Buyer’s Guide
How to buy a co-ownership share in the United States
What you own, what the US market does better and worse than Europe, what it costs across the 107 American homes we list, and the steps in order.
The short version: you own a real share of the home — an eighth, a quarter — not a right to use it. You can sell it, pass it on to your heirs, and it rises and falls in value with the house; the legal set-up is arranged by our partner for each home and walked through with you before you buy. We list 116 homes in the United States across many states, from $68,000 — and the US market is different from Europe's in three ways that decide most purchases.
Those three: almost all of the 116 homes come from a single partner, with only a handful from anyone else; the homes are considerably larger and more expensive than Europe's, with a median share of around $750,000; and neither of our US partners allows you to let the home out.
What you would actually own
You own a real share of the home — an eighth, a quarter — not a right to use it. You can sell it, pass it on to your heirs, and it rises and falls in value with the house. The legal set-up is arranged by our partner for each home and walked through with you before you buy.
What you need before you start
Identity and source of funds, for KYC. No foreign tax number is required of a US buyer. A non-US buyer should expect additional documentation and should take US tax advice specifically on the disposal side before buying — the rules for foreign sellers of US real-estate interests are their own subject and we will not summarise them here, because getting them approximately right is worse than not answering.
A view on how tax works for your share. Much of the US tax treatment — whether mortgage interest is deductible, whether a 1031 exchange is even theoretically available — depends on the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy, and on your personal-use versus rental-use percentage. Ask early, and take independent advice.
The steps, in order
| Step | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Choose the home | Compare across operators and states, and visit if you can | As long as you like |
| 2. Reservation agreement | A deposit takes the share off the market | Day 1 |
| 3. Review period | Legal and tax review with your own advisers | 7 to 14 days |
| 4. KYC and documentation | Identity, address, source of funds | 1 to 3 weeks |
| 5. Purchase agreement | Signed after review; the ownership documents for the home are what matter | 1 to 2 weeks |
| 6. Payment and completion | Wire to escrow; your purchase completes as set out in the documents | Days |
| 7. Onboarding | Booking app access, first stay scheduled | Immediately after |
Four to eight weeks for a cash buyer is normal. Financing adds four to eight weeks. The seven steps in detail are here.
What it costs
| Partner | Homes | Share price | Nights a year | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our main US partner | Over a hundred | Under $200,000 – almost $3 million median around $750,000 |
No set cap | Many states, mainly California, Florida, Colorado and Utah |
| A Florida partner | A handful | Under $100,000 | ~45, as three fifteen-night seasonal blocks | Florida |
Neither of our US partners publishes its running costs to us, which is the single biggest difference between buying here and buying in Europe. Two of our European partners do, on every home. In the US you will have to ask for the annual budget, and you should ask before the reservation rather than after.
What that means in practice. Our main US partner charges your eighth of the home's real annual budget, billed monthly and trued up at the year end, with the figures coming from the team that runs the house. That is a sound arrangement — it is a pass-through rather than a margin — but it means the number is not knowable until you ask for that specific home. Request the current budget and last year's actual, not an estimate.
Closing costs depend on the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy. Ask for them alongside the annual budget.
Tax, honestly
This section is general information, not tax advice. How tax works depends on the country and the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy, and on facts specific to you. We recommend independent advice: engage a CPA before you sign.
Mortgage interest deduction. Possibly available, depending on the home's legal set-up, on whether the property qualifies as a second home for your purposes, on your personal-use versus rental-use percentage, and on how the mortgage is secured. It is not a yes or a no in the abstract. The variables are set out here.
1031 exchange. Possible in principle but structurally complex, and most shares held primarily for personal use do not cleanly qualify. Whether yours could depends on the home's legal set-up, on investment versus personal use, and on the replacement property. If a 1031 is central to your plan, settle it with your CPA before you reserve, not after. What it turns on is here.
Property tax on the home is shared between the owners. How it is billed depends on the home's set-up, so ask for it with the annual budget.
When you sell: capital gains tax may apply to any gain; how it is calculated depends on the home's legal set-up and on your own situation. More here.
