Buying Land? Don't Get Scammed.

The “Clean Title” Lie

Every seller says: “Sir, clean title!” 90% of the time, they are lying. Or they think it’s clean, but actually:

• The owner died 20 years ago and the heirs are fighting.
• The tax dec hasn’t been paid since 1998.
• The title is a “duplicate” (which means fake).

My Step-by-Step “Anti-Scam” Guide

1. Get a CTC (Certified True Copy) Go to the Registry of Deeds (RD). Give them the title number. Pay a small fee. They give you the actual records. Compare it to what the seller gave you. If they don’t match? Walk away.

2. The “Fake Owner” trick Is the guy selling it actually the guy on the title? Ask for 2 government IDs. Go to the Barangay. Ask the captain: “Is this really Juan dela Cruz?” A buyer I know paid 500k to a guy who turned out to be the brother of the owner. Money gone.

3. Tax Dec & Amilyar Go to the Assessor’s Office. Ask for the “Tax Declaration” and check if the Real Property Tax (Amilyar) is paid. If it’s unpaid for 10 years… guess who has to pay it? (You). Deduct it from the price.

4. The Geodetic Engineer “Sir, the lot is up to that mango tree.” Don’t trust the mango tree. Hire a Geodetic Engineer to confirm the points. Maybe the neighbor’s wall is 2 meters inside your lot. Fix this before you pay.

The Process (Expect 1 year)

Yes, transferring a title takes forever. 1. Notarize Deed of Sale. (Do not undervalue this too much or BIR gets suspicious). 2. Pay Capital Gains Tax. (6%). usually seller pays this, but clarify it! 3. Pay Doc Stamp Tax. (1.5%). 4. Transfer Tax. (Local Gov). 5. Registry of Deeds. (New title).

Summary

Don’t pay full price until you verified everything. If the seller rushes you? (“Sir, other buyer is waiting…”). Let them wait. Better to lose a “good deal” than to buy a lawsuit.