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 residence or destination club concepts,” according to the Center’s study.

Helium Report has prepared some indispensable resources for prospective second-home owners. Alternatives like destination clubs and private residence clubs can offer similar benefits to second-home ownership. Some helpful tools include:

For destination clubs:

• Decision guide to destination clubs
• Destination club finder widget
• Destination club directory
• Cost-per-night analysis (an online calculator)
• A comparison to the cost of owning a second home
• Online map of destination club home locations

For private residence clubs:

• Private residence club directory
• Pros and cons of fractional ownership

Among the survey respondents familiar with destination clubs, 67% recognized Exclusive Resorts and 37% recognized Private Escapes. The third most-recognized brand was Portofino, at 19%. These numbers closely correlate to the AARC’s survey in spring 2005.

Photo from the LUSSO Collection