Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Lipple.
Hi Jeff, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been drawn to business and investing. I began my career as a financial advisor and 401(k) retirement consultant, building a strong foundation in financial planning, investment strategy, and long-term wealth creation.
My real estate journey started in 2009 when I purchased my first home in Shelby Township, Michigan. It was a foreclosure and fixer-upper, bought during a time when special programs were encouraging first-time buyers to help restore neighborhoods impacted by the housing crash.
In 2013, I purchased my first investment property, a rental out in Kalamazoo, inspired by my friend and mentor Jeremy Cole, whom I met while attending Western Michigan University. Around that same time, I became active in the local real estate community by attending Renegade Detroit Investor meetups, hosted by friend Jeremy Burgess, where I learned from experienced investors and built relationships with others who shared my passion for real estate.
While continuing my career as a retirement consultant, I invested in real estate on the side, completing flips and short-term investment projects throughout Metro Detroit. In 2015, my brother Greg had the opportunity to purchase a fishing charter business, Island Charters MI, in Cedarville, Michigan, a place our family had loved and vacationed in for generations. Greg and I bought the business together, and it marked the beginning of my deeper connection to Northern Michigan as both a business owner and investor.
In 2016, I left my corporate career to pursue real estate full time. After several years of flipping homes and doing short-term projects, I realized I wanted to focus on acquiring long-term assets that could build lasting value and cash flow over time. That shift led me toward larger investment properties and hospitality real estate. After meeting Josh Sterling, a local guy, my age that was purchasing apartments, he gave me the knowledge and confidence to start going after bigger acquisitions.
In 2018, I had the opportunity to purchase a resort in Cedarville, a property my family had visited for years, with a group of partners. My wife Christine and I moved to Cedarville full time in 2020. That acquisition became a turning point. Soon after, my cousin Jack Schiefelbein left his finance career at General Motors to partner with me, and together, along with my brother Curt, my best friend Tony Regan, and other friends and family, we began building a portfolio of hospitality properties across Michigan.
Since then, we’ve acquired and operated properties including Papin’s Resort on Drummond Island, Tahquamenon Suites in Paradise, the Cedarville Hotel in Cedarville, Waterway Inn in Indian River and some motels in Sault Sainte Marie. Our goal is to continue investing in unique properties and communities we believe in throughout Michigan.
In addition to investing and operating hospitality properties, I also hold a real estate license and enjoy helping others buy and sell distinctive properties like ours. My background in finance, investing, and operations gives me a practical perspective on value, cash flow, and what makes a property work in the real world.
I’m passionate about building businesses, creating long-term value, and investing in places that people love.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a business owner and investor comes with a lot of ups and downs. You don’t necessarily get to clock out and no matter how hard you work, you’re not necessarily going to get a paycheck. Whether it’s boats or buildings or whatever equipment you use in your business. Things break, the weather doesn’t cooperate, housing markets go up and down, you and your business may have to fight to survive a recession or a global pandemic. You are no longer showing up around 40 hours a week and knowing exactly how much money you have coming in each month. You may work 100 hours a week and make nothing at times. You have to have a long term vision and goal in mind to keep you moving forward through the hard times. Ignore those that may doubt you and lean on and learn from people who are already doing the thing you want to do successfully.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Island View Resort is a place where friends and families gather to make memories, boating, fishing, swimming, hiking and laughing around a bonfire, while looking out on Cedarville Bay. We have 10 cabins, 7 RV sites, a dock and rental boats. We are located within the beautiful Les Cheneaux Islands, which is on the north end of Lake Huron, about 15 miles east of Mackinac Island.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’m not someone who necessarily wants to start something from scratch or reinvent the wheel. I love real estate because it’s nothing new and there are huge amounts of content on how to invest successfully. The thing I enjoy most about business is learning from people that are already doing the thing I want to do and doing it at a high level. Jeremy Cole was the first guy I knew my age that was investing in real estate. We met in college and he helped and inspired me to buy my first rental house, then duplex, then my first flip. My brother Greg’s passion and knowledge for fishing gave me the confidence to buy the charter from our friend Jason Perkins, who had successfully ran the charter with his dad Norm for 16 years. I met Mike Simmons and Mike Cowper through Jeremy’s meetup. They were the most successful guys I knew doing short term deals in Metro Detroit, so I partnered with them. Then I met Josh Sterling who was the most successful guy I knew buying commercial properties and learned from him and got the confidence to start buying commercial properties like the resorts, hotels and motels I now purchase. Having my cousin Jack Schiefelbein as a partner, along with our other partners has been huge in helping me to not feel overwhelmed or alone in all of these new undertakings. I think most of life is about building relationships. I’ve met and learned from so many great people, which has led to so many opportunities. I’m also lucky enough to have great parents and an awesome wife Christine that is supportive of me taking a less than traditional route in life.
Pricing:
- Cabins start as low as $124 a night
- RV sites for $200 a week
- Boat rentals as low as $300 a week
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ivr906.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islandviewresortmi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IslandViewResort906
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jeff.Lipple.RealEstate
- Other: https://cedarvillehotel.com
