DST
Storytel AB
stock NYSE

Few months ago, I posted here sa frustrations ko tungkol sa mga "clean title" kuno na lot pero may mga hidden problems pala. This was our first purchase, and may mga times na nagdoubt ako if I was being too strict, but thank God I followed through with my criteria and didn't settle for less. Finally, narelease na yung new title under our name. So, sharing here our step-by-step process for first-time real property buyers like us.
**BEFORE PURCHASE**
1. Conduct due diligence. We encounted agents na nagsabing "may magbabayad na po nyan bukas, mas maganda kung mauunahan nyo po." One thing we made sure ay hindi kami magshoshortcut sa due diligence kahit maunahan man kami ng ibang tao. Documents that we check:
* Certified true copy of TCT - pwede irequest online. Make sure to request this kasi I encountered a lot na naisangla pala sa bangko at hindi natanggal yung annotation
* Tax declaration - dapat nakapangalan na sa owners.
* Real property tax - check if updated ang taxes
* HOA dues, if within subdivision. The lot we bought had 80k+ arrears sa dues but declared naman ng owners. Deducted sa total price at kami nalang nagbayad directly sa HOA.

2. When in doubt, consult lawyers. I booked several online consultations with lawyers just so we can go over the documents. Surprisingly affordable - P600 for 30mins. Eto yung situations that we encountered na hindi ko sure ang gagawin so nag-consult kami:
\- Really affordable lot being sold by the wife. Meron syang Court Order Presumptive Death dahil 7 years na nawawala ang husband nya. May anak sila pero minor so couldn't sign the documents, meron din syang Affidavit of Guardianship. Too complicated for us.
\- Lot co-owned by same-sex partners. Naghiwalay, and nagbayaran for full ownership of Partner 1. Hindi trinansfer ang title. Now, partner 1 is married and is trying to sell the lot. No contact sa partner 2.
\- Lot owner is listed as single. I know na hindi requirement sa transfer ang marriage cert, but I asked for one. Turns out she's married but separated. They were insisting na it wouldn't matter because single naman sa title, but we opted to back out na.
**DURING PURCHASE**
1. Meet at a notary public of YOUR choice. In our case, naghanap kami ng may lawyer talaga na haharap samin. Ininterview both parties ni Atty and he checked the documents bago sya pumirma.
2. As much as possible, pay via manager's check. We tried to do this, but seniors na yung owners and not very familiar with this. They wanted cash talaga. We paid them inside our car after having everything signed.
**AFTER PURCHASE**
1. After the sale, I went to the assessor's office and request for a Certificate of No Improvement (3-5 days). I had to provide the transportation sa mag-iinspect so hinatid sundo ko sila sa city hall haha don't know why
2. I went to the BIR for the computation of CGT and DST. Capital Gains Tax (6%) should be paid within 30 days of notarization and Documentary Stamp Tax (1.5%) must be paid on or before the 5th day of the following month. Upon securing the computation sheet, proceed sa bank to pay.
Documents needed sa BIR. Ibinalik din eto after computation. Inabot ako ng maghapon dito.
* Notarized Deed of Absolute Sale and acknowledgement receipt
* Certified True Copy of TCT
* Tax declaration
* Real property tax clearance and/or receipt
* Valid IDs
* TIN
* Colored photos of the lot
* Certificate of no improvement
3. Return to BIR and submit the documents along the receipt of tax payments from bank. ECAR was released on the 7th working day.
4. Went to the City Treasurer's Office to pay the transfer tax. 0.5% of the acquisition cost
5. Went to the Registry of Deeds for the transfer of title. Paid 9,000 here and waited for 21 working days. May online tracker din silang prinovide to monitor the status.

Overall, it took us about 2 months from the date we paid the lot until natransfer ang title. Sobrang fulfilling after, especially gusto ko rin talagang matuto kaya pinilit ko makapaglaan ng time mag-asikaso. Sorry for the long post but I hope this can help someone like me before na sobrang lost sa process.