Nights, and the thing the US does better
Our main US partner sets no cap on total nights, which is the most generous usage model in the market anywhere. Advance stays can be booked well ahead through the app, and short-notice stays sit on top of those rather than counting against them. There is no annual allocation to run down.
For an owner who lives within driving distance and is willing to book late, that is worth considerably more than a European floor of 44 or 45 nights. It is the strongest single argument for the US model.
Our Florida partner works differently: three fixed fifteen-night seasonal blocks a year, around 45 nights, which co-owners can exchange between themselves. Less flexible, at roughly a tenth of the main US partner's median price.
Letting, which you cannot
Our US partners do not allow owner rentals. If your reasoning includes covering the running cost by letting the home when you are not in it, the US market we list will not do that for you, and no partner here will negotiate on it. Europe is where the letting-permitted homes are — with some of our European partners — and even there the local licence rules bind before the partner's policy does. We will tell you the rule for each home.
Financing
Our main US partner arranges financing for a substantial part of the share price. Cash works too and is common. Ask us for the current terms rather than relying on a figure published last year; rates move and we would rather get you the live answer.
Where to buy
Many states, and the concentration is in California, Florida, Colorado and Utah. The entry point is a handful of Florida homes from our smaller US partner at under $100,000 — by a wide margin the cheapest way into co-ownership anywhere we list, in any country. The main US partner's range runs from under $200,000 to almost $3 million, so the same partner covers a modest condo and a trophy house.
One honest observation from our own data: the US homes draw the most search traffic of anything on this site, and they convert the least. American visitors enquire on European homes at a far higher rate than on American ones. We do not fully know why — the price gap is the obvious candidate — but if you are American and weighing a $750,000 share in California against a €199,000 share in Spain, you are not the first.
Every US home we list is here, and if you want the operators compared, that is here.
Common questions
How much does co-ownership cost in the United States?
From $68,000. Across the 116 US homes we list, the handful of Florida homes from our smaller partner are under $100,000 and those from our main US partner run from under $200,000 to almost $3 million with a median of around $750,000. Neither partner publishes running costs to us, so ask for the specific home's annual budget before you reserve.
How many nights a year do I get?
With our main US partner, there is no set cap on total nights. Advance stays can be booked well ahead and short-notice stays sit on top of them. With our Florida partner, roughly 45 nights as three fixed fifteen-night seasonal blocks, exchangeable between co-owners.
Can I rent out my US co-ownership home?
No. Our US partners do not allow owner rentals, and that is not negotiable. If letting income matters to you, the homes that permit it are in Europe, with some of our European partners, subject to local licensing.
Can I deduct the mortgage interest?
Possibly, and it depends on more than one variable: the home's legal set-up, whether the property qualifies as a second home for your purposes, your personal-use versus rental-use percentage, and how the loan is secured. Settle it with a CPA before you buy rather than assuming either way.
Can I 1031-exchange a fractional share?
In principle, but it is structurally complex and most shares held primarily for personal use do not cleanly qualify. It depends on the home's legal set-up, on investment versus personal use, and on the replacement property. If a 1031 is central to your plan, resolve it with your CPA before you reserve.
What exactly do I own?
A real share of the home — an eighth, a quarter — not a right to use it. You can sell it, pass it on to your heirs, and it rises and falls in value with the house. The legal set-up is arranged by our partner for each home and walked through with you before you buy.
Which states can I actually buy in?
Many. The concentration is in California, Florida, Colorado and Utah, with homes in several other states too. The homes from our smaller US partner are all in Florida.
Is it cheaper to buy in Europe?
Considerably. The median US share we list is around $750,000 against medians of around €200,000 and €170,000 with two of our European partners, though the American homes are generally larger. Our European partners also publish verified running costs on over a hundred of their homes, which neither US partner does. The trade-offs the other way are uncapped nights with our main US partner and no Schengen limit on how long you may stay.
Does buying through Co-Ownership Property cost more?
No. The share price is the operator's price and is identical either way. We are paid a commission by the operator on completion, never by you.
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