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MASTERS TO WATCH: FRANCOIS VERHOEVEN

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. "Also this crisis offers its opportunities".Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer | Online Editor: Natasha Hendriks
Image: John van Helvert

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Francois: "When obtaining our first vacation home in Ibiza, intended for rental, I was cut and shaved. My partner got out because of the negative experience; I went ahead with it, fortunately. For me, it was lesson learned. I learned of all the pitfalls you can encounter when operating with real estate on the island. In the end, I fought my way through and gathered the right people around me. I wanted to prevent others from going through this. I thought: how nice is it when you can let a decent entrepreneur - who you can look in his 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 trustworthy person - help you invest in a second home? That's how Ibiza Estates was born, as a neutral buying guide who knows exactly how to guide you past the pitfalls. We take care of the entire buying process from A to Z, and beyond. This also applies to people who want to sell their house. We list the property with other real estate agents, make sure it is visible all over the world, serve all viewings. The homeowner doesn't hear from us again until we have an offer on the asking price we set together."

Inflatable cinema

Francois: "We also do rentals, both for our clients and to consumers. The most exclusive licensed houses for rent in Ibiza, about 200 in total, are in our portfolio. Among them are villa Titanium owned by deejay David Guetta and James Blunt's villa. These are often only rented out for longer periods. What do they cost? Respectively around 100,000 and 200,000 euros per week. There are plenty of people who are willing to pay that. In late June, the family of artist Joseph Klibansky checked in. They took full advantage 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, trays of popcorn in hand ... Super cool!"

Good news

Francois: "In Ibiza, the season starts in April. Corona threw a spanner in the works. We refunded all customers who had rented houses with us during the months of April, May and June. And there was also no selling for a while - after all, there was no flying allowed, and besides, many of our customers hit themselves. But in this case, too, every disadvantage has its advantage. Properties that would normally not appear on the market suddenly become available, as many homeowners are forced to convert their second homes to cash. This is pleasant for us. After all, demand far exceeds supply. Moreover, it is reassuring to see that, as in the previous crisis, prices remain stable. This is not only good news for us, but also for the client: he knows that his investment in Ibiza is stable. In short: this crisis also offers opportunities. When the borders reopened in June, the requests poured in. Ibiza was immediately the number one travel destination with bookings from the Netherlands. Logical: better to be with your family in a spacious villa on 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 in this corona time we pay extra attention to that."

MASTERS #43

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MASTERS #43