Fitness entrepreneur Rob Lipsett set his sights on Spain when lockdown hit and gyms shut their doors, but what started as an escape, ended in permanent relocation and a brand new business.
The 32-year-old Youtuber and online business owner struck gold when he and his now wife Linda Smyth stumbled across a Puerto Banús villa that came with a surprisingly low price tag.
Albeit, the underpriced luxurious property on the sunny Costa del Sol needed a lot of TLC but with a little luck, a large down payment and a run-in with the local council, Rob managed to turn Villa Lipsett into an oasis he never wants to sell - despite receiving an offer worth almost €2 million.
In the brand new issue of RSVP Home, Rob shared his lucky encounter that helped bag a bargain.
"We had a friend who works in property here and this place went on the market and it was just the most crazy offer ever. The previous owners were in their 80s from the Netherlands and they didn't have internet. I don't think they understood the general price of what a detached villa with a swimming pool goes for in Marbella.
"So we went and looked at it and there were Ferraris and Lambos outside, people richer than me trying to buy it. Because we're friends with everyone in the office, the broker goes, “Look, if you give us 10 grand today, even though loads of people are making an offer, we'll just give it to you”. So I was like, yes, no brainer. This place was well under a million. We bought it the day it went live".
Rob explained that he had a budget of "around €91,000" to carry out the renovations of the villa, and not long after he was offered almost four times what he purchased the property for.
"Someone tried to buy it last month, I was just chilling in my front garden and I heard a bang on the gate. It was two British women from Marbella Dream Living, a real estate agent down the road, and they go, 'We've someone that wants to buy it. We saw it on Instagram and we figured out where it is'.
"They had a look around and said they have this buyer that had seen it online - they offered €1.8 million which is three, four times what I originally bought it for. But I said no. I can't imagine living anywhere else because I've made it like a little fitness productivity hub for myself".
Read Rob's interview in full in the brand new issue of RSVP Home, out now
English (US) ·