Halogen Guides consulted financial legal experts Mel Weinberger and Danica Kubick to break down two popular luxury home ownership alternatives: fractionals and destination clubs. Both have benefits and pitfalls, read on to see what they found. Luxury fractionals and destination clubs ... Read Full Article »

Consumers in the market for a luxury second home can choose from destination clubs, fractional residences and wholly-owned homes. Halogen Guides has outlined the top five reasons for why a consumer would choose each option. We also ... Read Full Article »

Halogen Guides takes a look at some of the fractional real estate opportunities in one of the country’s great vacation playgrounds: the Carolinas. Read Full Article »

Paula Gold-Nocella of Global/Quarters answers questions about fractional real estate from the perspective of a real estate insider with more than twenty years of experience. Read Full Article »

Paula Gold-Nocella of Global/Quarters answers questions about fractional real estate from the perspective of a real estate insider with more than twenty years of experience. Read Full Article »

The Halogen Guides network of websites is growing fast, and to better serve our readers we’ve put together a short and confidential reader survey. Read Full Article »

With the domestic real estate market in a slowdown, how are fractional properties in tried and true tourist destinations like San Francisco weathering the storm? Read Full Article »

Fractional developers are galloping after an increasingly lucrative vacation home buyer, the equestrian. Read Full Article »

Halogen Guides adds Cabo San Lucas to its lineup of destination guides, featuring details on current and future developments and what you need to know about buying in Mexico. Read Full Article »

A new partnership will turn over real estate management of the Orchard at Carneros Inn to Timbers Resorts, with new projects in Colorado, Squaw Mountain and Mexico to come. Read Full Article »

Preferred Residences has launched a new, branded exchange program for fractional developments, but will it offer convenience and scope where others have fallen short? Read Full Article »

Halogen Guides visits this luxury resort fractional development on the southern edge of Napa Valley. Read Full Article »

Famed luxury hotel the Little Nell continues to expand its reach into vacation real estate, despite the larger real estate slowdown. Read Full Article »

Fairmont is taking its residences and fractional brand to the Caribbean with a new development in the Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana region. Read Full Article »

Luxury developer Capella will offer whole and fractional ownership options at three of its upcoming resorts. Halogen Guides takes a look at what’s for sale and what you’ll pay. Read Full Article »

Hawaii has long been a second home destination for landlocked Midwesterners looking to escape frigid winters, and West Coast residents seeking a part-time escape. But for those looking to buy an island retreat there hasn’t been much choice beyond ... Read Full Article »

Some love the mountains, others crave the sun and sand of the beach. But for folks who choose to cruise, standard second home options like private residence clubs have not historically applied. Those looking for luxury at sea have ... Read Full Article »

Second home sales have taken a direct hit in the current real estate market slowdown, according the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) annual survey of investment and vacation home buyers. The realtors group, always eager to put a sunny spin on ... Read Full Article »

As the second installment of a two-part article on private residence clubs in Costa Rica, this piece will focus on clubs in the Southern regions of the country. Thanks in large part to its booming eco-tourism industry, Costa Rica—which is on ... Read Full Article »

Last week marked the eighth annual Ragatz Fractional Interest Conference, a yearly gathering of movers and shakers in the private residence club and destination club industries. First, the attendance numbers were impressive: over 700 people registered for the San Francisco conference, ... Read Full Article »

Bal Harbour was founded by Robert C. Graham sixty years ago as a “dream village,” and the community’s small size has never been exploited; developers have long adhered to a philosophy of “quality, not quantity” here, and the result is ... Read Full Article »

At the annual Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference this week, the expected sunny spin on the growth of the private residence club industry was shadowed by a grim reality. First Fractional Funding, a Greenwood Village, Colo.-based mortgage company that ... Read Full Article »

Destination clubs and fractional ownership properties are making the dream of turn-key living amid the rolling hills of Tuscany a reality for many vacation home seekers. From restored stone farmhouses in the Italian countryside to a 15th century palace ... Read Full Article »

With a steady stream of storms dumping foot after foot of snow in the Sierra Nevada this winter, Bay Area skiers have been flocking to the mountain resorts that ring Lake Tahoe. Just in time to capture that steady ... Read Full Article »

With invariably high demand, and often-staggering real estate prices, New York City is an ideal location for fractional ownership. It comes as no surprise then, that Millennium Partners has just launched the second phase of its Lincoln Square private residence ... Read Full Article »

In a survey released today, Slingerlands, N.Y-based market researcher Reach Advisors finds that many owners of private residence clubs (PRCs) are dissatisfied with the availability of reservations and would not recommend the purchase to friends. The survey, which focused ... Read Full Article »

