SMDC Residences: A place to come home to

How an overseas Filipino built her future— and helped others do the same

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Grace Residences lobby

Every Filipino working overseas knows this quiet question by heart:

After all these years of sending money home, will there be something waiting for me when I finally return?

For Hiyas Hosalla Nohra, that question followed her across countries—from Dubai to Singapore, and later to Cyprus—through years of long days, short video calls, and the constant responsibility of providing for family back home.

Like many overseas Filipinos, Hiyas sent money regularly for rent, food, and tuition. But she also saw something many OFWs eventually realize: after years of sacrifice, too many still come home without a place they can truly call their own.

"I met so many hardworking Filipinos who worked abroad for decades, only to return and start over," she shares. "They took care of everyone else—but not their future."

That realization changed everything.

In 2014, while still working overseas, Hiyas decided to invest in her first home in the Philippines—purchasing a unit at SMDC Grace Residences.

It wasn’t a dramatic decision. It was a practical one.