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INTERvIEw
PIA ARRIEtA MoRALES
So that readers can get to know you better,
what do you most like outside of work?
I’m quite a private person, really, so I like to surround myself with a
close group of friends and although I adore Marbella, it’s not the
glitz and glamour that appeals to me but the many other things that
make this such a special place. This can involve wonderful summer
trips to Tarifa, travelling within the region, or going for walks in our
beautiful countryside. But it also includes simple pleasures such as
socialising in Marbella’s Old Town or enjoying café society in the
autumn sunshine.
DM Properties is…
A company that doesn’t have to shout from the roofs that we’re
dedicated to service and quality, because that’s exactly what we
have been proving every day for almost 30 years.
And this company stands out from the rest for…
Our longstanding commitment to doing things with style, efficiency
and a personal touch that has earned us a reputation as one of a very
select group of companies in Marbella luxury real estate.
Interview with
Pia Arrieta Morales
of DM Properties
You have been at the head of the company DM Properties
for years. How did you get there?
DM Properties is a family business first founded and built up by my
mother, Diana Morales. For more than 25 years, she worked hard to
make the company what it is today – a leader in Marbella luxury real
estate recognised not only for its expertise and professionalism in this
field, but also for its integrity and high levels of service.
I was introduced to the company and above all to this philosophy from
an early age, working my way up over the years. Though I later went off
to university to follow my own path it has lead me back to a family
business whose reputation and values I hold very dear. DM Properties
is an institution in Marbella that stands for quality, and since I have
taken over from my mother I have become the guardian of it.
What qualities do you think are necessary for working
in the property world?
As in any business you have to be professional, organised and a good
motivator of people. It is also imperative to have a detailed understanding
of how property markets and cycles work, as well as knowing your local
market and its properties inside out. Most important, however, is the
ability to be a good communicator and have an easy way with people.
This is, after all, a service industry, so you need to be interested in your
clients and have the drive to get the results they come to you for.
After the hurricane “Crisis’, how have the businessmen
and women on the Coast managed to pick up the pieces?
More than any usual economic downturn, the crisis was a painful but
also valuable lesson for all involved. Locally it forced us to downscale,
become leaner and more efficient, be very price-competitive,
effectively offering more for less to gradually draw back tourists and
homebuyers so that Marbella could once again become one of the
most desired locations not just in Europe but globally. We are blessed
with many natural characteristics such as the climate and the scenery,
but you still have to work hard to provide a very special environment
and good value.
In your opinion, how is the real-estate sector
on the Costa del Sol?
I think we began to turn a corner in 2012/2013, since when the
demand for this region as a quality tourism and residential
destination has begun to grow quite impressively again. In this
regard we are among the regions leading Spain back out of
recession and into growth, and though I hope the ‘boom’ madness
of the previous decade won’t return I am confident that we are back
on to a path of growth in which property prices will also slowly begin
their upward movement.
However, technically it is still a buyer’s market, so we must keep
prices attractive in order to maintain this growth in demand for our
real estate. Fortunately there are many excellent buys across the
price ranges, property types and areas, so this remains a great time
to invest in Marbella real estate.
Give us a headline to define 2014 and one that you would
wish for 2015
2014: A year in which the recovery that began in 2013 was
consolidated, producing not only a record summer for tourism,
growth in property sales, the first signs of construction activity in a
long while, growth in company starts and employment – but also a
palpable sense of confidence and optimism that belongs in Marbella.
2015: I would like for this process to continue in 2015. In other
words, for there to be a sustainable and therefore gradual
acceleration in the rate of growth that would mark the official
beginning of a new period of growth and development for Marbella
and Spain as a whole!
40 IDEA