Prior to launching Equity Estates about 15 years ago, we met with experts in real estate, hospitality, legal, finance, and tax. We had a novel idea – to supersize the friend-share vacation home concept into a Luxury Residence Fund, where residences would be available to investors for personal use and financial benefit upon sale. We wanted to refine our business model and figure out the fairest way to structure this for all investors. One CPA we met with, Steve Gross, had a memorable reaction, “you have a nice little pony there”. I can still hear his words and mutter them out loud when good things happen at Equity Estates. To this day, it still makes me smile.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a global pandemic would lead to our best sales quarter ever. Now, more than ever, we are reaping the fruits of our labor by finding likeminded investors who agree that Equity Estates is the right way to own and enjoy luxury vacation homes. Our offering makes common sense.
Why now? What’s different? I think you can boil it down to two main factors. First, the combination of global uncertainty with highly overvalued stock indices are leading savvy investors to find new ways to diversify their portfolios. Second, we’ve seen an unprecedented level of demand for private vacation homes among affluent travelers. They want a safe place to go.
The Reality Of Overvalued Stocks And Global Uncertainty
You would be hard pressed to pick up a serious financial publication these days without seeing an article on overvaluation. Here are a few that I found in a quick Google search:
- Business Insider – Warren Buffet’s favorite market indicator nears record high
- MarketWatch – The stock market is overvalued, according to almost every measure dating to 1950
- CNN Business – Even Corporate America thinks the stock market is overvalued
- Wall Street Journal – The Median S&P Stock Has Never Been More Expensive
- Forbes – U.S. Stock Market Hits Record 77% Overvalued
With a global pandemic still lurking around, a growing number of people are looking for safer harbors to ride out a possible “tropical depression” in the financial markets. Luxury real estate is proving to be one of the more attractive vehicles for those who can afford it. It is something they can touch, feel, enjoy. The pandemic pulled at our heart strings by pointing out what is most important and how fleeting life can be. Time with loved ones matters. And yes, people still want to vacation and even work with a better view for extended periods of time. If you move to a resort town, eventually, when the pandemic is behind us, you will want to go back for vacations. If you live in a city, you want to get out and relax on a beach.
The catch, of course, is the ongoing cost and effort of owning and maintaining a second, third or fourth residence.
The Appeal Of Private Vacation Homes
COVID-19 has also succeeded in shining a bright spotlight on one of our company’s best features — privately maintained homes that are well-cared for by a discrete group of people. People who love Equity Estates and see the value immediately are the type who prefer the intimacy of our homes over a large resort or hotel. This is what we do best. We take care of private homes and our investors who travel to them. Many of our destinations have team members have been with us for over ten years. They maintain our portfolio homes to our standards.
My 77-year-old mother, a polio survivor, shared stories of being sent to the Poconos, the Jersey shore, and other vacation spots nearby to get out of the big cities for safety. It’s happening now once again. And while I am confident the cities will all rebound, this Equity Estates “little pony” will be scooping up good deals along the way…in the city, in the mountains and on the beaches.
Now Is A Great Time To Join
Six months ago, at the onset of the pandemic, we were nervous as potential investors who had previously committed to Fund IV abruptly changed their mind. Fast forward to today. Nearly all these people have come back, along with significant numbers of new prospective investors. They took the time to learn about our novel approach to owning and sharing homes, including how we care for them over time…especially now.
We would welcome an opportunity to discuss why now is a great time to invest in Equity Estates. Allocating a small amount out of your equities into a diversified portfolio of luxury real estate assets may pay dividends of outstanding experiences and long-term financial return.
There are incentives for any new investor who acts before Monday, December 7, 2020. This includes unlimited travel for $600 per night and delayed annual dues until you are ready to travel.
Call us at 404.445.8501 or click here to schedule an appointment with one of our Investor Relations Team members.
Until next time, safe travels!
Philip Mekelburg
CEO, Equity Estates
