SM Development Corporation (or SMDC) is the residential development company of retail and property tycoon Henry Sy of the SM Group of Companies that is better known for its chain of malls nationwide.

SMDC started slow when it developed its first condominium project in 2003, the Chateau Elysee in Bicutan, Paranaque City. The project is composed of 24 residential buildings that are six to seven storeys tall. This was  followed in 2006 by Mezza Residences, a 38-storey four-tower condominium at the corner of Aurora Boulevard and Araneta Avenue adjacent to SM Sta. Mesa.

The company started its aggressive drive in 2007 when it developed Lindenwood Residences in Susana Heights, Muntinlupa City. It is SMDC’s first and only subdivision project with 390 individually saleable lots on a 23-hectare property.

SMDC targets what it calls the “premium middle class market.” It carries two brands – SM Residences that caters to young upstart families and M Place that caters to young upwardly mobile career-oriented individuals.

Within a short period of time, SMDC has developed 16 residential projects, 15 of which are in Metro Manila and one in Tagaytay City. Six projects are completed and ready for occupancy, the rest are either under construction or nearing completion.

In its October 2011 report, Manila Bulletin cited the study made by Colliers International Philippines disclosing that:

SMDC sold the most number of condominium units in Metro Manila and attained the highest amount in terms of sales values for the first half of that year… It held the same record in 2010 and 2009.

With 90 real estate players in the condominium housing segment, SMDC captured 22% market share of this segment. For 2012, SMDC plans to launch four or five new projects.

As it is, with SMDC’s close to 2,000-strong salesforce, the company is still direly in need of additional Licensed Real Estate Brokers and agents or Sales Persons. To cope with ever growing demand for its projects, SMDC launched its second Marketing Division just this month.

The need for more sales people will become even greater if the following news from Business Mirror pushes through:

…the government-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has been tasked by the Aquino administration to privatize the 33-hectare South Bonifacio, in Taguig City… The property is composed of lands presently occupied in part by the Army Support Command and Special Services Unit of the Philippine Army and in part by the Bonifacio Naval Station and Philippine Marine Corps of the Philippine Navy.

Click this link to see the satellite map of South Bonifacio (move your cursor in the middle of your screen where the crosshair (+) is and the place will light up in yellow). Click it and you will see a great description of it by a friend, Aaron, who is a fellow Filipino Wikimapia moderator.

North east are McKinley West and McKinley Hill; Further north east is Bonifacio Global City. Just one kilometer away, south west, is Megaworld’s Newport City.

The same report added that: “…SM Land, Inc. has already submitted to the BCDA an unsolicited offer to develop the property;” it is the first company to do so. Please read the complete report of the Business Mirror above to see details of SM Land, Inc.’s offer.

If BCDA awards the privatization of South Bonifacio to SM Land, Inc., what do you think will be its implications on SMDC’s development plans? How many condominium projects will it put up? Will it have enough people to market its projects, both current and forthcoming?

If you are a PRC-licensed real estate broker, or you already own a realty brokerage firm or you are a member or officer of a chapter of a certain real estate brokers association like REBAP, PAREB, etal. and you want to be accredited by SMDC, kindly get in touch with me using the Contact form above or make a comment below. I will refer you to my friends at SMDC.

Thank you so much.

Jun Sanchez