New York Times: Fractional ownership--a concept that gained popularity during the height of the real estate market . . . has trickled down to individual homeowners. Teaming up with a friend to buy a beach house or ski cabin is nothing new, of course, but these owners are trying to trim the cost of mortgage payments, insurance, taxes and maintenance, all while tapping into the equity in the house by selling off multiple stakes in their property . . .
Alaska Airlines Magazine: Purchasing a vacation property with multiple buyers can give a buyer access to a development he or she wouldn't be able to afford otherwise--and owners also value the flexibility and variety this type of ownership gives them . .
In Paris, Owning an
Eleventh of an Apartment
New York Times: Although the concept of fractional ownership has been slow to catch on in Europe, real estate experts say that Americans looking to buy abroad are increasingly exploring group properties, in response to economic uncertainty and the all-time-low exchange rates of the dollar . . .
New York Times: “You could do a time share, in which you usually buy by weeks and are relegated to using that week in the same place, or trading it,” said Bridget McCrea, co-author of “Second Homes for Dummies.” “A fractional is more flexible: you own shares, and you have more access and more hands-on ownership. And I’ve heard of people buying a second home with friends . . .
Paris Pied-a-Terre at a Fraction of the Cost
San Francisco Chronicle: Under the terms of fractional ownership, they could stay in the apartment four weeks a year, which - because they own a condominium in San Francisco and a contemporary home in the Carmel Valley - would probably be all the time they would spend in it even if they owned the whole thing . . .
A Less-Expensive Way to Own
in Paris
New York Times: Through a San Francisco-based attorney, the couple purchased shares, which can be sold or transferred, in a Delaware limited liability company that owns the French Société Immobilière Civile, or incorporated company, that owns the apartment. “All of the management headaches that kept us from buying the apartment last year will be taken care of . . .
Fractional Fairy Tales: Vacation TICs are Big Business
San Francisco Chronicle: Second homes suck up money, time and patience -- sometimes more than homeowners actually have. But now there's another option, one that allows people to have their slice and share it, too. It's the fractional fairy tale, or the vacation tenancy-in-common (TIC). Unlike a multiunit TIC, in which each owner owns a share of the property, a vacation TIC allows owners to create their own time-share . . .
Shared sale of Hawaii properties hits market
Honolulu Advertiser: In a developing trend, $250,000 now also can buy ownership of a luxury condo or oceanfront home in some of the state's ritziest neighborhoods. Growing numbers of local real-estate agents have recently begun marketing "fractional ownership" of homes where up to six buyers purchase interests, allowing each one to use the property 60 days a year . . .
French Property News: Could shares in a French property be the solution for those wanting freedom of use as well as investment?