| Profile & History Sometime in January, 1994, Dr. Cecille F. Apostol, an optometrist by profession and former Dean of the Pines City College’s College of Optometry in Baguio City, was visited and encouraged by a friend to attend a course on real estate in preparation for a broker’s licensing examination and a possible real estate career. She did not hesitate to go for it. It was her secret dream to be involved in real estate knowing that this is one of the business vehicles of many rich and successful people; she just didn’t know how to do it then. She certainly did not pass on the opportunity and she convinced her husband, Engr. Hilario “Larry” V. Apostol to join her. And to her delight, he liked the idea too! And so in May 1994, they took and passed the Broker’s Licensing Examination given by the government. They were so elated because only 30% of those who took the exam in the entire country, made it. And so the husband and wife team excitedly put up their first real estate office and it was called APOSTOL & APOSTOL Realty Marketing & Brokerage. The couple’s first company was not without birth pains but they decided to focus and concentrate on it. They manage to continue and slowly the sales started coming in as they learned the ropes of the business. In 1995, Dr. Cecille F. Apostol’s sister, Ms. Geraldine B. Fajardo, who is one of the incorporators of the business also took and passed the broker’s examination and joined the couple in managing the business. She eventually put up her own realty firm called The Land Circle Realty which was later incorporated to what is now the Royal Peninsula, Inc. Development & Construction,. Aside from being the Chairman & President of Royal Peninsula, Inc., she’s also currently the Vice-President for Real Estate Acquisition & Management (REAM) of Megalopolis Properties, Inc. Likewise, in the same year, they noticed that there was a segment of the market that was not being served at that time and those were the buyers of houses below 1 million. Decent houses in the City of Baguio then has a price range of 2.5 million and up. Their list was quite long at that time and so they thought of a way to capture & serve this market. Dr. Cecille Apostol started asking engineers and architects around of the cost of construction of a basic house. She found out that smaller houses can be built on the company’s listings within the 1 million budget. Her clients were positive on the idea except for one thing: they don’t know how to go about it and who to talk with to process the paper works and manage the project. The Apostol couple started researching and soon they learned the system from lot acquisition, house construction and even financing. And so the House & Lot Packaging in Baguio was born. To guaranty the quality and workmanship of the projects, the couple teamed up with two young, intelligent & ambitious architects, Arch. Jackson Sayaan & Arch. Robin Calwitan to take care of construction. They put up another company for the construction business and it was called COLOSSAL FORTRESS Development & Construction Company. It was a huge success and for two years the company built around 20 houses. However, the two architects, now both married to nurses, decided to migrate with their wives in the United States of America. The Apostol couple, feeling they have not yet learned enough in the field of real estate marketing decided to transfer to Manila to meet more challenges. They established H & C Apostol Realty. They become in-house brokers of Crown Asia & Palmera Homes, the biggest real estate developer in Asia owned by Senator Manny Villar, and become an instant success! They ranked No. 2 in sales on the first month of their stint with the company, and there was no stopping from then. They were given a brand new car as bonus. They were also provided a first class real estate office with complete amenities and a secretary, all paid up by the company. They were also trained extensively and in three years remained to be one of the perennial top sellers. But Baguio City is where the couple’s heart is… And so in year 2000, the couple now armed with expertise, knowledge & skill in real estate marketing returned to Baguio City. They established MEGALOPOLIS PROPERTIES, INC. (MPI) which will be involved not only in marketing but with construction and subdivision development as well. It existed as a de-pacto corporation until it officially incorporated on February 12, 2002. MPI continued the couple’s and Ms. Fajardo’s original concept of House & Lot Packaging, but this time it’s more enhanced, detailed and has the concept of customized housing. The Apostol couple returned with a Bang! The company has built approximately three hundred (300) houses more or less since it made a comeback in Baguio City in 2000 & is now currently building 60 houses and around 20 more houses in its drawing board. It build homes all year round and now employs 4 architects, 15 engineers, 18 office staffs and around 350 construction workers. It was so successful that some of the company’s former protégé, like Century Builders & Perezville Properties to name a few, decided to copy the concept but to no avail. The original will always be the best! It now has the strongest marketing force in town with around 6 full time Sales Account Executives who are company employees, 25 full time in-house broker/agents, 5 sales marketing/realty groups with at least 100 agents each from all over the country and about 50 free lance agents & brokers. At present, it is now the proud owner-developer of the Mega Royale Village , a 3.5 hectare property located along Santo Tomas Rd., in Dontogan, Tuba, Benguet beside Green Valley Country Club,. Its development is now ongoing and is about 90% sold. The project is expected to be completed on 2008. Another 3 hectare subdivision is now on the drawing board, the Kingstone Ville subdivision. It will be a first class subdivision with state of the amenities and the best location at Camp 7, Baguio City. Proposed start of development is middle of 2009. Under the leadership of the VP for REAM, Ms Geraldine Fajardo, the company also acquired several pieces of properties including some residential houses in Baguio City, Cubao, Quezon City & Valenzuela City which it will refurbish and will be offered for sale to the public. It also acquired a one (1) hectare commercial property located along McArthur Hi-way in Arringay, La Union; a twenty four (24) hectare property in Masantol, Tarlac; and a five hectare three thousand square meter (5.3) raw land located at Sto. Tomas La Union for land banking for future subdivision project. The company also acquired close to 200 parcels of land at Monte Verde Subdivision located in Tarlac City. It is a first class subdivision developed by Sta. Lucia Realty boasting of first class amenities like a clubhouse, swimming pool, basketball & tennis court. It is also the proud owner of Centropolis Building, a 4 storey commercial building located in the highly commercial area in Olongapo City. Its main office is now located at a spacious area in the prestigious SM City Baguio. It also has a permanent showroom located at the 2nd floor main lobby of the mall. It also has a field office located at White Pine St., Camp 7, Baguio City. Several other showrooms and booths are scattered all throughout Session Road and in the key & strategic places of Baguio City. You’ll never miss Megalopolis when you visit this cool city of pines. And on July, 2008, Megalopolis opened its Metro Manila office located at Anita Building Quezon Blvd., corner Timog Avenue to cater to its more than 150 sales force based in Manila. It will also soon open its office at Olongapo City to cater to some 100 sales force. Several housing projects are also on the drawing board for projects in Quezon City, Bulacan, Ologapo City, and Zambales. Megalopolis Properties, Inc.’s Growth and Expansion is now unstoppable! Its vision of becoming the No. 1 real estate company in the region and eventually one of the biggest in the country is now within its reach. Its mission of providing homes to humanity is in full speed. Its goal of providing better life for its workers is in full swing. The company is proud to be a part of the real estate industry- serving homeowners, building relationships, delivering on promises. We’ve also brought our spirit of innovation. A pioneer in building and providing an affordable house & lot packages throughout Baguio City and other places in the country. It remains the leader in homebuilding & design. So, while Megalopolis Properties, Inc.’s experience, leadership & integrity says a lot about the trust they’ve earned in the city, what it really tell is, it is where homeowners will feel most at home with. After all, MPI is building homes—year after year—for the way people want to live… |