Private residence clubs offer a fractional ownership model that’s become increasingly popular for those who enjoy flexible use in a specific destination. Folio Collection, which opened its Isle de France property on St. Bart’s in 2004, is in the process ... Read Full Article »

Ah, Florence. The museums, the shopping, the food. Most of the time, visiting this urban center of Tuscany means booking a luxury hotel—months in advance, if you’re looking to go during the high tourist season. With the upcoming opening of ... Read Full Article »

As the first of a two-part article on private residence clubs in Costa Rica, this piece will focus on clubs in the Northern and Central regions of the country. Thanks in large part to its booming eco-tourism industry, Costa Rica—which is ... Read Full Article »

San Francisco, the universally beloved City by the Bay, is starting to see some much deserved attention from big-name luxury developers in the fractional market. With Ritz-Carlton Club and Fairmont Heritage Place both opening San Francisco properties in early ... Read Full Article »

It’s hard not to fall in love with the chic tourist lifestyle and warm breezes of the Caribbean, but whole ownership of a second home in this tropical paradise comes with its fair share of drawbacks. Opulent vacation homes, ... Read Full Article »

Whether you’re a long-term suburbanite with big city dreams or simply an urban dweller with the desire to adopt more of a globetrotting lifestyle, a pied-à-terre has an undeniable appeal. But as an alternative to buying a city crash pad, ... Read Full Article »

Susan Kime is a writer and editor for luxury publications. She has extensive experience covering shared ownership real estate. As a guest contributor to Helium Report, Susan will write a biweekly column, Luxury Real Estate Insider, tracking trends in ... Read Full Article »

It usually happens after that first glimpse of the Sacre Coeur while strolling through Montmartre, or with a single bite of a warm pain au chocolat. You don’t have to be a Francophile to fall in love with Paris, but ... Read Full Article »

The growth of private residence clubs has mirrored the explosion of second home real estate communities. As affluent buyers turned towards vacation home real estate, developers responded with luxury communities and newer shared ownership options that put a high-end ... Read Full Article »

The arrival of winter means one thing to golf enthusiasts: Time to pack up the clubs and head south. Luxury golf residence clubs with fractional ownership homes allow golfers to own a piece of golfing paradise and enjoy full-service, resort-style ... Read Full Article »

Private jets for well-heeled billionaires keep getting bigger and faster. Business jet maker Aerion confirmed the first orders for its $80 million supersonic business jet, tapping into what serious long range business travelers seek: speed. According to an Aerion Corporation press ... Read Full Article »

It’s called Ski Town USA for a reason. Steamboat Springs has long been a popular alternative to resorts in Vail and Aspen and the outdoor terrain in this northern Colorado mountain town is good enough to have attracted numerous ... Read Full Article »

As one of the more easily accessible Caribbean islands from the U.S., Grand Cayman certainly has its appeal as a vacation home setting. And for second home shoppers looking for their own slice of pristine beach there is new luxury ... Read Full Article »

Home to Deer Valley Resort—named the number one ski resort in North America by Ski Magazine in September 2007—Park City, Utah has long been the alpine destination of choice for savvy outdoor enthusiasts. Now that December has arrived, snow bunnies ... Read Full Article »

Fractional jet provider Flight Options ordered nearly $1 billion worth of Phenom 300 light jets from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. With this order Flight Options, which currently has a fleet of 140 planes, will add 100 jets to its stables ... Read Full Article »

The Dominican Republic, once a distant second fiddle to such Caribbean destinations as St. Thomas and Anguilla, has confidently stepped into the spotlight thanks to an impressive crop of luxury resort developments, 21 golf courses (including designer courses by Dye, ... Read Full Article »

As fractional luxury yacht ownership continues to grow in popularity, so do the options for consumers. Last week yacht management company SharedYachts announced a three year partnership with Black Pearl Yacht Sales to extend their fractional ownership yacht inventory. SharedYachts currently ... Read Full Article »

With successful real estate developments in fractional-heavy locales like Aspen and Hawaii, Ritz-Carlton is now headed south to Miami. Scheduled for completion in 2009, the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, South Beach, will consist of several oceanfront towers, one of which ... Read Full Article »

Admittedly it’s tough to imagine growing tired of week long stays at a luxury home on Barbados, but a growing network of fractional ownership exchange networks are betting that buyers of such shared ownership properties will crave vacation diversity. Fractional ... Read Full Article »

Mammoth Mountain, tucked into the eastern Sierra Nevadas, has largely been a ski resort destination for Los Angelenos willing to make a five hour drive for premium snow. Since the resort lacks regular commercial air service, it has been relegated ... Read Full Article »

