Imagine being able to opt for a very affordable price for designer houses, located in paradisiacal places or in the heart of the most avant-garde and cosmopolitan cities... Okay, just as you imagine, this exchange network of second homes is not for all pockets, since to participate in it you have to have a house with these characteristics. However, it is a growing market: there are already 13,800 members around the world who make up thirdhome, the platform/luxury club to exchange high-end second homes.
The average value of the properties –more than 14,000 spread over 1,700 destinations in 98 countries– is around €2,000,000 and, before being admitted as a member, each profile is carefully studied. Also, the properties must enjoy an exclusive interior design and have quality services.
Thirdhome's house in Canyon Gate, Las Vegas.
This sort of high class Airbnb was created in 2010 in the United States, with the aim of offering second home owners staying in luxury homes without having to pay rent, thus saving a large sum of money. What requirements do members meet? The first – and most difficult – is own a luxury second home ($500,000 minimum value) and flexibility to travel.
Thirdhome house in Malibu.
The recent opening of the Marbella office – actually it opened two years ago, but with the pandemic they have begun to promote it now – it represents an advance in its strategy, with obvious time advantages.
"From here we can cover the entire international territory, except the United States, we speak seven languages in the office," they comment Niki Christian Nutsch and Ivo Haagen, Vice Presidents of Thirdhome to Condé Nast Traveler, adding that Australia is now becoming an interesting market for them as well. In the Spanish market and the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) the demand for these services has increased exponentially.
Thirdhome house in Barbados.
“With the growing demand for luxury shared housing throughout this EMEA region, the new office in Marbella will serve as a base so that, both new members and existing partners, obtain greater profitability from their second homes; positioning ourselves, in turn, as the world's leading private travel club." says Wade Shealy, CEO of Thirdhome.
the pandemic It affected them, obviously, but they also consider that it has had a positive influence in a certain way. “ has encouraged remote work –they maintain–. Many members were unable to visit their second homes during the height of the pandemic, and now that they can, they want to go elsewhere as well.”
Thirdhome house in Belize.
How does the platform work? “They use their house as credit to travel to other spectacular houses around the world. For example, one of our members lives in London but has a house in the Algarve. He recently spent three weeks in Paris working from there." Also, a team guides the members, who are usually between 40 and 70 years old, in your searches.
“Among our members there is a bit of everything, families, workers… digital nomads have increased since the pandemic… but there are also retired people with a lot of time freedom”.
Before traveling, members set their preferences on the Thirdhome platform, indicating the type of property they are looking for and other additional needs, such as whether it includes service personnel or allows pets. The interactive map of the web allows them to explore and choose between multiple countries and destinations, such as Mexico, Switzerland, USA, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Spain, France, Thailand…
Thirdhome house in Breckenridge, Colorado.
There are categories of houses and, of course, some give more credits than others. "If you have a second home worth $500,000 in a prime location... although, in reality, if the house has that value, any place can be fantastic”, they explain.
The weeks available, those in which no one uses the house, are the ones that members use as credits. "We talk in weeks, they are always full weeks," they add. Once the weeks have been entered in the app, they receive keys (which are like points or credits) depending on the time of year and the value of the property. Thus, instead of assuming about 12,000 euros of rent per week, it is around 700 euros.
Thirdhome house in Fiji.
AN APP THAT TRIUMPHS THROUGH WORD OF MOUTH
A very interesting aspect of this proposal is that members share their experiences with each other, there are networking events... “A very nice community is built, with a philosophy of sharing”, they explain to us “For Americans it is a habitual mentality, they have a lot of movement in this sense. In addition, it works a lot through word of mouth, that is how we grew up in the United States. The one who tries it says, but how have I not done this before?
What geographic areas work best? “In Europe we have been going strong for one or two years, from London to Paris, Spain, Costa del Sol, the Balearic Islands, Madrid too… after Covid we even see an increase in bookings from the US to Europe, also from the US to Latin America, Mexico… In Southeast Asia, South Africa and Australia we have properties, everything is growing at a good pace”.
Thirdhome house in Fiji.
On the other hand, firms like Viceroy they have properties that they assign and make agreements with Thirdhome. For example, it has happened at the St. Regis Residences or the Ritz Carlton Destination Club , so, in this way, hotels are also included in the proposal. In fact, the international club is affiliated with 85 luxury resorts around the world.
Although there are other home exchange platforms, Thirdhome considers that they have no competition, given their high quality standards. Your medium and long-term goals? Welcome many more people who want to enjoy another way of traveling.