PEOPLE

MASTERS TO WATCH: FRANCOIS VERHOEVEN

1 december 2020Door MASTERS Redactie3 min lezen

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Francois Verhoeven, founder-owner of Ibiza Estates, tells MASTERS how he started his company and what it is like for him to do business during this period. "This crisis also offers its opportunities."

Francois Verhoeven, founder-owner of Ibiza Estates, MASTERS tells how he started his company and what it is like for him to do business during this period. “This crisis also offers its opportunities.”Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer | Online editor: Natasha Hendriks
Image: John van Helvert

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Francois: “When we acquired our first holiday home in Ibiza, intended for rental, I had a haircut and shave. My partner left because of the negative experiences, but luckily I continued with it. For me it was tuition. I learned all the pitfalls you can encounter when operating real estate on the island. Ultimately, I fought through it and gathered the right people around me. I wanted to prevent others from experiencing this. I thought: how nice it is to be met by a decent entrepreneur - who you can look in the face, who you can check on LinkedIn, who speaks your language, who knows the island like the back of his hand, who has a track record as an entrepreneur. and reliable person – can you help with investing in a second home? This is how Ibiza Estates was created, as a neutral purchasing advisor who knows how to guide you through the pitfalls. We take care of the entire purchasing process from A to Z and beyond. This also applies to people who want to sell their house. We will sell the property to other brokers listen, make sure it is visible all over the world, serve all viewings. The homeowner will only hear from us again when we have an offer for the asking price that we have determined together.”

Inflatable cinema

Francois: “We also do rental, both for our customers and for consumers. The most exclusive licensed houses for rent in Ibiza, approximately 200 in total, are in our portfolio. This includes the Titanium villa of deejay David Guetta and the villa of James Blunt. These are often only rented for longer periods. What do they cost? Around 100.000 and 200.000 euros per week respectively. There are plenty of people who are willing to do that. At the end of June, the family of artist Joseph Klibansky checked in. They made optimal use of our concierge service, called Upperclub Ibiza: they rented Jeeps, boats and had an inflatable cinema installed in the garden. All beanbags in front of the screen, floating candles in the pool, containers of popcorn in hand... Super cool!”

Good news

Francois: “In Ibiza the season starts in April. Corona threw a spanner in the works. We have refunded all customers who rented a house from us in April, May and June. And there were no sales for a while - after all, flying was not allowed and many of our customers themselves were affected. But also in this case, every disadvantage has its advantage. Objects that normally do not appear on the market suddenly become available, because many homeowners are forced to convert their second home into cash. That's nice for us. The demand is much greater than the supply. Moreover, it is reassuring to see that, as with the previous crisis, prices remain stable. That is not only good news for us, but also for the customer: he knows that his investment in Ibiza is stable. In short: this crisis also offers opportunities. When the borders opened again in June, applications flooded in. Ibiza was immediately the number one travel destination with bookings from the Netherlands. Logical: it is better to sit with your family in a spacious villa in Ibiza than to spend your days off at home in the rain or clammy heat. Our price includes two hours of cleaning per day and extra attention is paid to this during this corona time.”