About Homeward
Free tools for OFWs buying property back home
You're thousands of kilometers away. The agent wants a reservation fee this week. Your family is excited. And you're looking at photos, trying to figure out if the numbers make sense.
Homeward gives you the calculators and checklists to answer that yourself, before anyone asks you to sign.
Why this exists
I worked in Singapore from 2010 to 2013, writing software for the government agency that runs their public housing. Every past sale price was published. Every step of the process was written down. If you wanted to know what a unit was really worth, you looked it up.
I came home, got my broker license, and found the opposite. Prices depend on who you ask. Fees show up late. Half the time the buyer only learns about the transfer tax after the sale.
That's harder when you're abroad. You can't visit the site on a Saturday. You can't walk into the Registry of Deeds. You're relying on whoever is on the other end of a Viber chat.
So the tools here do the parts you can't do from overseas: the math, the paperwork list, and the questions to ask before you pay anything.
Who runs Homeward
Homeward is run by a licensed Philippine real estate broker, PRC License No. 0025157, licensed since 2015.
You can check that yourself at verification.prc.gov.ph. Search under Real Estate Broker. It takes about a minute, and you should do the same for any agent who contacts you.
Aaron Zara
Licensed Real Estate Broker · PRC No. 0025157
Those three years in Singapore were my own stint as an overseas worker. I know what it's like to send money home and hope it lands where it's supposed to.
Why the tools are free
The information is already public. The calculators just make it readable.
- 1
No paywall
The information isn't secret. Zonal values, Pag-IBIG rates, and tax percentages are all published by government agencies. They're just scattered and hard to read. Putting them in one calculator shouldn't cost you anything.
- 2
Published numbers are named, estimates are labeled as estimates
BIR zonal values, Pag-IBIG circulars, and the tax percentages are published, so the calculators name them and you can check them. Bank mortgage rates are not published by anyone, so where a figure is a market typical instead, the tool says so and lets you replace it with your own.
- 3
I use the same tools with my own clients
When I compute net proceeds for a seller, it's this calculator. If the math is off, it costs me a deal, so it gets fixed.
Free Utilities
The Tools
Calculate how much property you can afford based on your foreign salary, down payment, and loan terms.
Compute monthly amortization using actual Pag-IBIG interest rates and loan terms.
Sellers: Calculate your take-home after CGT, DST, broker fees, and transfer taxes.
Complete checklist for OFW buyers. SPA requirements, loan documents, title transfer papers.
BIR zonal values for transfer tax computation. Searchable by location.
If you want help beyond the tools
The tools work whether or not you hire anyone. If you'd rather have someone handle it:
- Buying:
- I represent you, not the developer. That means checking the title, reviewing the contract before you sign, and telling you when a deal doesn't add up.
- Selling:
- Listing, buyer screening, and the paperwork through title transfer, handled while you're abroad.
- Coverage:
- Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Rizal, Pampanga. Outside those, I refer you to a licensed broker I actually know.
Message on Viber or WhatsApp. Replies usually come within a few hours, Philippine time. If it's the middle of your night shift, leave the message. It'll be answered.
Ask a question on ViberQuestions people ask
How do I know you're a real broker?
PRC License No. 0025157, active since 2015. Check it at verification.prc.gov.ph under Real Estate Broker. Do this for every agent you talk to, not just me. It is free and it takes a minute.
Where do the numbers in the calculators come from?
Most of them come from published government sources: BIR zonal values, Pag-IBIG loan circulars, and the standard tax percentages (capital gains, documentary stamp, transfer tax). One number does not. No agency publishes what banks charge for a mortgage, so the Pag-IBIG vs bank tool starts at a typical 8.5% with a 20% down payment, and labels those as typical rather than official. Type in the rate your bank actually quoted and the comparison uses that instead. Rates change, so if you spot one that is outdated, tell me and I will update it.
Do I have to sign up or pay for the tools?
No. No account, no email, no trial. Use them and leave.
Can you help if the property is in my province?
I handle Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Rizal, and Pampanga directly. For other provinces I connect you with a licensed broker in that area. Most OFWs are buying for family in their hometown, so this comes up often.
What's REN.PH?
REN.PH is the database side: zonal values, broker records, and property data. Homeward is the part built for OFW buyers. Same operator, different jobs.
Will you push me to buy?
No. Plenty of the people who use these calculators find out they should wait a year, and that is a good outcome. If the numbers do not work, I would rather tell you now than after you have paid a reservation fee.
Start with the numbers
Run your budget through the affordability calculator first. If it clears, work through the document checklist. If you get stuck on either, message me.