The partnership between Damian Galea and Jeffrey Sciberras goes a long way. From being schoolmates some twenty-seven years ago and then work colleagues, for years they have been leading a formidable team of experienced real estate consultants. 

Northern Properties started from scratch in 2011, with both partners already experienced in the real estate market. The focus of the company, based in St. Paul’s Bay, was the northern region of Malta. Operating in an underserviced market and coupled with their interest for this part of the island that boasts of several beautiful locations, the company became a well-known name in the area.

(From left) Damian Galea and Jeffrey Sciberras

Having found a home for more than 1,000 purchasers since those early years, Damian and Jeffrey also started looking for new quarters to house Northern Properties. The brief was clear. Clients and team members involved in such major transactions should make use of offices reflecting the agency’s focus on providing an excellent service.

In 2019, they came across a nice but abandoned townhouse with an interesting history - one of the very first hotels in St Paul’s Bay, dating back to the 1930s and back then mainly used by British navy officers. Securing its ownership in December 2021, the conversion of the old property started in earnest, retaining much of the original features while giving it an elegant, modern touch. The project was concluded throughout the following year, and Northern Properties officially moved into the new premises in January 2023, ensuring a seamless transition.

Northern Properties headquarters

The beautifully converted offices also formed part of the 10-year anniversary celebrations of Northern Properties, with both partners underlining that they “want to exceed [their] clients’ expectations with this unique office environment that compliments the level of service.”

The wealth of in-house experience that the company has, Damian and Jeffery attest, is an important element of the package of assistance that it provides. They consider themselves as “truly lucky and blessed to form part” of a team of currently fourteen people who have been involved since the very beginning and all of whom “have become a pillar to the company, in their own respect.” This allows Northern Properties to provide a superior service to that expected from a real estate agency, with all members of the team serving as drivers to maintain this goal.

The two partners continue to invest heavily in the company. Northern Properties has, over the years, listed more than 11,000 properties and is looking forward to doubling that number in the near future. While retaining a focus on the northern part of the island, with localities such as Mellieħa, St. Paul’s Bay, Qawra, Mġarr, Żebbiegħ, Manikata and Xemxija, it now also includes in its portfolio a good number of properties from central areas, mainly catering for residential properties. And in the next few years, the partners expect that the agency will become a recognised brand in the Central region of Malta as well.

Northern Properties headquarters

The company is set for growth. Founded on an experienced team and equipped with new offices and the technical set-up, the partners highlight it is already attracting a good number of properties from previously untapped areas. They add that the firm has surpassed the milestone of more than a thousand sales, in addition to hundreds of rental agreements completed - a remarkable achievement when taking into account the size of the firm. Northern Properties is now in a position to expand further, including with the recruitment of more property sales consultants.   

The real estate sector has continued to develop, with no signs of abating. Damian, who started in the field way back in 2001, and Jeffrey who joined in St Paul's Bay in 2006, have seen various elements of this progress, noting that the various dynamic features of the country indicate that the sector will remain an important one in the years ahead. Indeed, they contend that “we have reached interesting and challenging times. We cannot see that property prices will go down in a market where land is very scarce, supply limited, and with construction and finishing prices on the rise.”

Northern Properties headquarters

Having said this, they predict that in the coming years, prices will stabilise “with potential price adjustments on the properties that may currently be on the market at a higher price than the market is ready to pay for.” All in all, the investment in Northern Properties continues to attest to their renewed commitment to the sector, one which is poised to continue growing from strength to strength.

The process to purchasing, and selling, property has its complexities. For the agents at Northern Properties, the partners share, it is a pleasure to assist a client along this journey, providing all-round support throughout, starting from the financing aspect, the actual search for the property and concluding upon reaching the aim for which the property has been purchased. In Jeffrey’s words, it “keeps the passion alight” to know that another person has been helped to attain their goal.

And that enthusiasm and dedication to excellence shows through in each step at Northern Properties. As part of the company’s rejuvenation, a branding exercise was undertaken, introducing a new logo with a striking element being the use of a traditional door.

Damian and Jeffrey share that this reflects the company’s values of wanting to conserve beautiful properties and highlight the best elements of Maltese architecture. Such values were clearly outlined when renovating the new prestigious headquarters.

And, rightly so, they carry this logo with pride, having set an example by heavily investing in the company’s own conservation project, catering for modern needs while retaining traditional Maltese features.

Looking ahead, the two main drivers of Northern Properties underline their strong belief in the property market, acknowledging that opportunities to work in this sector continue to grow by providing “an honest and best service as possible”. The relationship struck on the school benches close to three decades ago between Damian Galea and Jeffrey Sciberras, fused with the same ambitions and strengthened by trust, continues to reap results. And, as the family at Northern Properties continues to grow, now housed in a new and elegant home, one can expect more milestones to be reached.