Ever fall in love with a house while driving by, but can’t find out any sales information? Check out Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate’s new iPhone App to solve your problem. Our new App includes the ability to search properties by GPS or MLS. You can also scroll through new listings, recent sales and recently reduced listings. Visit the iTunes Store or click here for more information. Download it today!
Interval ownership, also called fractional or vacation ownership, is fast becoming the real estate “wave of the future” as families, empty nesters and savvy investors alike see vacation home options that work with their lifestyle and their budget.
Interval ownership offers an individual owner the option to purchase a share of a property; the size of the share varies by property and by the amount the buyer is willing to pay. The interval owner enjoys priorities and privileges – reduced rates, VIP access on holidays and income sharing – while a management company maintains the property.
Benefits of Interval Ownership
Amenities, amenities, amenities
Interval buyers pay a relatively small amount to purchase access to (or a share of) a beautiful vacation home. You don’t have to compromise quality, amenities or service while on vacation. My listing at One Willow Bridge Road, for example, offers amenities that include a fitness room, hot tub, and pool (and – perhaps most compelling – it’s located in the heart of Vail Village).
Or consider the Four Seasons Residence Club Vail, which employs a 24-hour concierge service for anticipating travel needs, scheduling reservations, spa appointments, and tee times; twice-daily housekeeping; a full-service spa; heated outdoor pool with heated towels and warmed bathrobes; and all the other incredible amenities of the Four Seasons resort. They even stock your pantry with your favorite foods and display your personal photographs and other mementos to welcome you “home.”
Stress-free ownership
Who wants to spend their vacation cleaning or making repairs? In an interval ownership, none of the owners are individually responsible for the cleaning, maintenance, or repairs. Their annual usage fee pays the management company to take care of that upkeep for them. While this can raise the total annual cost of ownership, that additional cost is divided between all of the owners –so each individual owner often ends up paying less overall.
So interval owners can enjoy cleaner, better maintained, and more up-to-date vacation homes than their whole ownership counterparts – all at a lower individual total cost of ownership. Plus, perhaps most importantly –stress-free visits to their favorite getaway spot!
Exclusive resorts
Fractional ownership allows buyers to buy into exclusive resort areas they otherwise could not afford. Real estate prices in many premier vacation areas have been increasing at dizzying rates due to excess demand and lack of supply (yes, even in this market). Fractional ownership lets buyers of relatively modest means purchase in these desirable locations. In Vail, the Ritz Carlton, the Four Seasons, The Sebastian and the Vail Mountain Lodge offer beautiful facilities and outstanding amenities at a fraction of the price. And, properties like the The Sebastian offer trading privileges with other resorts – which means you can vacation one year on the slopes and the next in wine country. Truly, the options are limitless.
Diversify your portfolio
While a vacation home likely won’t give you the same income stream as a true investment property, interval ownership in a vacation property can allow you to benefit from future price appreciation and, sometimes, to collect rental income.
To recap: Interval home ownership in Vail offers uncompromising amenities (and often location, location, location) at a fraction of what you would pay for whole ownership. Plus, it can be a stress-free alternative to owning a vacation home in full – and a great way to diversify your real estate investments.
Despite our cooling temperatures, the Vail real estate market is heating up. September marked the highest number of real estate transactions in Eagle County thus far in 2011 and the most monthly transactions since October of 2008. Year to date, 57% of all transactions have been for $500,000 or less – exactly where interval properties are typically priced!
So if you’ve been thinking about buying an interval in the Vail Valley, now may be the time. Fractional inventory is still high and prices are still low – for now.
For more information on the properties mentioned in this article or other fractional properties in the Vail Valley, give me a call at (970) 331-1806 or email lleeds@slifer.net.
Reason #1: We Are the Vail Valley’s Oldest, Largest and Most Diverse Real Estate Firm. As Vail’s original real estate firm, SSF offers knowledge and insight into the local real estate market no other company can provide. For more than 45 years, we have been servicing the real estate needs of visitors and locals.We have been an integral part in the growth of our beautiful valley and making it a place so many people want to call home. With the effort and commitment of your broker and everyone else at the Vail Valley’s largest real estate firm, we can deliver the resources necessary to sell your home.
Reason #2: Our Philosophy The principals of our company are recognized by many as the founding fathers of Vail, Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch, Arrowhead and Eagle Ranch. They have proven their leadership in real estate throughout the community and have chosen the Vail Valley as home for the same reasons you have. It is our vision to contribute to the longterm health of the Vail Valley, diligently protecting the beauty and integrity of our natural world.
Reason #3: The Inside Track Our ownership consists of Vail Resorts’ and East West Partners’ principals – the primary parties involved in many developments and projects throughout the Vail Valley. Because of our partnership with Vail Resorts, SSF has exclusive marketing opportunities with branding on the trail maps and websites.
