Does your family prefer to escape to the mountains and relax in the great outdoors? If you are looking for a way to purchase a second home that is reasonable, simple and can be maintained without your constant supervision, then maybe you should look into shared ownership. One company that focuses on mountain resort properties is Alpine Quarters. Their simple quarter share ownership model has won the praise of hundreds of owners.

"Alpine Quarters gave us an option for ownership that we hadn't explored. They allowed us to purchase a much nicer property than we had been considering and for less money. With the fabulous management provided, their concept allowed our family to just relax and enjoy our trips to the Colorado Mountains," said Susan & Phil owners since 2004.

Alpine Quarters got its start in 2001 by selling four shares of a Keystone, Colorado property. Since then they have grown to astounding numbers. They currently have hundreds of owners and continue to purchase and sell off inventory of beautiful mountain retreats.

"Our model is to find properties we feel are ideally suited for shared ownership. We target the best locations and properties that we feel have all the right stuff," says President and Owner, Doug Freyschlag. "When we put them into fractional or shared ownership, we do so in a way that gives our best possible value. For example, we furnish them beautifully, charge a very low premium on the fraction and stay involved with each location so our buyers have a wonderful experience every time. We also focus on helping owners sell when they need or want to, because we want to show that our properties are also great investments."

All Alpine Quarters' homes are located in beautiful mountain settings in Colorado. They have several homes currently available for quarter shares in Aspen, Beaver Creek and Vail, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Dillon, Frisco, Keystone and Winter Park/Fraser/Granby. Owners need only choose how close they want to be to skiing, fishing, golfing, sailing, biking, shopping and or entertainment.

"We work with many developers and builders who are interested in fractional properties," explains Freyschlag. "We also work with home owners who love their properties but may not use them as much as they thought and would love to cut back to being a partial owner. We also turn down lots of properties we feel are not right for Alpine Quarters. Our selection process has many criteria."

Properties

Warm mountain décor welcomes each owner into their exclusive luxury retreat. Each home in the Alpine Quarters portfolio averages between $750,000 and $1m. Living spaces range from 600 sq ft condos to 5,000 sq ft homes. A quarter share will vary from property to property and costs anywhere from $80,000 to $640,000. A typical property has annual costs of $3,000 to $4,000. "For 13 weeks of ownership, it really is a good value in owning a second home," says Freyschlag.

The company currently has about 18 homes that are available for quarter share purchases. Some are new construction, some are listed as re-sale shares and others still need one or two owners to sell off the inventory.

This is a deeded ownership agreement. Each owner receives a separate, clear title (fee simple) and has access to the home year-round.

"We add new locations all the time and sell off the inventory," says Freyschlag. "We also help all our owners sell their share when they feel they no longer can use the property like they would want to." These re-sales are also listed on Alpine Quarter's website along with all new ownership opportunities.

Owners are permitted to rent out their unused weeks. They can rent it out themselves or go through the management company. All rental income goes directly back to the owner rather than into a pool.

Each property has its own management company and each company has a varying level of service. However, there are many amenities and services common to all Alpine Quarters properties. Some of these include:

• Private locked storage for each owner
• Operating costs split equally among the owners
• Management services (In addition to cleaning the home after each use, the management services process the bills, schedule repairs and will rent the property for any of the owners.)
• Each home includes items ranging from mountain bikes to board games.
• Many properties have access to recreational centers, hot tubs, pools, fitness centers etc.

Doug Freyschlag comments on the level of service and flexibility when reserving time at an Alpine Quarters location: "Our buyers like the idea that we are involved to make sure things runs smoothly. We don't charge a management fee and are able to keep costs way down for our owners. I think our buyers appreciate our calendar rotations, flexibility for trading time and the amount of time they get for their dollar."