Private jet companies seem eager to make use of the new Eclipse 500 very light jet. At $1.6 million, it’s already the most affordable jet on the market, and access to the private flyers will undoubtedly only increase as fractional ... Read Full Article »

A condo in Cabo never looked so boring. Perched on the end of a man made, palm-shaped island in the Middle East, a new private residence club is rising. Touting itself as the first fractional development in Dubai, ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is Helium Report’s monthly column looking at new and existing fractional real estate developments and private residence clubs. Each week, we’ll take a look at a shared ownership development, detail what’s available and give readers our perspective on ... Read Full Article »

Financing a fractional ownership property isn’t nearly as straightforward as typical mortgage financing. In fact mortgage industry expert, Bob Waun said that most big banks don’t offer loans for buying a fractional residence. “Very few lenders will finance fractional interests,” ... Read Full Article »

Aside from outright purchase of a private jet, there are four formats of private aviation: Fractional Ownership You buy a share of a plane, with the price pro-rated from the market price of a full aircraft. As an owner, you have guaranteed ... Read Full Article »

Private jet company XOJet has been on the move this week. On September 24th they inked a $600 million deal with Cessna for 30 new Citation X jets – only to be outdone by September 25th’s announcement that the ... Read Full Article »

Forbes writer Lauren Kerensky soundly confirms that private jets are gaining popularity among travel-savvy business travelers. They’re not just items of ultra-luxury anymore. Innovative ways of flying privately have gained footing, as fractional ownership and on-demand charter programs offer viable ... Read Full Article »

San Francisco Bay-Area based private jet company, XOJet, announced a $600 million deal for 30 new medium-sized Citation X jets from Cessna today. XOJet’s fleet is expected to consist of 47 Citation X business jets – the fastest on the market ... Read Full Article »

Some of the biggest names in the luxury yacht industry showed their wares as perfect weather fell on perfect tans in Newport Beach for the 2007 Lido Yacht Expo earlier this month. Helium Report was there to get the latest ... Read Full Article »

On the coattails of Avantair’s carbon offset announcement, fractional ownership jet provider, NetJets Europe, just announced a major eco-travel initiative. In addition to regular membership costs, all new and existing private jet clients will be required to pay around €4,000 ... Read Full Article »

The Financial Times turned their sights on the fractional ownership trend in the luxury home market this month. Lucia van der Post’s article in the supplemental magazine, How to Spend It, highlights some well-established luxury fractionals, and makes the case ... Read Full Article »

How realistic was Vinnie Chase’s Marquis Jet experience? On a recent episode of the HBO series Entourage, a canceled flight leaves star Vincent Chase and his buddies stranded just as they’re headed to Cannes for the film festival. What’s talent ... Read Full Article »

In a move similar to Blockbuster Video’s “No More Late Fees” initiative, private jet provider NetJets will announce today that ferry fees will be eliminated for its fractional ownership customers. As Joe Sharkey observes in the New York Times, this is ... Read Full Article »

Fractional jet card provider Marquis Jet gets the spotlight on webcast Marquis Jet’s founder and CEO Kenny Dichter recently got fifteen minutes of web fame. He sat down with journalist Andrew Shapiro, as part of CIT and Condé Nast Media Group’s ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is a new column written by Susan Kime, an experienced luxury lifestyle journalist. As a guest contributer to Helium Report, Susan will periodically share her insights into various resorts and fractional real estate options. An avid world traveler, Ms. ... Read Full Article »

Private jets are a first-choice for affluent travelers, but the environmental impact has posed a dilemma for the ecologically-minded. How can one justify the personal comfort and convenience offered by private jets against the global repercussions of green-house gas emissions? ... Read Full Article »

In exploring the fractional jet ownership model, we spoke with a number of clients and consultants, as well as the companies themselves. Our conclusions were guided by two dominant themes: No company has demonstrated a sustainably profitable business model All companies face ... Read Full Article »

Luxury travelers never had it so good. The Financial Times’ monthly magazine, How to Spend It, recently focused on the increasing popularity of purchasing islands. While motivations to own a private island once revolved around status recognition, it is turning ... Read Full Article »

The complications of home ownership in Paris has thwarted more than a few attempts at American pied-à-terre seekers, but as Andrea Vaucher of The New York Times explains, luxury fractionals look like a viable alternative. Luxury Fractionals Within Reach The high cost ... Read Full Article »

Jet Expert is a column from experts in the field like Craig Bowers. Craig is the President of JetForward Aviation, an aviation portfolio management firm. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, and an MS Degree in ... Read Full Article »

