A Journey with Time and Space+

October is real estate month. And what a time to celebrate! A lot of good things are happening in the industry right now. The economy is up, incomes are rising and interest rates have stalled or are, in some cases, declining.

And there are reasons to celebrate! There are more businesses being made than ever before. Transactions are even moving beyond borders. The U.S. subprime crisis notwithstanding, these are boom times for global real estates.

And for the first time ever, the CREBA National Convention was held in the Queen City of the South. Pomp and pageantry had virtually surrounded the city during the staging of the annual event. It was three days of broad smiles, handshakes and high fives pervaded by a sense of accomplishment and historic feat.

Serving as the official publication for this year's convention, Space+ had dedicated a special section to cover this very important annual event in the industry. And again, for the first time ever, Space+ came up with a double whammy!

In this double-issue, Space+ covered all the significant highlights and momentous happenings that transpired during the three-day gathering attended by the who's who in the industry.

With Cebu as the venue for the convention, the historical journey of this fast-rising IT destination was being put to the fore. Space+ journeyed across time to bring back the province's historical grandeur. It took notice of Cebu's rich history, architectural styles, multifaceted culture and fascinating sights that have never failed to impress travelers with their exceptional wonder.

After the Cebu sojourn, Space+ then traveled across the nation. It captured snapshots of every wondrous place in town using the state-of-the-art geographic information system and digital land databases. With fully computerized operations, information-packed maps of towns and vicinities can now be quickly viewed and generated.

But the journey doesn't end there. Space+ also went global as it delved on the role being played by overseas Filipinos and multinational business outsourcing firms to the growth of the real estate industry. Riding on a Special Purpose Asset Vehicle, Space+ then proceeded to further explore the REIT territory. It is widely anticipated that the REIT would be the next generation driver of the real estate growth engine. But for the time being, property demand remains to be driven by the OFW and BPO sectors.

The journey still continues. And Space+ will always remain sitting at the backseat to take notes and snapshots of all the important highlights and events of the long trip.