Drew Arellano opened up about what inspired him to build a rental property in Tanay, Rizal he fondly calls "Bahay ni Drew."
In an interview with Bernadette Sembrano, Drew shared that the idea of building a resthouse for rent stemmed from noticing a gap in the market.
"[I] built it for business, for short-term rentals nga. I kinda realized na wala pang premium na short-term rental dito sa Tanay eh," he said. "I kinda feel that parang we have a market because I also want to rent something like this for a night or for the weekend."
Drew is also open to the idea of building more rental properties in the future. "I've always been open-minded to the fact na who knows, it can actually grow. This might be a stepping pad," he said.
The television host also revealed that he took out a loan to finance the construction of the property. "Dapat hindi matakot mga tao kumuha ng loan specifically, so that's how I think," he remarked.
When asked what makes a loan "good," Drew said it depends on the borrower's situation and purpose. "I think very subjective yan, very relative yan kung anong posisyon o kung sino 'yung [umuutang], at kanino ka umuutang, at para saan 'yung inuutang mo."
For his part, Drew said they were confident that their loan was justifiable because the property was intended as a business investment. "Ito construction loan dahil alam namin na kikitain mo 'yung hinihiram mong pera so it is easy to justify the loan, and this is just me, as compared to building a big house and you are not earning from it. That's how I think so with this you build it for business and you can pay off the loan eventually," he said.
It was on October 1 when Drew announced that his Tanay resthouse was already accepting bookings.
Back in July, in an interview with Section Detail, Drew shared that Tanay has always held a special place in his heart. "I've always loved the outdoors specifically Tanay from my triathlon days. Twenty years ago, we rode our bicycles up to Tanay and back," her relayed.
The TV host discovered the property where the house now stands during the pandemic. "We found this property, came to Tanay tried looking for a place ten times and finally we found one with an unobstructed view of the mountains and the see of clouds when you wake up," he said.
He went on: "So I kinda feel like when I come here, I just feel so relaxed, so at peace, so isolated, and so free. So when we purchased the property, we didn't want to build on the whole property that we got."
They decided to build the house on just a portion of the land, carefully planning how each space would be used.
"It was just a portion of the property, and we were thinking that every space should make sense, every corner should make sense, every corner should make sense. That's why we thought of a playground for the kids, a billiard table... the mini lap pool, and the heated jacuzzi," he said. "And of course our dining area and that side is the gym, so every corner was thought out."
To fully embrace the natural surroundings, they chose to design the house with floor-to-ceiling glass panels.
"I want the view of the mountains to be unobstructed so that's why we have these massive sliding doors so when you open, you just feel like you're on top of the mountain but at the same time, you feel comfort," he said.
For Drew, the project represents a new chapter in his life. "For me this is the next phase of my life. I've been doing the travel show for 20 years. And I'm looking at my next phase which is property management. I feel this is my next step. It excites me... There are ups and downs. When I think about the nitty-gritties, the headahces, kasama 'yun eh. And I like it. It really excites me," he stated.