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Fractional ownership is a concept that's akin to a timeshare, but often comes with deeded ownership. Dreaming of a place at the lake, but don’t want to shoulder the ­burden of maintaining it and paying for it ­yourself? For some, co-ownership through an unusual model called fractional ownership is the answer. It’s a concept that’s akin to a timeshare, but often comes with deeded ownership. Such arrangements were wildly popular before the recession, but the sector crashed exceptionally hard and has been among the last areas of the real estate industry to recover. Now there are signs that fractionals are starting to come back. “It’s as if a light switch was flipped,” said Lavonne Christensen, the sales agent for Odyssey Development in Duluth, which specializes in owning and managing resorts. While the volume of fractional transactions remains far below pre-recession levels, some think the concept is on the verge of a rebirth as millennials who have embraced the sharing economy start thinking about owning a place at the lake. Christensen pointed to one of her company’s properties, a small resort on the North Shore of Lake Superior, and said shares have been selling quickly. “I’m going to start a waiting [...]

Culture Club Fractional ownerships let urban tourists put down roots Even the most seasoned of tourists have left a city feeling like they missed something. In a foreign metropolis, a week or two leaves barely enough time to scratch the city’s surface. For a new breed of traveler, there’s a desire to move beyond a brief getaway to the beach and into an extended urban escape. With the unique opportunity to take up residence abroad in some of the world’s most enticing cultural hubs, fractional ownerships pick up where time-shares leave off. Visitors drawn to the bustling streets and infectious energy of cities may find that fractionals serve their needs in a way that a remote, private villa never could. Time-shares can tally upwards of a few dozen buyers who purchase the right to use a property for a week or two a year. Fractionals, on the other hand, offer residents prime ownership over elegant foreign real estate while limiting shares to three to six parties. Fewer buyers mean more time to gain cultural grounding and put down some temporary roots for a fraction of the cost of sole ownership. The properties are rare gems—plush apartments in sought-after downtown neighborhoods. [...]

Provo Paradise Melissa C Gillespie | Ocean Home Magazine La Percha is the newest luxury living experience in Turks & Caicos The allure of the British West Indies has entertained the the fantasies of royalty, aristocrats, and celebrities for centuries. Now, Providenciales (or Provo, as it's called by locals) in the Turks & Caicos Islands welcomes La Percha, a new luxury villa, to the prestigious Ocean Point Drive. Villa La Percha, a shared-ownership, resort-style home that sleeps eight guests, boasts four large bedrooms with patio or balcony access and awe-inspiring views, plus indoor and outdoor living space. On-site amenities include access to tennis courts and kayaks, a private dock, and ocean facing hot tub and fire pit, a private pool, a screened porch, an outdoor kitchen with a grill, and a gazebo. Steps from the villa, guests can wade in the shallow waters of Taylor Bay. La Percha's concierge is available at any time to arrange for restaurant reservations, in-villa spa treatments, or for activities like boating excursions and horseback riding. For a one-of-a-kind experience, take a trip to the only conch farm in the world, located right on Providenciales. Though the island has numerous restaurants nearby, dining at La [...]

Fractional Real Estate Ownership: Getting a Slice of a Vacation HomeBy Cindy Venegas | Published May 21, 2012 | FOXBusinessA new breed of vacation home ownership is gaining steam that allows individuals to share ownership of a property.Think of it like this: A whole pie may look delicious, but it doesn’t make financial sense to buy the entire dessert if you are just having a few bites.However, if you split the cost among several buyers and ensure that everyone gets a slice, then the purchase makes sense.That’s the theory behind fractional real estate ownership, in which second homes are purchased under a multi-owner structure and cost and access to the home is shared.“It allows you to create a connection between the time you spend in the home and the amount of money you pay for it,” says Andy Sirkin, a fractional homeowner and attorney who specializes in real estate co-ownership at Sirkin & Associates [www.andysirkin.com]. “It causes fewer headaches, costs less money and I still get everything I want.”The concept of fractional ownership may sound similar to a timeshare, however fractionals have fewer buyers which increases the amount of time available to each buyer and tend to be an option [...]

Dear Mark, Congratulations! Every year, FlipKey and Trip Advisor have the privilege of recognizing our leading vacation rental management clients – folks that go above and beyond within the vacation rental industry. […]

Elite Destination Homes made their national television debut on an episode of House Hunter’s International […]

I love real estate, especially real estate in Paris. I’ve bought and sold a place in Paris and now own a place near Bordeaux, and if I could I’d buy and fix up many more houses and apartments around the globe. It’s my second passion, right behind travel. So it’s only natural that I’d meet Kathryn Lynden, who like me is from the American Midwest, and who with a partner or two has bought 50-plus homes around the world, fixed them up and sold them as “fractionals.” […]