Lots are the highest-risk purchase in Philippine real estate. Fake titles, double sales, tax-delinquent parcels, and heirs who surface after payment are all well-documented failure modes. The protection is not luck — it is a due diligence sequence that competent brokers run on every land deal.
The Non-Negotiable Checklist
First, get a Certified True Copy of the title (TCT) from the Registry of Deeds yourself — never rely on the seller's photocopy. Compare technical descriptions, check the registered owner's name against the seller's ID, and read every annotation: mortgages, lis pendens, adverse claims, and Section 4 Rule 74 inheritance annotations all survive the sale.
Second, verify the tax situation: latest Tax Declaration, Real Property Tax clearance, and whether the declared owner matches the title. Third, commission a relocation survey by a licensed geodetic engineer — fences and titles disagree constantly, and you are buying the technical description, not the fence line.
Fourth, check the land classification: agricultural land may be covered by agrarian reform restrictions, and some parcels are inalienable public land no title can cure. Finally, if the seller is married, widowed, or an estate, confirm spousal consent or a settled estate — an Extrajudicial Settlement with unpaid estate taxes blocks any transfer.
Why 'Lot Only' Listings Deserve Specialist Handling
A lot has no bedrooms to inspect and no association to query — the entire value lives in the paperwork. Infinity Realty's documentation team performs title verification, estate settlement assistance, and eCAR processing as part of every land transaction we broker. If you are eyeing a lot anywhere in Metro Manila or considering listing one, have us verify the title before money moves.
TALK TO A Specialist
Buying, renting, or listing in Rockwell, Makati, or BGC? Our team transacts there every week.
