You can now test-drive A pacaso home Before You Buy A share. Pacaso's new Try Before You Buy program lets serious buyers stay in a co-owned vacation home, and credits the full deposit toward a share if they commit. ByLauren Mowery, Contributor. Lauren Mowery covers drinks, travel, food, and sustainable living. Oct 14, 2026, 04:57pm EDT 0:00 / 8:38 Buying a share of a vacation home has always required a leap of faith. Shoppers could tour the property, study the floor plan and read the scheduling rules, but they couldn't wake up there, cook in the kitchen or find out whether the walk to the beach was as easy as the listing promised. Pacaso, the co-ownership company that sells second homes in shares of one-eighth, has now removed that gap. Its new Try Before You Buy program lets prospective buyers book a week in a specific home before deciding whether to purchase. The mechanics are simple. Buyers browse open stays at pacaso.com/try or in the Try tab of the Pacaso app, sign a purchase agreement for a share, and place a non-refundable deposit to reserve a set week. Pacaso doesn't publish the deposit amount, but buyers see it when they book. Then they arrive as an owner would, with the same professional management and service. Within 48 hours of checkout, they decide. If they buy, the full deposit goes toward the share price. If they don't, the deposit stays with Pacaso, and the buyer has had a week in a fully managed vacation home. Why the move makes sense for pacaso. For a company selling a high-ticket product that most people have never tried, the logic is hard to argue with. "The surest way to understand co-ownership is to live it," according to Pacaso. The company says buyers who experience a home firsthand are far more likely to become owners. A stay turns an abstract pitch about shared calendars and professional management into a week a buyer can judge for themselves. The timing reflects a more cautious buyer. "Today's second-home buyers are deliberate," the company says. "They want to know what ownership actually feels like: the arrival, the home, the service." Pacaso tested the idea with its Owner Advisory Board, a group of existing co-owners, before launching it publicly. The program is part of a broader push to make buying simpler and more transparent, including new tools in the Pacaso app. The structure also screens out casual travelers looking for a deal on a luxury rental. There's no application. Instead, the bar is financial and contractual. Only buyers who have signed a purchase agreement and put down a non-refundable deposit can book. The agreement sets strict rules on guests and damages, and bans events, filming and subletting. Each buyer who books is assigned a dedicated Pacaso advisor. A buyer who loves the Pacaso experience but not the specific house can apply the deposit to a share in a different home, subject to approval. At launch, fewer than 20 homes are open for trial stays, from Scottsdale and Vail to Cape Cod, Napa Valley, Los Cabos and London. In the Southeast, the list includes Surfsong on Kiawah Island and two homes in Charleston. Weeks are limited and booked first come, first served. And because each stay is tied to an unsold share, the program also gives Pacaso a way to fill calendar time on homes still looking for owners. Access over ownership. The program arrives as financing a second home gets more expensive. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate reached 7.28% in early October, up from 6.34% a year earlier, and the highest level since January 2025. For buyers who finance, a smaller stake in a house they'll use a few weeks a year means a smaller loan to go with the smaller price. Many buyers at this level skip the mortgage entirely. For cash buyers, a share in a vacation home is a way to move part of a portfolio into real estate at a time when some investors want less exposure to a richly valued stock market. A fractional stake puts money into a high-end property without committing the full purchase price. Pacaso's professional management also takes on the cleaning, repairs and upkeep that wear down the value of a home that sits empty most of the year. The company points to an analysis by real estate consulting firm RCLCO, which found that shares of Pacaso homes grew at a compound annual rate of 9.7% from 2021 to August 2024, outperforming the broader luxury residential market by an average of 4.7%. Affluent travelers are making the same calculation in other categories. Private yacht charters let a family spend a week at sea without owning a boat, a crew or a marina slip. Supercar driving tours put guests behind the wheel of a Ferrari or Aston Martin on mountain passes and coastal roads, with no garage, insurance policy or service schedule to manage. Second homes are following the same pattern. What owners think. The people who have already bought in describe the appeal in terms of time and effort saved. Ananda Tavano owns two Pacasos, one in Napa and one in Nantucket, after nearly a decade with a traditional second home in Napa. "We knew how special it was to be able to own a vacation home, but we also knew the reality of maintaining it," she said. "Pacaso has given us the part of second-home ownership we always loved, without all of the weight of maintenance and upkeep, and the stress of wondering if everything is okay while we aren't there." In Nantucket, she said, the payoff is arriving to a home that's ready. "We can all arrive at the same time knowing the house will be sparkling, as if we were checking into a five-star hotel." Carolyn Culicerto Corsi, who owns a Pacaso on Sullivan's Island, bought for a growing family. "Our Pacaso home has become a special place for our growing family to celebrate holidays, birthdays and spend quality time together," she said. "We wanted a home that could bring our whole family together, without the headaches of maintaining a property that is not in close proximity to our primary home." Pacaso CEO Austin Allison frames that preference as a wider shift among affluent buyers. "Today's luxury buyer