Property People

Anyone thinking of buying property in Tenerife, Cape Verde, Morocco or other attractive and exotic location will find numerous references on this website and elsewhere to the importance of hooking up with an experienced and professional estate agent. But so many of the agents have professional looking websites and they all will tell you they are the best in town. So how do you know who to trust with your life savings and your dreams?

Maybe getting to know some of Tenerife's property people will help...

Alex Veccia

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Alex Veccia has been living in Tenerife since 1991 and is now the Marketing Director for the Atlantic International Property Group.

“I did a Higher National Diploma in the UK in Yacht & Boat Design before I came here and applied my computer skills to graphic design. When digital photography started I got into it as it supported my graphic design work. Later I widened my angles when working for magazines here and currently I specialize in property photography and have had work published in A Place in the Sun magazine, The Daily Express and Spain Magazine among other high profile publications.

Tenerife is a mature property market at the moment where services, infrastructure and communication are very close to the best parts of Europe. Security and a fabulous climate all year round will carry on giving it the edge over other regions for a long time.
The internet revolution, however, is changing the way people consume and shop by giving them much more tools and fresh information to compare products and prices. With the property market they can browse through lists of properties but I don’t think it is the same as say surfing for a flight. The personal touch, that human reassurance, is often needed when people are looking to invest most of their life’s savings into buying a property. What the Internet provides is a way for prospective buyers to do all their homework before they contact the agent that they feel comfortable with.

I am currently working on the new aip-propertygroup.com website for AIP Group, while formulating a marketing strategy and website for our new ‘Homes of Morocco’ brand. The AIP group has already a very strong presence in the Cape Verde Islands and we are promoting some of the finest developments over there that will certainly give investors a future high return as the Canary Islands did when they started to become a tourist attraction.

As the market gets more and more competitive, only companies that can adapt to the rapid changes will have the edge. Customers are becoming more demanding and the quality of services will have to increase or the company will not succeed. Listening to the requirements of the clients will lead the way that promoters plan their developments. We are living in a information era and the collection of data is what will give the correct elements to make the right decisions in the future, both for customers and developers.”

Diego Cano

Diego Cano has been in real estate for 14 years, initially with one of the largest developers on the island then with LCP and then as one of the founders of Key Properties.

“I am Spanish but was born in Paris, raised between there and Athens. My introduction into the property market was purely by coincidence and I have been in it ever since. At first I was with one of largest developers for four years, selling onsite and that experience gave me invaluable knowledge of the industry, which has kept me in good stead.
The thing is anybody can sell; the difference is to do it well and to have the current product knowledge both technically and legally. When the idea to form Key Properties arose integrity was foremost on the list of criteria’s we wanted offer to our customers and even though the marketplace has changed somewhat over the years with the increasing popularity of the internet we constantly strive to be at the forefront of any changes or laws.

The industry before used to rely on street traffic, people just walking into the offices, but that has disappeared almost totally
completely now. If you are not working online and with other sources to promote your services and properties then it can be very difficult and we are, as with many other estate agents, forced by the marketplace to be constantly in contact and up to date with the
latest marketing tools.

Fortunately we have many areas that we are promoting and marketing constantly, such places like the up and coming Cape Verde and Morocco as well as a slew of properties here in Tenerife. The way the industry used to be and the way it is now is like two different worlds. The first thing are the prices. With the boom over the last few years, that nobody actually foresaw, they have gone through the roof. Personally I think prices will have to come down to a more realistic bracket in the near future.

Recently I have diversified into the clubbing industry, opening Faro Chill Art in Costa Adeje last month. It is a world class venue that will promote the South of the island in a new light by being in the highest world standards and will attract people from far and wide as it has surprisingly already started. When you are enjoying sunsets in El Faro or feeling the magic on a late night drink....you could
be anywhere in Miami, New York or St. Tropez. The parents of this childhood dream my wife Rita, Gloria Cabello and Higinio Guerra, all had one common goal : It`s not about bringing the best of Tenerife or Costa Adeje to the World...it`s about bringing the best of the World to Tenerife & Costa Adeje, since Faro Chill Art opened....it is contributing in making that childhood dream become a reality !!! “

Derek Muhs

Derek first came two Tenerife in 1994 after finishing his studies and traveling with his friends through Europe and North Africa. His family have been in Property development in Canada since the 1930´s. He is a Director for the Atlantic International Property Group.

“I felt a great connection to the islands from the first visit and thought “Mmhhhh...no hurricanes, no big mosquito problems, even though the water doesn’t taste great you’re not on the toilet for 3 days if you drink or brush your teeth with it...

I know it sounds pathetic but being from Toronto, Canada if you walk into a travel agency and ask for a brochure on the Canary Islands they will probably think you’re looking for birds.

Moved here permanently in 1996 and eleven years later still here and enjoying life.

My interest for the property market stems from my family who were all in real estate business in Canada, my grandfather being a property developer in the 1930´s. He was of the old school, always advising to put money into bricks and mortar. It was sort of a natural fit for me to continue. It's in the blood I guess.

The AIP group was an automatic choice for me because I wanted a progressive company with stability. For over 25 years this company has had to move and change with the times. Recently we have taken our experienced sales team to exhibitions all over the UK with our Homes of Tenerife division. We then followed onto Ireland, Russia and Shanghai this fall. Our weekly exhibition at the 5 star Mare Nostrum Pyramides resort has also been a great success and we have been so pleased to work together with such a respected hotel group.

After studying the markets we launched our Homes of Cape Verde and Homes of Morocco divisions last year and the response has been tremendous.

Cape Verde for example being an emerging market may not be for everyone but it is for people who want an island to still feel like
an island. For example, recently while in Cape Verde I sat in a little restaurant just off the beach on the island of Sal in the village of Santa Maria and watched a father with his 3 children bring in their catch of the day from their little fishing boat. They had the fish laid out on a bed of ice in a wagon and wheeled it in front of the restaurant for the owner to choose from. He picked a few choice fish, chopped and prepared them in front of our eyes on a grill and five minutes later it was on our plates.

These moments are the real charm of Cape Verde and although a bit different from what I was used to I have to say that the fish just melted in my mouth.”

This article has been supplied by kind permission of Living Tenerife Magazine. Read more articles like this on Island Life, Golf and Property Tenerife.

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Tenerife Property

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Property People

Alex Veccia

Diego Cano

Derek Muhs