When people ask how I was prepared for real estate industry, I don’t immediately point to my topnotcher board exam. Neither had I sold real estate projects before. Instead, I go back to school—literally. My preparation came not from one, but from four project-based papers and comprehensive researches that defined my undergraduate journey in Benilde’s Real Estate Management program.

Even before my senior year, I was restless. I remember approaching Mr. Kent Erwin Go, our former academic adviser—our faculty fondly call him the Father of DLS-CSB REM Program—asking if my big idea could count as a thesis: using the newly released Apple Vision Pro as a virtual reality tool to replace physical property tours. I really want to get hold of it when it was just released then. Quarantine restrictions were easing then, and the world had already proven that businesses could thrive online. I thought: why not real estate viewings? Why not let clients customize and visualize on the spot?

He welcomed my enthusiasm, even referred me to Benilde HiFi for innovation support, but ultimately reminded me: “In Benilde, thesis means feasibility studies.”

That line hit me hard. At that time, I was already wearing my proptechpreneur hat, having submitted pitch papers and proofs of concepts for apps outside my major:

• StuDen – a directory of listings for student residences
• Tender – a matchmaking app for samgyupsal-loving singles
• Green Threads – an ukay-ukay marketplace
• SAGANA – a farm-to-table marketplace

I was in my comfort zone as a software developer. Feasibility studies felt like a detour. But in hindsight, they became the crucible that shaped me.

HABU as a Habit

Our comprehensive research studies revolved around Highest and Best Use (HABU) analysis. Four times, we had to develop large tracts of land and defend our projects as legally permissible, physically possible, financially feasible, and maximally productive. What sounded theoretical at first became a discipline—a habit of thinking like a real estate developer.

I often joked it felt like playing Farmville, except with real ordinances, financials, and impact studies. Every project demanded rigor: PESTLE, SWOT, ROI schedules, zoning compliance. But it also demanded imagination.

The Four Theses

Looking back, the projects covered a spectrum of real estate development:

M2, a Gastro-Themed Township in Pampanga – urban design meets tourism, anchored by culinary identity and drew inspiration from halo-halo (mix-mix), for the course REPLAND (Real Estate Planning and Development).

Imuvina, a Socialized Housing project in Pampanga, is a study that explores the concept of inclusivity and affordability in land use, for the course HOSUCON (Housing, Subdivision, and Condominium Concepts)

BALLPARK, an automated parking system in Taft, Manila, is addressing urban congestion through tech-driven infrastructure, for the course RECONRE (Real Estate Consulting and Research)

Eternity Estates, a memorial park, the poetic capstone, because in the end, nothing is certain but death, taxes, and real estate, completed as the senior Real Estate Feasibility Study Project.

Each study stripped real estate down to its bones: land acquisition, financing, compliance, and market assumptions. For the first three researches, we built in ideal conditions—contiguous land parcels already secured, generous funding sources ready to be deployed. But these scenarios gave us freedom to apply theory without immediately hitting the hard wall of capital constraints.

When the time came to defend our final research, the panelists grilled us like seasoned developers. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The analyses, the counter-arguments, the endless “what-ifs”—it was simulation and training rolled into one.

Full Circle Moments

What made the journey sweeter was how our work leapt outside the classroom. Two of our proofs of concept, BALLPARK and StuDen, were selected by Benilde HiFi and eventually won the very first Benilde Open. Suddenly, those hours of late-night revisions and never-ending slideshows had tangible validation.

This also instilled in me the confidence to participate in international competitions and represent my school by designing a master plan for a water-centric, self-sustaining city called Timeless Tides of Tsukiji in Japan. Additionally, we pitched Stepwise, an AI solution for the corporate real estate industry, which was presented at the ULI and CoreNet competitions respectively. 

What started as disappointment—thinking I couldn’t push my Apple Vision Pro idea as a thesis—became a blessing in disguise. By forcing me into feasibility studies, the program stretched me beyond just coding or pitching. It made me think in terms of land, people, policy, and long-term value.

Becoming a Full-Stack Developer—of Software and Real Estate

In tech, being full-stack means knowing both front-end and back-end. In real estate, it means understanding not only the built environment but also the financial, legal, and social frameworks that sustain

On top of presenting six project pitches, those four researchers transformed HABU into a habit, which in turn provided them with a new perspective. They taught me that real estate development is not just about the land—it’s about feasibility, sustainability, and vision. And coupled with my background in software, I now see myself as a full-stack developer—of both code and communities.

Because in the end, everything I built—apps, studies, concepts—built me, too.