Interview with Burçin Döveç

“We try to design projects in accordance with buyer's demands!”

Döveç Construction, one of the oldest construction companies that has become a group of companies has an amazing story of success, we wanted to hear about it from the company director Burçin Döveç.

• Döveç is a name we can see all around Famagusta, even on the older buildings we can see Muharrem Döveç’s name. How was this family company established?

My father Muharrem Döveç established our company in 1989. My father and his brother Elmaz Döveç together created Döveç Brothers Ltd and worked in the real estate and construction sectors. It became well known for its high quality materials, first class workmen-ship, trust and maintenance services after sales. They built many houses and offices in Famagusta and Kyrenia. We as the second generation took over the company after the year 2000. This company started in a 20 m2 office on top of the Zafer Anit Office building with 3 members of staff, today we have 257 employess and have become a group of companies providing services in 6 different sectors.

• Which companies form Döveç Group?

Each is an individual company itself. Besides our main company Döveç Construction, we have Arredo Kithen & Furniture which is the best company in the furniture sector. We have Auto Trend in the automobile sector, DCS offers rental accommodation, housing estate management and maintenance after sales. Döveç Fitness Centre has three branches in Yeniboğaziçi, EMU campus and Golden Residence and finally Alfam Student Dormitory which consits of 6 separate buildings. Alfam Dormitory was completed in 2016 and was awarded a Platinum award for Best Dormitory project at the Propertync Awards.

• Döveç Construction is creating a new image with its projects. Your projects have a unique and attractive constructional feature. Is this because this is what buyers want?

Of course we try to design projects in accordance to what buyers want and are constantly change. We keep track of the latest trends. Nowadays, apartments have become residences and summer homes have become estates with the comfort and luxury of a five star hotel. For instance, we decided to build the fourth design we had worked on for Court Yard Long Beach. We could have fit more houses in the design and increased profits however, we preferred to fit in more living space because we weren’t sure how people would react to our previous designs. But this last version has been approved by all of our departments. In addition to tracking trends, it is also important to understand buyer demands.

• Who are your buyers in general, which projects have gained the most interest from whom?

To tell you the truth, we have customers from many different countries but it is local people and people from Turkey who are mostly interested in our projects. We can say that lately we have gained the interest of people from Russian speaking countries, Scandinavian countries and from the Middle East. It is difficult to say which project is preferred by which group of people. Let’s say there is an equal distribution.

• Which markets do you use to reach people?

We have representatives in the countries of our target markets. But of course we give great importance to international exhibitions as it is where we are given the opportunity to meet our buyers face to face. We participate in exhibitions organized in the countries of our target markets. These include Turkey, Russia, England, Scandinavian countries and the Middle East property exhibitions. Besides these we have a strong team who operate all of our communication channels.

• As you know, the time of the Propertync Awards has arrived. Your company has received many awards over the years. How are you using these titles and awards?

It is a known fact that Propertync Awards winners gain a certain prestige in the property sector. The awards symbolise quality therefore we use them in our printed or digital advertisements. These awards attract investors from abroad. Also, awards like these are a source of motivation
for our team.

• What do you think are the advantages for foreigners investing in North Cyprus? Why should they invest in North Cyprus?

Property prices are continuously rising. If you invest in North Cyprus your return on investment will happen in 12 years and you have the advantage of being able to rent the property out in foreign currency. We can offer investors great opportunities while buying land and 20% extra income from our projects. Another advantage is residency which can be obtained after buying property. I must also add that our country is safe, has natural beauty, clean air and the most wonderful beaches.

• What would you like to say about Döveç Construction’s on going and future projects? Will you continue to make Famagusta attractive or do you have plans to work in other areas?

At the moment we have ongoing projects in the Famagusta, Yeniboğaziçi, İskele Long Beach and Karpasia areas. Also we have an ongoing project in the Boğaz area which was created by the partnership of 4 companies. Terrace Park, unique for its design, is Famagusta’s most special project and it is almost completed. This project offers the comfort of a villa on the top floors and a breathtaking view of Famagusta. We have taken the comfortable Turkish Cypriot houses with gardens to the next level and now offer modernized residences.
Courtyard Long beach whose construction is continuing in the İskele area, is at the standard of a five star hotel. It is within walking distance of the beach and has all the facilities required to make your lives comfortable. Despite having the opportunity to create a building with many floors, we chose to build a horizontal project with 420 flats. Long beach is a two minute walk away, therefore buyers have the choice of renting their properties, using them as holiday homes, living in them or keeping them as an investment. Every one of our projects are unique, we have already planned projects for the next 5 years. We aim to create beautiful and long lasting buildings in Famagusta and other areas aswell.

• There is an enormous, luxurious project in the Boğaz area: Four Season Life. How did this partnership come about and will we be similar partnerships in the future?

As members of the contractors association, we came together in a meeting to talk about how we could improve the open bazaar area. As four friends, we asked ourselves why we shouldn’t come together and create the largest project in North Cyprus. We had all named our companies with our surnames and had been in this sector for quite some time. In other words, we were all trustworthy and hardworking directors and most importantly, companies doing justice to their names. We wanted to do what had never been done before. We knew this idea would be valuable to North Cyprus so we chose the most beautiful area. 80 donums of land on the coast. It took us a year to solve a few problems and buy it and while designing the project, we made high standard luxury a priority and created the most luxurious and unique project in North Cyprus.
As for your question on similar partnerships, it is rare to see four rivalry companies come together and form a partnership in North Cyprus but Four Vision Developments is not a project only one company could create. Given this opportunity, I would like to say that designs for a new project at a new location have already started. You won’t be seeing partnerships but you will be seeing new projects as an outcome of our partnership.