Pro athletes make a sport of real estate
Ross Rebagliati may be known as the first snowboarder to win Olympic gold, but his real estate investments have put him at the top of his game.
Mr. Rebagliati made his first purchase at 20, when he bought a Whistler, B.C., home for $200,000, using racing prize money as a small down payment. He later sold the property for $385,000 and that’s when, he says, a “light bulb went off.” He realized that real estate could be more lucrative than the $50,000 a year he was making as a professional snowboarder.
Today he owes his success to a series of property investments, including the ones he’s made in Kelowna Mountain resort, where he’s also director of its snowboard and skiing academy. He shares a passion for real estate with his wife Alexandra, the realtor in the family.