January
Fitzgerald Estates Paphos Digest
Fitzgerald Estates (Cyprus) www.fitzgeraldcyprus.com
Fitzgerald Estates Solomos Court 74 Apostolos Pavlou Ave Kato Paphos Cyprus 8046 Tel: +357 26 930345 Fax: + 357 26930929 e: contact@fitzgeraldcyprus.com web: www.fitzgeraldcyprus.com ©2011 Fitzgerald Estates
Why Fitzgerald's? We aim to bring you the BEST VALUE properties in Paphos and now they are even better value... * A Safe Investment * No VAT charge to pay * Fully equipped * You can move in NOW Most of our properties either have the Title Deed issued, available or are in the final stages of Land Registry approval. Fitzgerald Estates only list properties that are safe to buy and have a full record of any encumbrances on each property.
Featured Property
A“Green” Villa For 21st Century Living. This prestigious family home is a beacon of innovation surpassing the codes of sustainable development. Creatively designed and impeccably finished it offers a living environment that speaks of comfort, harmony and free flowing luxury of space. Reference number 1201 (See Page 6) We continue to advertise our world class website on the famous British property website ‘Rightmove’, the Cyprus Mail, Essential Paphos magazine and the Russian magazine ‘My Island’ (Moi Ostrov) attracting sellers as well as buyers. We are seeing consolidation of prices at current realistic levels. As more people wake up to the fact that this is a wonderful opportunity to buy villas, prices will increase however prices for apartments will continue to be soft because there is a big oversupply of these types of properties.
Wishing you a Happy New year and welcome to the first edition of the Paphos Digest of 2011. Christmas and New Year was quieter than normal at Fitzgerald Estates and it would seem in Paphos generally, this was due more to the difficult weather conditions prevailing in the UK and parts of Europe. Once again this winter bad weather has put paid to many travellers plans with massive hold ups and cancellations. For those that did manage to get through they were treated to some wonderful weather over the holiday period with daytime temperatures generally over 20C in Paphos and the night time temperatures remained reasonable too. Apart from one week of cooler weather and storms and rain it has remained remarkably dry too, a big improvement on the previous couple of years. So another year passes by and what a remarkable year 2010 has been, this time last year as we came out of 2009 which had been a difficult year by any one's standards we were wondering what the new year would bring. The Cyprus property boom was over and prices had fallen correcting the previously inflated prices but very little property was selling. At Fitzgerald Estates we have always believed that any future growth of the property market would be based around Re Sale Property and 2010 has shown the we have been right. With continuing controversy over title deeds and worries over the stability of
some of the developers during the downturn the canny buyers have switched their attentional to the Re Sale market. What could be better, what you see is what you get with no more trying to imagine what your off plan property would eventually look like. The benefit of buying a property with title deeds already issued and a mature development, no surprise blocks of flats at the bottom of the once secluded garden. At Fitzgerald Estates the majority of our properties either have the title deeds or they are well on their way to being issued giving added peace of mind to your decision to buy.
At Fitzgerald Estates 2010 has been a good year for us, we have seen a consolidation of our traditional market while also developing new markets with our new Prestige Property Website. During 2011 we intend keep offering the same quality service that we have become renowned for whether you are buying or selling a property. As we have always said “Fitzgerald Estates is a family company where communication, loyalty, trust and personal attention is guaranteed – From one company with one ultimate goal – Ensuring that all of our customers are satisfied customers.”
Cyprus Weather Forecasting The Cyprus Mail is the English “speaking” newspaper here in Cyprus and every day gives a short forecast for 24hrs and a very short Outlook forecast. You can imagine that in Summer especially, there isn’t much change in the weather. Sun, heat, humidity and as the year progresses, the temperature rises, reaches a peak and then falls as we move into Autumn and Winter. So the forecast is short and sweet – remaining hot, a slight rise in temperature – for example. Winter is a bit different. We can have 4 changes of clothes in a day as when it’s sunny, out come the T shirts, but the temperature can drop up to 15deg in a couple of hours at this time of year. Strong winds, deluges, hail and even snow in the higher areas all give a bit of a variety in the daily forecast. Recently whilst most of Europe has been having severe Arctic weather, Cyprus has been basking in glorious sunshine with daytime temperatures hovering around the 25deg mark. However, we have just recently had a spell of proper winter weather, (with the odd hot day thrown in) and it seems as if the forecasters gave up trying to work out what was happening. For quite a few days, the outlook forecast in the paper was as follows: “Much the same. Consistent in its inconsistency. Expect the unexpected”. Now there’s an honest statement which basically means that no-one has a clue. However - it was correct - we had it all
and no two days were the same. One day it was 10 deg, cold winds, rain and hail - the following day was 25deg with glorious sunshine and very warm. Its supposedly a very British thing to talk about the weather, but here in Cyprus, all nationalities discuss the temperature, the humidity, the coming week.
Elea Golf Course Set to Impress Cyprus it would seem has jumped on the International golf bandwagon and has garnered great reviews since the opening of the new Elea Estates golf club at Geroskipou in September. Golf.com, one of the largest golf websites in the world, has ranked Elea Golf club in its Top 10 International Golf Courses of 2010. The course has also been featured in the January 2011 issue of Golf World Magazine, a UK
publication, Golf World called Elea Golf Club one of the world’s ‘most exciting new courses’.
