We Filipinos are known to always make the most of anything given to us, and to always look at the silver lining behind the dark clouds. The world may be struggling to overcome today’s crisis, yet there are still people who continue to rise above the challenges by staying together and treasuring what really matters - FAMILY.

A sweeping number of industries have been affected when COVID-19 hit, yet, the real estate industry remains resilient and able to withstand every blow. As a part of the industry, Mary Jane Magante and her husband Eris believe that now, more than ever, people have understood the importance of having a home as an investment for a secure future.

Jane and Eris manage a real estate brokerage, a business they have been building for five years now. Normally, Jane is the one focusing on this business while her husband works full-time in the corporate world. But during the lockdown, the whole family worked hard for the business, including their two children.

For Jane, the lockdown may have held them back from bonding outdoors and celebrating special occasions including her daughter’s college graduation. Nevertheless, they are thankful for all their simple yet special moments together inside their Suntrust Home in The Gentri Heights, Cavite. Their children, Einstein Jefferson and Jenella, 22 and 21 years old respectively, helped them promote their realty business and catered to some of their clients’ requests. EJ helped in web design, digital marketing, and video editing for the walkthrough videos and vlogs about the properties they sell. Meanwhile, Jenella helped in drafting architectural plans for their clients.

“In real estate, most of our clients are found outside the Philippines. We may have missed a lot of potential clients, but I’m still grateful for this chance to bond with my family. Plus, we even made our business a family bonding, which is really fun”, the 44-year-old mom enthused, delighted about the fact that coming from entirely different worlds, her whole family has been bound by something she cares about.

She’s also grateful for a new activity her family has started doing during the lockdown. “Since the quarantine, we always pray the rosary together every night. This isn’t something we used to do before, so this is really one of the most beautiful things that kept us united during this quarantine,” she added.

Jane and her family also salute The Gentri Heights community. From the maintenance, admin, and security personnel down to the residents themselves, everyone contributes in keeping the neighborhood safe.

“We have safety protocols here but the residents themselves are disciplined enough. They know the rules and follow them, they don’t give our admin and security personnel a hard time,” shared Jane.