District Guide · 01 · Metro Manila
Makati
The established core, where Philippine prime property learned its manners.
The Atmosphere
Old trees,
quiet money.
Makati holds two markets in one postcode. Inside the gates, Forbes, Dasmariñas, Urdaneta, San Lorenzo, Bel-Air, Magallanes, streets run under fifty-year canopies and houses trade between families, often without a listing. Outside them, Salcedo and Legazpi Villages carry the metro's most mature condominium stock, walkable to weekend markets, galleries, and the business district's best tables.
The rhythm is settled rather than showy. Mornings belong to the parks and the school runs; evenings to a restaurant scene that never needed to announce itself. For principals who value predictability, of title, of neighbours, of resale, Makati remains the reference market against which everything else is priced.
What Trades Here
The stock
| Legacy villages | Gated single-family homes on 800–2,500 sqm lots; village association consent governs; deepest discretion, thinnest supply |
|---|---|
| Prime condominiums | Salcedo & Legazpi mature towers plus a short list of new builds; strongest leasing depth in the metro |
| Trophy penthouses | A handful change hands each year, mostly quietly; provenance and building services decide value |
Market Notes
The reading
Village supply stays structurally scarce, lots are finite and heirs increasingly hold. Condominium value divides sharply by building management quality; two towers a street apart can price a third differently.
Buyers should budget patience for village association processes. Sellers holding well-kept older units near the parks are in a stronger position than headline averages suggest.
Orientation
Addresses of note
Buying into the core,
or selling out of it?
Either way, the first conversation costs nothing and commits you to less.