The course, right next to Elea Estate, spans an impressive 6,900 yards and is dotted with olive and carob trees , wild grasses, and other native Mediterranean flora. The course has been designated an environmental protected area, so that the butterflies, birds and lizards that make their home here can be safe. Paphos Priest Honoured in London A local priest has received the highest honour London's borough of Islington can bestow. Father Jim Kennedy of the Latin Parish in Paphos was awarded the 'Freedom of the Borough' for years of dedicated service. The prestigious award, which dates back to the Middle Ages, recognises contributions to the local community. Father Jim, whose family first moved to Islington in 1860, served as Roman Catholic Dean of Islington responsible for all Roman Catholic parishes in the borough and as Parish Priest at the Blessed Sacrament Church there. Additionally, he founded the Islington Veterans’ Association and ran the borough's biggest community group. It was his community work and the harrowing crises he dealt with in his Islington parish which earned him recognition.
In 2009, Father Jim came to Paphos for a three-month sabbatical which he had been granted owing to the pressure of his work. He had had to deal with the fallout of four murders connected to his parish. During his stay the then incumbent Parish Priest Fr. John Sansour had a stroke and had to leave the island, Fr. Jim was then asked to stay and continue Fr. Johns work until a Parish Priest was restored. Fr. Jim had a very busy year until the new Parish Priest Fr. Carlos Frarera was installed in December. He will now be staying on in Cyprus to assist Fr. Carlos with his work in the parish.
Featured Property This prestigious family home of 317sqm is a beacon of innovation surpassing the codes of sustainable development with flourish. Creatively designed and impeccably finished it offers a living environment that speaks of comfort, harmony and free flowing luxury of space.
Resting on a 695m2 plot, this striking villa surprises and delights in the most unexpected ways. The creative design offers a substantial 4 bedroom family home and an impressive self contained one bedroom apartment. For a family with teenage children, this gives a high degree of independence within a builtin ‘home’ environment. Reminiscent of colonial style, the villa features a series of towering columns supporting the vast verandahs overlooking the pristine low maintenance garden, the central swimming pool and the outdoor dining and recreation area, under the custom designed pergola.
With Kingspan timber frame technology from UK this expansive ‘green’ home delivers high energy efficiency which meets the challenges of energy costs, environmental impact and sustainability…. It is truly a home fit for the 21st century.
The Interior is light and stylish with high ceilings, clean lines and rich hued timber flooring ( fully insulated). The spacious living room only partially screens off the dining area and vast kitchen. The beautifully designed country kitchen, boasts solid wood bench tops, more than enough bench space, a breakfast bar and high quality fittings including a range hood, integrated dish washer, fridge, freezer, high performance oven and more.
effect worktops. The bedroom is of generous proportion and the bathroom features a corner Jacuzzi bath.
This thoroughly modern low maintenance ‘green’ home meets the code outlined by the 2016 Sustainable Homes Standards and is well set to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Securing this outstanding home today will be investing in a care-free future. Property Ref: 1201
Solid wood stairs curve around the outside wall to the expansive first floor landing where you find four delightfully roomy bedrooms and a huge entertainment terrace with glorious panoramic views to the undulating countryside and the sea. The master suite is well separated from the children’s wing and boasts the privacy of an elegant en-suite with glass brick walk-in shower , ceiling spot lighting and marbled vanity unit. The remaining bedrooms are serviced by a generous family bathroom. The adjacent apartment enjoys a separate entrance with its living room opening to the pool side terrace. The custom designed kitchen features striking white units accessorised by black splash-backs and ebony wood-
2010 In Retrospect
Taking a look back at 2010 in pictures at what was an eventful year of interaction with the local community in Paphos. Starting with what for many was the highlight of the year with Pope Benedict XVI visiting the Church of St Pauls Pillar in Paphos.
Fรกilte Pafos is an Irish cultural group based in Paphos which organises Irish cultural events throughout the year in the Paphos Region (www.failte-pafos.eu)
St Patrick's night 2010 saw Daryl Fitzgerald sharing the celebrations with H.E. Tom Brady the former Irish Ambassador to Cyprus on his last official visit to Paphos before moving to a new post in the Balkans.
Daryl Fitzgerald greets H.E. Patrick Scullion the new Irish Ambassador on his first visit to Paphos organised by Fรกilte Pafos.
Fitzgerald Estates were delighted to be the Sponsors of Stage One's Production of Dad's Army in this their 25th Year. (www.stageonetheatre.com)
The 'Frontline' Forces in Dad's Army. But no army can do much without the help of those unseen souls who work in the background, the 'backstage Crew'. (Below)
The Cast
Fitzgerald Estates have been longtime supporters of the St. Michaels Hospice Project and The Paphos Latin Parish. The Major event in aid of the Hospice was the Parish Dinner at the Alexander the Great Hotel in December.
The Guests
The Prizes
The Entertainment
And finally, a pictorial roundup of the year would not be complete without the 'BIG' event for the Fitzgerald family in 2010. Terrys marriage to Minqian the celebration of which seemed to span the globe, with events in China & Paphos and guests coming from Cyprus, China, Poland & Australia.
[Cover Photo, Winter in the Troodos Mountains, Cyprus.]