Once you’ve made the decision to purchase a share in a fractional property or residence club, what should you know before you write that first check? The process of purchasing a fractional property is very similar to the purchase of a wholly-owned home with just a few additional items that you should be aware of.
Private Homes
If you are purchasing a share of an individually-owned private home, the process you go through will be determined by whether or not the current owner has a mortgage on the property. If so, the mortgage will need to be paid in full before you can close on your fractional share.
For example, let’s assume that the owner is selling 10 shares of the fractional home at $100,000 per share and the property has a $300,000 mortgage. The owner will then need to sell 3 shares in the home before any closing can take place. You will be expected to put down a small “soft” (refundable) deposit and to sign an agreement stating that the sale cannot take place until 3 owners have committed. How much you will be expected to put down will depend on the size and price of the fraction you are purchasing. In any case, your deposit will be put into an interest-bearing account and is refundable at any time up until you are notified that the owner has 3 committed buyers (or whatever stipulation was put into place in the agreement) and you have signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement. Read the rest of this entry »
by Sherman Potvin