Para Reformar

Refurbishing a house in Ibiza is not for the faint of heart. You've heard the stories. You know the reputation.

But here we are.

Because back home, looking out of your grey window wallpaper, you catch yourself putting "Sal de Ibiza" on your eggs, sipping "Café de Ibiza", and reading the "Diario de Ibiza" with Idealista push notifications on high alert. And you realise, something's itching.

You need a house in Ibiza.

A good location, decent papers, and an excellent architect / interior designer (we may know someone…) will guarantee that every euro you pour — pun intended — into your renovation will come back to you, and then some. Because the inflation-corrected gain on a tasteful renovation in Ibiza is hard to beat.

High risk, high reward. Paciencia.

And when you decide not to sell, which is what most people end up doing anyway, your home value appreciates with every day that goes by. Because Ibiza is an addiction. It starts with coming over twice a year. Two turns into five. Then you find yourself extending the summer into October, the winter into February, and before you know it your closest friends, fools and family are following suit, asking their experienced Island friend how to get their NIE sorted.

So keep this in mind when you experience that cheeky little price hike at your favourite chiringuito ("wasn't the dorada €23 last year, honey?"), and you'll happily pay la cuenta knowing full well the same spike applies to your finca renovation.

Scarcity matters. And Ibiza has always been in fashion somewhere in the world since the first bohemians settled here in the fifties and sixties. Geopolitical shifts, ever-changing living trends, and lifestyle pilgrimages ensure that for every soul leaving the island (they never really leave, do they?) there is an influx of new and enthusiastic arrivals looking to get hold of one of the seventy thousand houses on the island — many of them ready for a full renovation, with some TLC from yours truly.

So consider yourself part of the lucky few if you get to refurbish a house here. The gain comes with the pain.

Next time you're at the local bar you can join the conversation (there are only two: budget and timing) with your trigger-happy renovating compadres, telling them wartime stories about how you proudly survived the renovation alongside your trusted architect.

It's your medal of honour. Wear it with pride.

"No Hay Prisa, Es Ibiza."

Photo & Credits: Can G finca renovation by Studio Go, photography by Backlight Ibiza. Available for sale with Mudita Consulting.