Donegal Developments Ltd

Article appeared in the Cyprus Times 13/07/08

After last week writing about the bad light a certain developer puts the construction industry in here, I met an English builder who is trying to do his bit to improve things, not only by building to a high standard and not accepting compromise but he is also planning to put together some kind of Trade Association for builders and developers who produce a product that they are proud of, within acceptable time limits and within budget, with no hidden extras and no compromise.

This builder is proud of the product he produces and he is also one of the recent NC Property Award Winners. Having now seen the quality of his construction then he was a worthy winner but in my opinion the Award is devalued somewhat when a bad builder like the one I wrote about in my article last week was also a winner.

Because there is more to the buying experience here than just one showcase development they can trade on - people expect the quality they have paid for, the property to be handed over within the time period they were told, and responses from the company when they have concerns on any issues.

Donegal Developments recently won the "Best Villa" category in the North Cyprus Property 2008 Awards for their luxury villa "Yuce Ev" (meaning "Grand House") situated in Lapta. Organised by PropertyNC magazine, the awards - the first ever in North Cyprus - were instigated to promote recognition in the TRNC construction industry where it was warranted and deserved.

The formal presentation of the awards was made on 6th June 2008 at a dazzling red-carpet event held at the 5* Malpas Hotel in Catalkoy. From the hotel terrace, first impressions of the forthcoming ceremony were breathtaking with everything impeccably arranged around the floodlit swimming pool. The ‘Oscar style' evening began with a champagne cocktail to greet all the guests on their arrival and was followed by a sumptuous three-course meal.

A distinguished panel of judges including Hasan Sungur, President of the Estate Agents Union, had deliberated long and hard as to the winners of the various award categories. It was certainly not an easy task with entries from many of the leading companies engaged in the property business in North Cyprus, guaranteeing that the competition was fierce !

The property business in Northern Cyprus is flourishing, particularly as the cost of buying homes is about 50 percent less than in the South of the country. And as well as building bespoke villas and apartments, Donegal Developments has also had success with commercial and retail projects.

The majority of Kevin's clients so far have been from the UK because that is where most of his marketing activity has been seen, but that is all set to change now.

Donegal Developments has just won the 'Best Villa' category in the 2008 Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) Property Awards, for the building "Yuce Ev', a stunning, and sumptuous villa.

Organised by Propertync magazine, the awards were primarily designed to allow the construction industry in Northern Cyprus to benefit from recognition where it was well deserved.A by-product of the awards though is that they act as a guide for prospective buyers and investors looking for approved and professional building companies. Kevin had to make a presentation to award judges with his portfolio of recently completed projects and then allow the judges to tour 'Yuce Ev' to judge the design and workmanship for themselves. Although Donegal Developments is a relatively new construction company, he was still able to submit testimonials from other happy clients.

FMB membership stretches overseas

It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom in the construction industry. Here's a 'feel good' one for you - an FMB member winning awards for his work, and spreading the FMB message far and wide.

FMB member, Kevin Moane went to Northern Cyprus in 2005, to oversee the building of an apartment complex. Once the job was complete though - he decided to stay.

It didn't take Kevin long to realise that Northern Cyprus was a beautiful, relatively crime free country with a growing ex-patriot community - in fact an ideal place to start a business and raise his young family. He describes Northern Cyprus as just like the Mediterranean was 30 years ago -warm, quiet, slow and relaxing. He quickly got involved in buying land for further developments and set up Donegal Developments Limited with family members in 2007, following a successful pilot project, building a complex of 28 apartments with other partners.