After completing the purchasing process, the next move at a luxury fractional is to make reservations. Peak vacation times could bear on your reservations, so know the ropes. Helium Report breaks down some of the essentials for you below: The Reservation The ... Read Full Article »

Thomas Keller, with seven combined Michelin stars in his five restaurants, is one of the most acclaimed American chefs of our time. Although he doesn’t provide personal chef services, a few luxury fractionals in the San Francisco area can bring ... Read Full Article »

An age-old English getaway – the cottage – has gone fractional, introducing another real-estate asset that’s up for shared ownership. Penhaven Estate is a private residence club located about four hours from London, and a few miles from the sea. Europe’s ... Read Full Article »

Financial advisors and managers are starting to see the value in fractional real estate ownership. When compared to whole ownership, it’s not surprising. For a start, it ties up less capital, leaving more for investment purposes; a point that we’ve ... Read Full Article »

When considering fractional ownership, it’s not enough to just find the perfect private residence club, prospective buyers need to know the process of purchasing the residence. A word to the wise – the best pricing is offered in the earliest ... Read Full Article »

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Carolyn Said turned her sights on Napa’s luxury private residence club, the Orchard at Carneros Inn in Sunday’s front page of the real estate section. Helium Report’s lead analyst, Jamie Cheng, gave sound advice to second ... Read Full Article »

An ever-popular subject among travelers, private jets aren’t just oversized toys for the jet set anymore. In a June 14th article, The Economist turned its attention to private jet travel. While noting the growth in private jet use among executives, ... Read Full Article »

Real Estate: State of the Lake Tahoe Market When considering where to buy homes in the Lake Tahoe area, Helium Report asserts that market research is essential. Tom Bruno, a Coldwell Banker broker with 30+ years of experience in the Lake ... Read Full Article »

Anyone who thinks that it’s just wealthy housewives deciding what to do with their husbands’ money should consider this fact: more and more, it’s younger and single women who are leading the trend of second home ownership, according to an ... Read Full Article »

Fractionals Lure in the Top Brands Shared ownership is a crowd-pleaser lately in the luxury vacation market, according to Ragatz & Associates, among others. Private residence clubs – the developments that offer these fractional ownership opportunities – are thriving in diverse ... Read Full Article »

Neiman-Marcus and Bergdorf-Goodman shoppers can now earn rewards points toward fractional private jet ownership. Thanks to an exclusive partnership between Marquis Jet and The Neiman Marcus Group, one million InCircle rewards points, can be earned by shopping at the high-end ... Read Full Article »

Top-of-the-Line Homes Don’t Demand a Blockbuster Budget Ultra-luxurious vacation homes dominate the white beaches of Cabo, a consistently top-ranked vacation destination. No big surprise then, that A-list celebs like George Clooney and Gwynneth Paltrow live the good life at Esperanza Resort, ... Read Full Article »

Is the private jet industry on the verge of a decline? That’s the question posed in a recent article appearing in Business Week. Private Jet travel has boomed in recent years, with business jets sales soaring 185% over the annual ... Read Full Article »

In a USA Today article this week, Aaron Dalton of Forbes Traveler gave two thumbs up for fractional private jets. With more luxury consumers living by the mantra “time is money,” fractional jets have become a viable and justifiable option ... Read Full Article »

Eilene Zimmerman of the New York Times put the spotlight on fractional ownership and destination clubs on Sunday (July 1st) in her Travel section article. Luxury vacationers typically buy into the fractional ownership or destination club concept for the economic ... Read Full Article »

Destination clubs, condo hotels, and fractional ownership private residence clubs will be attractive to different types of travelers. When deciding what is right for you, consider what your needs are; How big of a group do you travel ... Read Full Article »

Luxury goods marketers spend a good deal of time honing their pitch; positioning their goods and services in a restrained and dignified manner that resonates with their clientele. But the pressure of “making the numbers” and the gut instincts of ... Read Full Article »

Ben Stein’s column It Ain’t Easy Being Rich in Conde Nast’s Portofolio magazine attempts to enlighten the have-lesses of the drudgery of wealth. The sometimes-actor and always-economist spends the bulk of his time bemoaning the tedium and overhead associated with ... Read Full Article »

The concept of a timeshare is well-known among second-home owners, but the concept of a fractional – or a private residence club – is demonstrably not. A study this year by the American Affluence Center reported only 33% of their ... Read Full Article »

For all twelve customers out there, we’ve got a few updates on the largest of the private jets: the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) and the Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). Currently only the Boeing Business Jet is on the menu for ... Read Full Article »

The Miami real estate market, emblematic of the boom, is now partially symbolic of what is happening in the downturn. Affluent consumers seeking second home alternatives should reference a May 6th article in the New York Times. Some of the ... Read Full Article »

