Kindred Spirits

Anke Rice, Founder of AR Luxury Real Estate, reflects on her passion for property and why living on the White Isle leaves no shortage of design inspiration

A true cosmopolite, I was born in Germany and spent my formative years in New York. I came to Europe as a teenager and enjoyed living in London, Paris, Munich, Madrid, Neuchatel and Monte Carlo. I first landed in Ibiza during a trip on my uncle’s sailboat in 1977; it was love at first sight. I knew then and there that Ibiza was going to play a major role in my life, and our family moved to the island in 1987.

Having studied law and banking, I later moved into interior design projects, which became both a passion and a profession. My son Maximilian – who has been working for one of the top real-estate investment funds in Miami over the last few years – and I founded AR Luxury Real Estate. This is our family business platform, showcasing our portfolio of high-end properties in both Ibiza and Kitzbühel for rental and sales.

My sons Maximilian and Christopher grew up in Ibiza before attending boarding schools in England and Switzerland. The island is a paradise for children – the freedom, the international aspect of the island and the many languages spoken here, are all a big plus in their education. The collective awareness and cultural unity found in Ibiza make life on this unique island, embedded in the Mediterranean and in the heart of Europe, very special.

Some 140,000 people are island residents, of which approximately 40,000 are foreigners, while roughly 6 million annual passengers pass through the airport in the peak summer months between May and October. The island is also now a prime destination on the international circuit, and its private jet terminal has seen an increase in flight traffic of 441% compared to last year with an estimated 80 - 120 private jets landing per day in July and August. This makes the White Isle one of the busiest private jet destinations in Europe. All are drawn by the island’s ever-growing number of five-star hotels, world-class cuisine and entertainment, as well as a new superyacht marina, which is set to turn the destination into one of the leading marinas in the Mediterranean.

As a result of Ibiza’s status as a leading luxury destination, the high-end real-estate segment here has been relatively immune to the global economic cycles experienced over the last decades. And we believe that there is still significant upside for prime real estate to appreciate. This is thanks to Ibiza’s geographical placement within Europe, its accessibility from most major cities, the limited supply of top-end property, extremely restricted planning permissions and beneficial tax breaks for foreign investors, including capital gains, inheritance and stamp duty.

Our properties in Ibiza are managed and run as five-star hotels. Nowadays it’s not sufficient to solely offer an upscale villa; our clients expect to receive the complete luxury experience. We specialise in providing top-of-the-range concierge services, private chauffeurs, experienced chefs and efficient maid services.

Inventory for high-end product has risen, although it hasn’t accelerated as fast as the demand, so we focus on differentiating ourselves from the competition. We pride ourselves on discretion, attention to detail and servicing our clients to the best of our ability. Our efforts don’t go unnoticed: roughly 80% of our client base is repeat and our occupancy levels rise every season. Due to the lack of transparency in the marketplace and certain agents charging unacceptable commissions without delivering dependable services, we also directly facilitate our clients with other reliable villas when ours are fully booked. We believe there is real value in strengthening relationships with our clients and focusing long term.

Our extensive experience leads us to be confident in the growing value of the luxury real-estate market in Ibiza, which we believe will only appreciate further in the years to come. Every year we travel the world extensively in search of another Ibiza, but so far we have never found another place that combines all of the unique attributes this tiny island in the Mediterranean has to offer. www.arrluxuryealestate.com