Hey, it’s Doug.

You know that moment on vacation when someone says,

"Wouldn’t it be great if we all chipped in and bought a place here?"

It sounds amazing until you get home and realize how complicated it would be to actually pull it off.

Co-ownership exists to solve that.

And this week, I want to break down what it really means (and what people often get wrong about it).

What Exactly Is Co-Ownership?

Co-ownership is a simple idea: you and a small group of people share ownership of a vacation home.

You split the cost, you split the usage, and you each enjoy time in a beautiful property, without carrying the full financial burden on your own.

Isn’t That Just a Timeshare?

That’s the first question I usually get. And the answer is: no, not at all.

Here’s the difference:

• With a timeshare, you're buying a fixed week of usage, but you don't own anything. The value often drops to zero, and you can’t resell it easily.
  

• With co-ownership, you own a real share of the property. You can resell your share, vote on expenses, and decide together how the home is used and maintained.

So once people understand that it’s real ownership, the next question is usually...

How do the Details Get Decided?

Every group is different, which is why we help folks start with an operating agreement.

This covers the key decisions you’ll make as a group:

• Are pets allowed?

• Will you allow short-term rentals?

• What happens if someone doesn’t pay their share?

• How much should go in the reserve fund for repairs?

One common question is: “What if everyone wants the same week?”

There are lots of ways to handle this. Some groups run a reverse draft. Others do a lottery. Some rotate season by season. At Plum, we offer a fair use scheduler that dishes out weeks over a 5-year cycle to keep things even.

There’s a lot more to cover here, so I’ll break down the operating agreement and scheduling process in more detail in upcoming newsletters.

Introducing Plum Connect

We heard from customers that one of the biggest worries about co-owning a vacation home was dealing with the logistics.

That's why we built Plum Connect, our new app that makes handling the logistics of your co-ownership experience so much easier than before. Scheduling time at your property and coordinating shared expenses are just a few of the features I’m really excited about rolling out to our community!

A Group Comes Together on Bald Head Island

I've been working with a group of buyers who vacation every year on Bald Head Island.

They found one of the listings on our platform. It wasn’t quite the right fit, but instead of walking away, they said, "Why don't we just put a group together ourselves?"

Through Plum, we were able to connect the right people and help them form a group that's now on the hunt for their perfect home.

It’s a perfect example of how flexible co-ownership can be.

If you love a spot but don't want to carry the full cost on your own, teaming up with a few like-minded people can make it happen.

We’re seeing groups like this pop up more and more all across the country.

In Case You Missed Last Week’s Property: Navarre Beach, Florida

Next Week: North Topsail Beach, North Carolina

Thanks again for following along.

Also, we started a free WhatsApp Channel for Real Estate Investors interested in Co-Ownership.

Next week, I’ll share a few best practices for managing a co-owned home, including how the best groups set expectations early and avoid challenges down the road.

Doug + The Plum CoOwnership Team

P.S. We're in the final stages of closing our seed round. Interested in learning more? Just reply to this email.