25/06/2026
For a lot of people, the dream of homeownership feels further away than ever. If you’ve tried buying a house in the last five years, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Sky-high prices. Higher interest rates. Smaller homes. Bigger mortgages.
The housing crisis was one of the biggest reasons I started looking beyond the United States.
One thing I’ve been excited for and completely obsessed with since moving to the Philippines has been searching for land where my girlfriend and I can build our own little villa-inspired home.
Not because I want a mansion.
Quite the opposite.
Even before the housing market went crazy, I never wanted to be “house poor (it’s a thing, look it up)”.
One piece of financial advice has always stuck with me:
“Buy what you rent out. Rent where you live.”
In other words, let your investments pay for your lifestyle instead of your lifestyle draining your investments.
Now, life doesn’t always fit neatly into financial rules. There are emotional reasons to own a home, and I’m not saying buying a house is always a bad decision.
But if I’m going to build something, I want it to fit the life I’m trying to create—not trap me in decades of debt.
That’s why we’re designing something simple. Modern tropical architecture. Indoor-outdoor living. A place that feels peaceful, functional, and intentional.
Here are a few of the photos I’ve been collecting for inspiration. Every time I see one that captures the feeling we’re after, it goes into the folder.
We’re still in the dreaming and planning stage, but it’s starting to feel more real every day.
If you’d like to follow along as we search for land, design the house, and (hopefully) turn this vision into reality, give this page a follow.
I’d love to have you along for the journey.