Alert long post please 🙏🏼 I recently saw an impressive post from a fellow investor who hit a ₹1.17 Crore portfolio milestone. They methodically invested ₹64.59 Lakhs over 10 years in mutual funds, yielding a rock-solid 13.8% XIRR. Achieving that requires incredible savings discipline, high income capacity, and a fantastic commitment to long-term wealth creation. It is a brilliant example of financial dedication.
Seeing their milestone made me look back at my own completely unconventional journey—one driven not by a massive starting salary, but by tactical asset shifts and aggressive compounding.
My investing journey from January 2011 to August 2024 clocked an incredible trajectory to hit my first Crore. Here is the twist: I didn't have a high corporate salary or a massive starting corpus to build my foundation from day one.
🔬 The Low-Income Foundation (2010 - 2018)
\* July 2010: Started as a research scientist earning just ₹24,000 per month tax-free at a UN research institute in India.
\* 2017: Shifted to a DST research institute as a Scientist C (Project), barely touching a ₹10 LPA run rate.
\* The Strategy: Every spare rupee went straight into basic Mutual Fund SIPs. Aside from a single, minor redemption back in 2014, I strictly remained fully invested in the market for over a decade before initiating tactical redemption, parking, and moving strategies in 2023.
🛑 The Hard Interruption (2018 - 2019)
\* June 2018: I quit my research job. My SIPs were completely paused.
\* The Gap: I faced 8 months of painful joblessness.
\* Feb 2019: Took a pay cut to join a niche consulting firm at 9 LPA just to get back on my feet.
📈 The Turning Point & The Corporate Jump (2019 - 2024)
\* August 2019: At age 38, I landed my very first major corporate role at a global pharmaceutical MNC with a starting salary of \~₹11.45 Lakhs. For the first time in my life, I had the real corporate cash flow to invest aggressively.
\* September 2019: Immediately restarted my equity journey via ELSS and mutual funds.
\* September 2020: Moved back from Hyderabad and started staying rent-free with my parents (stayed with parents only for 5yrs during Kolkata college and this time period in my entire life!!), which drastically minimized my living expenses and freed up massive capital for investing.
\* December 2020: My entire net worth was still sitting at just ₹20 Lakhs to ₹22 Lakhs.
\* 2024: By this time, my corporate salary had grown to \~₹19 LPA, allowing me to pump even heavier capital into the market during the final stretch.
\* The Alpha Shift: Knowing I had lost time, I diversified aggressively beyond standard mutual funds:
\* Nov 2021: Entered Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs).
\* Nov 2022: Began picking my first direct Indian stocks
\* Mid-2023: Started investing globally in US Tech stocks to capture international growth.
The Timeline (pasted from my Notes app)
70.2L TODAY 5thDec2023, 76L on 15Feb2024, 80.11L on 29Mar2024, 85.69L on 5Apr2024, 91.02L on 27May2024, 96L on 3Jul2024, MY FIRST CRORE on 23rd August 2024,
Moving from \~₹21 Lakhs in late 2020 to ₹1 Crore in under 4 years means my portfolio was growing at a staggering \~53% CAGR during that hyper-growth phase.
My Key Takeaway
Going from ₹22 Lakhs to ₹1 Crore in under 4 years required a lot of financial engineering and catching massive structural bull runs in large/mid-cap Indian equities, SGBs, and US Tech. Interestingly, I achieved all of this with absolutely no direct small-cap stocks or small-cap mutual funds in my portfolio right up until June 2026.
You don't always need a massive starting salary to build a legacy portfolio. Sometimes, elite asset allocation, geographical diversification, and catching the right macro waves can completely rewrite your timeline.
(P.S. Since Google has the precise log of my financial journey from previous calculations, I had Google AI compile and write this breakdown exactly as it happened!)
Please be kind and give me your blessings 🙏🏼