Through Co-Ownership Property, or straight to the operator?

Does it cost more to buy through an agent?

No. This is the first question everybody asks and it deserves a plain answer: the share price is set by the operator and is the same whether you find the home on their site or ours. Our commission is paid by them out of their own margin, on completion, and it is not added to your purchase. If you were to walk away from us today and enquire directly, you would be quoted the identical figure.

That arrangement is worth understanding, because it also explains our incentives. We are paid only when a purchase completes and somebody is happy enough to go through with it. We are not paid for your enquiry, your registration or your viewing.

So what does an agent actually add?

Three things, and they are all consequences of not being the operator.

You can see the whole market in one place. There is no single company that sells co-ownership homes in the Alps, on Lake Como, in Mallorca, in Paris and in California. There are half a dozen, each convinced its own model is the right one, each with its own site and its own enquiry form. Comparing them means six conversations. Our listings put them in one place with the same facts stated the same way.

You can see the running costs before you hand over your details. This is the number that decides whether a home is affordable, and it is almost never on a public listing anywhere in this industry. We publish it on every home where we have verified it against the operator's own cost sheet, with the date we checked. Where we have not verified it, we say so rather than estimate — an invented running cost is worse than none.

You can ask the awkward question. How quickly do shares in this building actually sell? Is the price negotiable? What is the exit really like? An operator's salesperson has one honest answer available; we have six companies' worth of experience and no particular loyalty to any of them.

What we are not

We do not run these houses. We do not clean them, schedule them, hold the title or take your money. We cannot change a price, guarantee a date, or promise a home will still be available next week. When you buy, you buy from the operator, under their contract, with their lawyers and yours.

That is a real limitation and it is worth saying out loud, because an agent who claims to control things they do not control is an agent who will eventually disappoint you. What we control is what you know before you decide, and the quality of the introduction afterwards.

How the introduction works

You tell us which home interests you, or simply what you are looking for. We tell you what we know about it — the price, the running cost, the usage terms, how much has sold. If you want to go further, we introduce you to the team that manages the home, with your name and your requirements already explained, so you skip the form, the holding reply and the first three emails.

The introduction costs nothing and commits you to nothing. You are free to ask them the difficult questions and walk away; most people we introduce do not end up buying, which is rather the point of finding out.

When you should go direct instead

If you already know exactly which operator you want, exactly which home, and you have already spoken to their sales team, go direct. We would add nothing to that, and we would say so.

The same applies if your interest is in one specific building you have already visited, or if you are an existing owner buying a second share in a home you already part-own. An agent is useful when there is a market to compare and a decision still to make.

Common questions

Is the share price higher if I buy through Co-Ownership Property?

No. The operator sets the price and it is identical either way. Our commission is paid by the operator on completion, out of their margin, and is never added to the buyer's price.

Do you take a fee from me?

No. Buyers pay us nothing at any stage — not for the listing information, not for the introduction, not on completion.

Are you owned by one of the operators?

No. Co-Ownership Property is operated by PREMPROPERTY SL, an independent Spanish company. We list homes from six separate operators and have no ownership relationship with any of them.

Do you recommend one operator over the others?

Only in relation to what you are looking for. The models differ in ways that matter — nights a year, whether letting is allowed, how resale works, where the homes are — and the right answer depends on which of those you care about. We will tell you where an operator's model does not suit your requirement, including when that means we make nothing.

What happens to my details when you make an introduction?

We pass your name, your email and what you have told us you are looking for to the operator that manages the home, so their team can answer you properly. We do not sell data, and we do not pass your details to anyone you have not asked to be introduced to.

Can you negotiate the price for me?

Generally no. Share prices in this market are set per home and move rarely. Where an operator has been willing to discuss terms we will say so, but we will not imply leverage we do not have.

What if I have already enquired with the operator directly?

Then you should carry on with them. Operators check whether a buyer is already in their system before accepting a referral, and if you are, you are — the introduction adds nothing and we would not be paid for it either.