There will always be a first time for everything, and those moments are often accompanied with equal measures of enthusiasm and apprehension. Buying your first home is no exception, especially when you are making such a long-term commitment. But Real Living, the Philippines best-selling homes magazine, is helping prepare you to make smart real estate decisions with the Real Living My First Home Book.

“Since the magazine’s inception eleven years ago, Real Living has had one simple mission: to help our readers achieve their dream homes, and that starts with making sure they’re real estate smart,” says Real Living Associate Publisher Tom Castañeda. “Metro Manila’s skyline is rapidly evolving, with new properties popping up every month practically. And that’s a blessing and a curse for prospective homeowners who now have an abundance of potential properties and developments to choose from. So we’ve set out to help make the process easier with the Real Living My First Home Book.”

It all starts with picking the perfect home to meet your needs and budget, and Real Living’s latest book offers invaluable advice on what to look for when shopping around, including advice on how to narrow down your choices based on key factors like location, structural details and quality, unit features, and amenities. Once you find “the one,” the Real Living My First Home Book helps you fix it up.

“The My First Home Book is amazing because it also serves as a renovating sourcebook,” says Real Living Editor-In-Chief Rachelle Medina. “Real Living’s first-ever spiral-bound book contains many handy sections, including a DIY-floor plan kit, home shopping checklists, and a built-in notebook for when you go out shopping for your new home or to meet with your designer.”

But it wouldn’t be a true Real Living book without essential furnishing advice. And, the Real Living My First Home Book does not disappoint. No matter your personal style, the book offers tried-and-tested tricks and tips to help you furnish and decorate your place like a pro. Whether your style is feminine, modern, quirky, or rustic—or a mixture of them all—Real Living makes it easy for you to take charge of every space in your home.

Co-presented by Elanvital Enclaves, the Real Living My First Home Book features 150 full-color interior home photos to give you all the inspiration you need in dressing up your new home, as well as free floor plan and furniture templates to help you with your space planning.

"We are happy to partner with Real Living magazine, and the publication of the My First Home Book, the first of its kind home guide in the Philippines," said Elanvital Enclaves Chief Operating Officer Apple Hurtado. "Through this partnership, both Elanvital and Real Living can meet our shared goal and focus of providing well-designed homes to meet the needs of the modern Filipino family."

The Real Living My First Home Book, which serves as a complete guide to buying and decorating your first home, is available on newsstands and in bookstores now.

Get expert advice, photos and other home-related inspiration through the magazine’swebsite, www.realliving.com.ph, Real Living’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/realliving.ph, and the user name @realliving.ph at Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.