Helium Report is testing a new service for our readers. We frequently receive emails asking for advice on fractional ownership options, including destination clubs, residence clubs, condo hotels, and private jets. Try the instant message feature below to chat real-time with ... Read Full Article »

Earlier this month, the Edge Group announced that it was canceling the planned W Las Vegas mixed-use project. First proposed in 2005 for a 2008 opening, the project plan included 3,000 condo hotel units, 10 restaurants and nightclubs, a 75,000 ... Read Full Article »

A notable 1.1 million wealthy (top 10%) Americans will be in the market for a second home this year, the American Affluence Research Center reported. Yet “about 6 in 10 of the affluent… indicate no familiarity with either the private ... Read Full Article »

A three-year wait is not what most consumers bargain for when they plan to spend $30 million for a megayacht. Moreover, the megayachts that do get built are sometimes marked up with yacht flipping premiums, described last week in ... Read Full Article »

This is a complex topic, so if you’re looking for simplicity in jet travel, download our free decision guide, then contact a provider and let them know you prize simplicity and flexibility. However, if you’re willing to spend some extra time, ... Read Full Article »

Discovery is a weekly look at projects, planned or under construction, featuring luxury vacation properties around the world. Discovery content is independent and not paid for by the featured company. Discovery’s aim is to provide objective information and to help ... Read Full Article »

Purchasing a fractional property and joining a private residence club only makes sense for certain types of consumers. Helium Report delineates some pros and cons of the fractional model. Private residence clubs typically offer members 20-60 days of usage, depending on ... Read Full Article »

By Todd Smith, MBA, Haas School of Business One of the investment advantages of owning real estate is that an investor can defer paying taxes on the profitable sale of a property. Savvy investors use a deferred exchange, or 1031 ... Read Full Article »

General Info About Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas, the neighboring town of San Jose Del Cabo, and “The Corridor” in between are collectively called Los Cabos. Los Cabos is located on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, about 1,000 miles ... Read Full Article »

Spotlight is a weekly look at projects, planned or under construction, featuring luxury vacation properties around the world. Spotlight content is independent and not paid for by the featured company. Spotlight’s aim is to provide objective information and to help ... Read Full Article »

Until recently, the ‘Residential Cruise Ship’ concept was represented by one ship, the five-year old The World. Now there are at least four additional ships that are in various stages of development. Here’s a quick rundown to get you started. ... Read Full Article »

A few months ago we commented on the practice of over-charging for jet fuel. In fairness, this over-charging is often to compensate for under-charging elsewhere, as no one’s making Exxon-like profits in private aviation (except Exxon). One reader pointed out the ... Read Full Article »

According to Kevin O’Leary at Jet Advisors, the Citation Excel has maintained 104% of its value over the last five years – not bad considering that most planes will average about 70-80% of their original value, when sold by the ... Read Full Article »

Last week we mentioned the cutoff for new customers hoping to travel for Thanksgiving. The industry is rolling into the busiest part of the year, with the highest concentration of flight requests: Thanksgiving and Christmas, followed by ski weekends ... Read Full Article »

You don’t get to be big without attracting the attention of “certain somebodies,” and NetJets is no exception. Last year, the company concluded labor negotiations with the Teamsters after a five-year negotiation featuring the customary pageantry: pickets at airports and ... Read Full Article »

We’ve noted previously the variety of programs offered by fractional provider Flexjet. Flight Options has also become more aggressive in reconfiguring its fractional ownership and membership program, which the company calls JetPASS Ultimate Travel. JetPASS Ultimate Travel We’ll start with the card ... Read Full Article »

Over at forbes.com, Rich Karlgaard discusses The Private Jet Boom, rehashing the dysfunction of commercial air travel and the disinterest of former first-class full-fare customers. Karlgaard mentions the exciting very light jet (VLJ) developments from Eclipse, Adam, Cessna, Honda and ... Read Full Article »

A key cost driver for all fractional providers is the use of “supplemental lift,” a fancy term for third-party charter planes. These planes are required for peak travel periods, when many fractional owners demand their entire plane at the same ... Read Full Article »

In preparing our forthcoming Decision Guide to Private Aviation (available here), we’ve spoken with a number of private owners whose plane portfolio resembles their garage portfolio: different vehicles for different needs. An owner of a Gulfstream V may nonetheless purchase ... Read Full Article »

Helium Report broke the news recently of difficulties at Tanner & Haley’s fractional destination club, a situation which has since deteriorated to bankruptcy. T&H was the first fractional destination club, and is the second largest, behind Exclusive Resorts. Its bankruptcy ... Read Full Article »