Peter and Iris Robinson have lost hundreds of thousands on an investment in Florida real estate, it has been revealed.

Northern Ireland's First Minister and his controversial wife bought a luxury home near Orlando Airport at the height of the Florida boom, according to the Irish Independent.

The house then was valued at $600,000 dollars, but is now worth only $380,000, according to local real estate agents

A similar house beside the Robinson home sold for just $350,000 recently.

It was from the Florida home that Iris Robinson sent many of the incriminating texts to an advisor about her torrid affair with then 19-year-old Kirk McCambley. The losses on the house may also explain why she was so urgently demanding money back from her lover, who she helped set up as a restaurant owner.

The Robinsons bought the house in the summer of 2008; just before the real estate crash sent properties tumbling with Florida one of the worst hit states.

The property is described as a holiday villa with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Peter Robinson is said to spend considerable time in Florida, especially during winter breaks.