Eva Bonomolo, Owner, Budapest Connections -Property Business

  • 10 Jun 2020 4:20 PM
Eva Bonomolo, Owner, Budapest Connections -Property Business
Eva has transformed her real estate business that thrived in Toronto for over 14 years to a multifaceted venture in Budapest working for investors that now includes managing renovation projects, interior design, real estate sales and management she says.

She particularly pays attention to workmanship when it comes to buying, renovating and then selling, she adds. Now that she lives in Budapest her focus is managing renovation projects in buildings with 'glamorous architectural beauty'.

Foreign investment in Hungary has been rising every year, however many foreign investors are not able to pay attention to their renovation investment since they are not present on a daily basis, she says. This can translate into a multitude of issues in construction, such as delays, poor workmanship, cost over runs and poor quality finishes.

As the project manager, she connects her clients to the best and reliable contractors, lawyers, architects, structural engineers, painters, plumbers, electricians, handymen, and so on.

She says she saves her client's money on their finishing purchases due to her trusted relationship with suppliers. She will be with you for every step of the process, from property search, negotiating the price, selecting a suitable construction team , managing the renovation, interior design consulting, to then renting or selling the property.

She pledges the highest level of service possible, as she builds her business on integrity, loyalty, professionalism and quality, because she says, "It’s all about you, listening to you, working for you - to achieve your property investment objectives!"

 

1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?
My husband, daughter and I moved to Budapest in August of 2016. My parents are Hungarian, but they fled Hungary during the 1956 revolution, settled in Toronto where I grew up, however ever since I was a teenager my mother thankfully brought me to Hungary to visit my grandmother and relatives every couple of years.

Despite the communist era during difficult times, I still felt more at home in Budapest, during my life I felt a very close connection to Hungary and Europe. I was always dreaming of living in Europe sometime in my life.

Finally the right time came in 2015 while I was visiting Budapest, the intuition was very strong, and observing the entrepreneurial opportunities and the amazing electric mood of the city, now was the time to make an amazing change to move to Budapest, to live in the center of Europe. 

2. How did your friends react in Toronto when they found out you were moving, of all places to Budapest, Hungary?
Most people's reaction was super surprised on the negative side, they could not understand how we could decide to take such a risk of moving our entire life to Europe with at that time a 16 year old.

On one hand there was envy, on the other somehow they imagined us making a big mistake, giving up our life in Toronto, selling our property, our car sending our daughter to a new school.

Well there was more surprises for them, because my daughter loved her new school made wonderful friends, we purchased an apartment which we completely renovated to our taste and it cost a quarter of the price we would pay for a similar apartment in Toronto.

We followed our hearts the determination to make the change we wanted towards our goal and certainly not the negative reactions along the way.

3. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?
No

4. What surprised you most about Hungary?
The incredible entrepreneurial spirit.

5. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do? 
Walk everywhere, eat and drink along the way, visit the museums, enjoy the night life, walk along the Danube during the summer's sunsets.  

6. What is your favourite Hungarian food?
Palacsinta and the Hungarian cakes and bread. The best in Europe.

7. What do you miss most from Toronto? 
Nothing

8. Where did you spend your last vacation? 
Last summer: Heviz in Hungary, super healing lake and relaxation, then Opatija Croatia simply beautiful, crystal clear sea water and delicious food.

9. Where do you hope to spend your next holiday?
Back to Croatia and hopefully visiting friends in Italy.

10. Book or movie?
Book; Darren Hardy - "The Compound Effect". This book helped me get through and taught me to work slowly, one productive step a time, towards the goal of living in Budapest. 

It took one year exactly to move from Toronto to Budapest, it involved selling our property, car, citizenship and residency documents, school placement for my daughter, packing the furniture to be shipped and many other details.

Although at times it was challenging working through many of the tasks of a move from one country to another, my husband, daughter and I are grateful now everyday that we accomplished a move like that. 

11. Buda or Pest side?
I love both Buda and Pest. I live on the Pest side of Budapest, but of course it depends on one's lifestyle.

12. What would you say is your personal motto?
I believe to always move forward in my life, never look backwards, if for example, I have a project, I work on it with baby steps, thinking positive and working through the bumps that usually appear no matter what we do.

Especially in business, I am very conscious of providing attention to detail service, listening very carefully to the customer first, always trying to add value for the customer and respect their time and decisions. 

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