For fourteen years, we have prided ourselves on providing the best service in the industry for outstanding vacations in private homes. Our diverse portfolio combines the intimacy of a private residence with the services and amenities of a five-star resort. We sat down with Satish, an investor who hails from Atlanta, Georgia, to discuss his family’s decision to join Equity Estates and their experiences traveling within the portfolio. Read on to see how our fund delivers a return on investment measured in far more than financial equity.
Why did you decide to invest with Equity Estates?
We decided to join for two reasons. The first was the investment aspect of it—we liked that you actually own a piece of the real estate and we were looking for a vacation opportunity. I’d seen a lot of the destination clubs and looked through how their financial model worked and it really just didn’t make any sense. Being in the real estate business myself, it made a lot more sense the way that Equity Estates structures the program. The second was the timing.
As a real estate investor yourself, what was appealing about our model?
When we invested, the timing couldn’t have been better. We had seen the market crash and we knew there was an opportunity to go out and buy resort real estate at prices we’ll probably never see again. We looked at Equity Estates almost like a mutual fund of homes, rather than having to pick a location and put all our eggs in one basket. This was a great way to diversify the investment and have someone else take care of it. We get to go visit great destinations at the same time.
How has investment worked out for your family?
Our oldest child is 16 and she’ll be moving out in a few years. We just value any time that we are all together but can be doing our own thing. What’s so nice about pretty much everywhere we’ve been in the portfolio is the homes are big enough to spread out. There’s such a big choice of what you can do that everybody’s not feeling like it’s forced family time. We’re making memories that they’ll remember as adults. They’re going to say, ‘Oh, remember when we were in Turks and Caicos and Byron built that sandcastle and everyone stopped to take pictures of it?’
We’re glad to hear that our residences are ideal for your trips.
Yeah, very much so. The great thing about the properties is that they’re so well thought out. Everything that you could want is there. They’re in great locations and, you know, our kids are to the point now where they jockey for position on how many friends they can invite because they want to share that experience with their friends. We’ve had a great time at every location we’ve ever gone to and we’ve had a lot of fun. Equity Estates, it’s like your own house because somebody has thoughtfully put everything that you’re going to need there. You’re just bringing your clothes. The first place we went to was New York City and there were guidebooks, games, umbrellas, there was just everything. And then when you go to places like Hilton Head there are bikes and boogie boards. In Turks and Caicos there were fins and masks and snorkels. It just makes it easier.
Having been investors for a few years now, how does this investment compare to owning a second home?
It’s like having many vacation homes. We had a house on a lake in North Carolina for five or six years and the challenge is that you just don’t get there that often. As the kids got older, there would be six months in a row where we’d never get up there. And then when we did have the time to go, we felt obligated to go there. The nice thing about Equity Estates is that we check the calendar and we pick different places to go. We’ve been to Southern California, we’ve been to Hilton Head, to Florida, New York City, and Cabo. It’s nice to not feel tied down or obligated to go to the same place every time, and knowing that wherever we go, the quality and services in the homes is going to be consistent. They’re all going to be outfitted nicely. Equity Estates has been one of the best investments we’ve made, so far.
If you’d like more details on what investment for your family looks like, please schedule a call with our Investor Relations Team to learn more about Equity Estates Fund IV or request additional details here.