is increasingly focused on experiences over excess," he said. "Co-ownership reflects that shift by allowing people to prioritize the home they really want, rather than paying for full ownership that they'll rarely use." How the model works. Allison and Spencer Rascoff, both former Zillow executives, founded Pacaso in October 2020. The premise was that too many vacation homes sit empty. At the time, the company estimated that 10 million U.S. second homes sat vacant 11 months a year. Allison, who lives in Napa Valley, has said the idea grew out of his own experience. Five months after launch, Pacaso reached a $1 billion valuation. It has since facilitated more than $1.2 billion in real estate transactions and service fees across more than 40 destinations in the U.S., Mexico and Europe, including Aspen, Lake Tahoe, Malibu, Cabo, Paris, London and, most recently, Florence, Milan and Rome. For each home, Pacaso sets up a property-specific LLC and sells up to eight shares, though buyers often purchase more than one. At closing, the co-owners hold 100% of the property, and Pacaso keeps no equity. An app called SmartStay allocates nights, including weekends and holidays, in proportion to each owner's share. Priority for high-demand weeks rotates by season and year. Owners can also swap stays with owners at other Pacaso homes in a new program called Infinity. When an owner wants out, they set their own price, and the share can be listed on the MLS or Zillow. Zoning and short-term-rental rules vary by market and have changed in several towns in recent years, so buyers should check local regulations before committing. They should also read the resale terms and reserve-fund structure closely, along with the trial-stay agreement: the deposit is non-refundable if a buyer cancels, doesn't show or leaves early. Buyers treating a share as part of their portfolio should also know it's far less liquid than stocks or bonds, since a sale depends on finding a buyer for that specific home. Less than $2/week.

Pacaso reported first-half 2026 financial results showing margin expansion and improved operating efficiency. The luxury vacation home co-ownership marketplace achieved adjusted gross profit of $15.5 million, up 23% year-over-year, with margins expanding to 18.8% from 15.2% in the first half of 2025. The company reduced its adjusted EBITDA loss by 25% to $7.0 million. During the period, Pacaso expanded its Swap feature, allowing owners to exchange stays between homes. The company launched Infinity, a private home-exchange community that extends Swap to whole-home owners, adding 26 destinations across 10 countries. CEO Austin Allison said co-ownership represents the future of second home ownership. CFO Alvaro Cortes noted progress on key metrics whilst acknowledging continued work on cost discipline and home sale economics.

Pacaso debuts Playa Linda, a five-bedroom ocean-view villa in the San Jose Corridor. Sep 16, 2026, 14:30 ET New Pacaso home in Palmilla brings resort-style outdoor living, Sea of Cortez views and beach club access to one of Mexico's most established coastal enclaves SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Pacaso, the leading real estate co-ownership company for second homes, today announced the launch of Playa Linda, its newest residence in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Located in Palmilla Norte along the San Jose Corridor, one of Los Cabos' most established beachfront communities, Playa Linda offers buyers a fully furnished, professionally managed vacation home starting at $872,000 for a one-eighth ownership share. Six of the home's eight shares have already sold, leaving just two remaining. Newly furnished and Pacaso Design Certified(TM), Playa Linda is a five-bedroom, six-bathroom home spanning 4,892 square feet with sweeping views of the Sea of Cortez. The property is built around resort-style indoor-outdoor living, anchored by an infinity pool, jacuzzi, palapa lounge and kiva-style outdoor fireplace, with vaulted ceilings and covered terraces designed for entertaining. "Playa Linda highlights why Los Cabos has become one of our most sought-after second-home destinations. This home has incredible views and access to some of the best beaches and five-star amenities," said Austin Allison, CEO and co-founder of Pacaso. "But what really draws people to a home like Playa Linda is what ownership feels like once they're there. Our owners get to show up and be fully present with their families. That's the idea behind Pacaso: all of the memories a second home is meant to hold, without the weight of traditional ownership." Playa Linda's five bedrooms include four king suites and a fifth with two queen beds, making the home suited to both quiet getaways and larger family gatherings. Owners also receive a one-year membership to Palmilla Dunes, one of Cabo's premier beach clubs, featuring resort-style pools, a state-of-the-art fitness center, spa, tennis and pickleball courts and oceanfront dining. As with every Pacaso home, ownership includes professional management. Pacaso handles maintenance, housekeeping and scheduling through its SmartStay(TM) system, so owners can simply arrive and enjoy the home. About Pacaso Co-founded in 2020 by Austin Allison and Spencer Rascoff, Pacaso(R) makes it possible to co-own a home in more than 40 destinations around the world - a home that's truly yours, fully managed, and sized to the share you'll actually use. Each Pacaso home is owned by its co-owners through a property-specific LLC. Owners hold a real interest in one specific home, with no fixed weeks and the ability to sell their share. Pacaso handles the buying, upkeep, and scheduling, so owners can focus on what matters: the rituals and memories a second home is meant to hold. In 2026, Pacaso introduced Infinity by Pacaso(TM), an invitation-only home exchange for a curated group of owners, giving them access to swap stays across a growing network of extraordinary homes in destinations like St. Barths, Tuscany, and Paris. Learn more at pacaso.com. SOURCE Pacaso