The economic tsunami of the past few years has affected everyone. At this weeks conference, Richard Ragatz highlighted ten factors that are "out" and fifteen factors that are "in" for any fractional or residence club development. These factors are driven by the societal changes that have taken place and so should be part of your consideration in planning, developing and positioning a fractional or private residence club project.

Arguably the most valuable service provided by any reputable real estate consultant is the ability to prevent costly mistakes for their clients. Not only does this apply to the fractional consulting industry, it's magnified.  Our industry is still relatively young compared to its predecessor, the timeshare, and the majority of real estate developers have yet to embark on the development, sales and marketing of any type of fractional ownership real estate.

If I had a nickel for the number of times I've heard this: "We're going to sell this project out through the local real estate community", I could retire and buy fractional interests around the world! This brings me to the list of most common mistakes made by new fractional real estate directors.

The resort real estate world has radically changed in the last six months. Those of us in the luxury resort development industry are faced with the most challenging environment in generations. There has been a monumental change in the economy. Hence, the "New Normal".

Many houses and condominiums in vacation destinations have fractional ownership potential, and more and more owners and Realtors are considering selling fractional interests. In some cases, a fractional sale is the best way to maximize the sale price or speed the sale process in a slow market. In other cases, a fractional sale offers a way for a vacation home owner to continue to own a portion of his/her property and to continue to enjoy using it, while lessening financial and management burdens of ownership, and avoiding the hassles and risks of vacation rentals.