Reason #4: Our Team We have over 100 brokers in 18 offices who will work together to sell your home. The majority of our brokers havebeen selling real estate in the Vail Valley for more than 20 years with a list of customers that stretches around the globe. Every year, our brokers’ customer base becomes more valuable as success brings additional referrals.Our brokers and clients both benefit from the unmatched support of a seasoned Administrative Staff, full-time Marketing, Technology and Closing Departments.
Reason #5: Open Doors Our doors are always open. We have 18 offices conveniently located throughout the Vail Valley, with most of ouroffices open 7 days a week to show and sell your home. This means access to your listing 7 days a week.
Reason #6: Performance We have been the leader in the Vail Valley for more than 45 years and have proven ourselves as the trusted experts. SSF lists and sells more property than any other real estate firm; over half of our listings are sold by another SSF broker and we maintain leading market share in most of the Vail Valley’s neighborhoods. Our clients have the unique advantage of the most up-to-date information on the entire market including new listings and projects since we are involved in the majority of the transactions.
Reason #7: Affiliations Our international designation as the leading brokerage in Eagle County with The Board of Regents, an exclusivenetwork of the world’s most elite luxury real estate brokers, can provide the most powerful national andinternational exposure for our listings that no other company can provide. We are recognized by Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate, an independent compendium of the world’s most prestigious brokerage houses. Our affiliation with Luxury Portfolio, the flagship program with The Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, allows unprecedented international exposure for our listings. In fact, all of our luxury listings are displayed onwww.luxuryportfolio.com in 9 different languages and 22 currencies.
Reason #8: Marketing Your Property AWARD-WINNING MARKETING: Out of 1,500 of the top real estate companies in the world within the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate network, Slifer Smith & Frampton was awarded The Best Overall Marketing Package in 2006 and Best Print Marketing in 2009. Below are some of the highlights of the marketing strategies.
We are committed to exceeding our customers’ expectations with our Internet capabilities. Our award-winning website offers a comprehensive online guide to real estate including all of the properties available for sale in theVail Valley and overviews of every community. By providing the best online marketing for our clients, we also provide the most exposure to potential buyers. Our website averages over 1.2 million visitors per year from 140countries. We take advantage of every opportunity to build relationships with premier portals such as:
We continue to focus on top search engine placement and have the advantage of over 100 websites relating to our listings. We are the top website for the most popular keywords, “Vail real estate”, on Google.We feature all MLS listings as well as general information about our company and real estate opportunities in the Vail Valley. This allows visitors real time access to the most comprehensive real estate information available. Your property can also be listed as the “Featured Property” on our home page. On average, our website receives over 120,000 visitors a month. This means that we can expose your home to more potential buyers than any other company.
To read the rest of this list, contact me.
In a crowded real estate market, how does a seller make his property stand out? Offering incentives can draw attention to your listing and help sell your home faster. In recent years, buyer incentives have varied widely and included vehicles, flat screen televisions, and Caribbean vacations. Yet in my years as a real estate agent, I have found that while flashy buyer incentives grab headlines, practical perks are more likely to entice buyers to sign on the dotted line.
Incentives can be considered when the home is first listed to distinguish it from the start. They can also be added when the home hasn’t sold to entice a buyer without lowering the cost. Or incentives can arise in negotiations, when a buyer needs that an extra little nudge to commit.
The location and condition of a home are always going to be its main selling points. But if sellers “put on their buyer’s cap” and really consider what issues the buyer might have, it could make the difference between a sale or not.
For example, right now I have several listings that are offering enticing incentives, including:
If you’re in the market for a home in Vail, now’s the time to take advantage of the incentives sellers are offering – or may be willing to offer. At the same time, if you’re selling, you may consider adding an incentive to pique buyers’ interest. Either way, I’m here to help. Contact me at (970) 331-1806 or lleeds@slifer.net.
REALTOR® magazine earlier this year had an article on “12 Hot Home Ideas” that I liked so much I thought I’d share some of those “hot ideas” with you here – we’re rounding out the trends with #11 and #12 this month.
Hot Home Trend #11 is high definition television My husband is thrilled that I’m a convert. But he’s right – the resolution of an HDTV display is substantially higher than that of a tradition television. If you don’t have one now, invest in one. It’s a hot home trend you won’t regret and the whole family will enjoy.
Hot Home Trend #12 is relaxation retreats When you don’t have time for that weekend getaway, head toward a relaxation retreat in your own home. You can make this as small or big as you like. A relaxation room can be designed simply with a stack of fresh, fluffy towels close at hand and infused with aromatherapy essences. You can also add technical elements such as programmable LED lighting, a sound-blocking machine, or flat-panel TV with DVD player. But creating a place where you can relax – at home – is a fabulous hot home trend. Enjoy!
