, you will have a stock home plan customized to your lifestyle without paying the custom design price. With so many options to maximize buying power of your hard earned money, it seems that stock house plans are here to stay!

In closing, you may consider preparing a list of things you want in your house plans before searching. Examples of the list will include architectural style, square footage, amount of bedrooms, baths, garage stalls, etc. You may also consider adding the builder designer in that list if you like the style of a certain designer. Narrow your search to two or three sites as you will tend to see the same plans on several websites. Do a price comparison for the lowest price. You will usually see lower prices directly from the designers website in most cases. Once this is established you are really to find your dream home plan. Happy house hunting!

Article by Mark Mathis

If you're in the market for a new house plan, you've may have already become overwhelmed at the sheer volume of plans that are available today on both the internet and in house plan-related magazines and books.

Finding that perfect floor plan, in the perfect square footage range, matched with the perfect exterior Architectural style, can be very difficult. Added to that may be the confusion over which type of house plan package do you actually need?

Don't let the process overwhelm you. Here are some tips:

- Always make sure that you purchase your house plans from a Certified Professional Building Designer (CPBD) who is a member of the American Institute of Building Design.

Designers who have met the strict educational requirements, have suitable work experience and training in the field, and have passed the CPBD examination are highly-skilled professionals that specialize in the design and development of residential home plans. Don't settle for less in choosing your country home plans.

- If you find a house plan that fits "most" of your needs but not all, its typically quicker, better, and cheaper to have the actual designer of the house plans make these modifications for you, where possible.

- If you live in an area with unique building code requirements (i.e. hurricane/earthquake prone areas of the US) or specific state-licensed Architect/Engineer stamping requirements, then you may need to have the modifications done by a local professional. In this case, you would need to purchase a stock house plan package that comes with a "modifiable" license. The packages that come with this type license include: CAD Files, Reproducible/Vellum, and where available, PDF Files.

In regard to the PDF File plan package, a small number of leading home designers are now offering this option to their customers as a standard option for southern house plans.

What is the PDF File plan package:

The "PDF File" plan package is your best value, and provides you with an electronic version of the plan's construction documents. This plan package provides many advantages over the Reproducible, 8 Set, 5 Set, 1 Set, and Review Set plan packages including:

- Need more copies of the plan? No problem. Simply take the file to any local print shop and have them print out your copies in your desired size. In addition, you will have the copies available for use....that same day, in most cases.

- Need different size copies for different people? Easy. You can print out an 8 1/2 x 11 set for your office, a 11 x 17 set for your local building officials, a 18 x 24 set for your builder, a 24 x 36 master set for yourself. Unlimited flexibility.

- Need to modify the plan locally? PDF Files have got you covered. Simply take the PDF to a local building design professional and they will be able to update your drawings in the same way as if you provided them with a printed "Reproducible" set.

- Need your plans immediately? No need to wait for your plans to ship. Most designers can email you the PDF file, usually the same day.

Keep in mind that many designers might only offer a sub-group of their plans in the electronic PDF File format, but the more innovative, Award-winning design firms like House Plan Gallery, offer every single house plan in their collection with the PDF File plan package for house plan gallery designs.

The PDF File plan package is truly the "green" choice for buying house plans in this day and age. No paper is used in its creation, no waste by-products are generated, and its innate ability to be electronically and quickly "mailed" to you is a huge benefit that you can take advantage of today.

About the Author

Mark Mathis runs the popular House Plan Gallery Traditional house plans design firm specializing in the development of unique small house plans with flexible floor plan layouts and all the most-popular home design features. Shop online today!

Guest author, Joe Ahmann, owner of Ahmann Design Inc, has kindly written this article to help you in your house plan search.

So you’ve bought your home lot and you’re ready to by the perfect house plan, but you don’t know where to start. There are important questions that you should ask your designer before buying that house plan, and I can help. I have been designing custom home plans and stock house plans for 20 years, and I have compiled a list of questions you should ask your home designer before buying.

1. How long have you been designing house plans? The more experience your home plan designer has, the more detailed his or her plans are likely to be. Stock house plans experience is also important because with all of the competition for online house plan exposure, there are plenty of home designers out there with little or no experience.

2. Do you design custom house plans? You think you’ve found the perfect house plan, but you want to make a few "tweaks", and before you know it, your revision bill is 2-3 times the cost of the original home plan. A good designer will recognize the fine line between designing a custom home plan for you and spending too much time on revising a stock house plan.

3. Can I return my house plan if I decide not to build it? Most stock plan brokers online have an "all sales are final" policy, so make sure you check it out BEFORE you click the "buy" button. But there are some house plan companies and home plan designers WILL allow you to return your house plan with a minimal restocking fee, so be sure to ask.

4. Why can’t I return my house plan? Because there are so many house plans sold online to different parts of the world, it is hard to police theft. Bottom line is that there are many people out there buying a house plan and building it more than one time, which is a copyright infringement unless agreed to by the house plan owner. Home designers have limited resources to check to see if you are telling the truth or not, so most have adopted the "no returns" policy.

5. Will I need to have my house plan reviewed by a local architect? House plans sold through the large brokers online are required to be 2006 IRC compliant at a minimum, but some areas of the country require special additions to the plan that are specific to that area. It’s best to check with your local building official before buying a house plan.

6. Do you have references I can talk with? Most home plan designers will not have a problem giving you names of past clients, and if they do, reconsider using them!

7. What is your timeframe for completing my house plan? If you are hiring a home plan designer to draw a custom home, or modify an existing stock house plan, ask up front how long it will take so there are no surprises later. Many home designers who sell their house plans online are a "one man shop" and may require more time to complete the work.

8. Do you have photos of the house plan I like? Many times the house plan designer will have photos of a stock plan that’s already been built, so it’ always good to ask.

9. Who owns my house plan when it’s finished and paid for? The original designer is the owner of the copyright of your house plan, even if you’ve made changes to a stock plan.

What are your payment terms? Some home plan designers will require an up-front deposit to begin the project, and it’s always a good idea to find out ahead of time how payment will be handled.