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We are delighted to introduce you to August homeowner and world traveller, Charlene. While originally drawn to August’s city destinations, just months later, Charlene had become a member of both our Pied-à-Terre and Signature Collections, showcasing the swift and seamless journey to becoming a European homeowner.
Having recently completed one of August’s longest ever stays, Charlene recently enjoyed a 6-weeks stay in her Mallorca home by taking advantage of August’s unique booking system and booking off-peak stays.
In this interview she shares how being part of our community has enriched her family’s travel experiences.
August was very interesting because I've always wanted to live in Europe for part of the year. I knew that would mean buying, renovating and maintaining a house, but it's very hard to land on a particular destination. It feels like such a big decision to commit to one city. I'm somebody who has Googled ‘owning a home in France’ on a regular basis for many years and so that's how I came across August. When you originally launched the Signature Collection, those locations weren't the most interesting to me, but once I saw the Pied-à-Terre Collection and the homes in Paris and Rome, I thought it was absolutely perfect.
We realised that two collections would make it easier for us to stay for our planned five month stints, and the homes are a great complement to the Pied à Terre Collection. Having used the homes extensively, we find that the locations and extra space work out great, too.
We originally committed to the Pied-à-Terre Collection in February 2023 and then bought into the Signature Collection about six months later, in late summer.
I definitely get a sense of the local community. We get a deeper look as homeowners. When we first got to the South of France house we stayed for five weeks and we went to all the towns in the region. I had been to the South of France many times before, but had never been able to visit such a wide variety of places, or return to the places we liked, which is a real bonus. It's nice to have the local routine, the grocery stores you find, the bakery you like best, and sample them all, of course.
Originally France, and specifically Paris. With the Signature Collection we have the South of France location too. So between the two collections, we have four houses in France, Le Rouret, Chamonix, Cannes and Paris - which is really appealing.
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Yes, Pied à Terre is great because of the city locations, and then the Signature Collection is more interesting. Some of the homes probably aren’t in locations I would organically choose. For example, the Cotswolds has never been on my list, but I'm interested to check it out. I think that's probably going to be a summer location for us - I’m excited to try it!
When looking at different ownership programmes, design is really what makes August stand out. It’s so much better, more considered, professionally done and not too fussy. You get a sense of space and openness and the design supports that as opposed to feeling like it's over or under designed. It's very comfortable and it's not so precious that you feel nervous to use it. In addition to being highly functional, the homes are just gorgeous places to be.
I have reviewed other fractional programs and the August booking platform is very different — and much better. Other companies tend to manage the bookings like timeshares, with no opportunity to book outside of predetermined blocks of time. August’s rules are practical and fair. We were able to book a full 6-week stay because nobody else wanted those six weeks in Mallorca. We were so happy to be able to land and stay in one place for that amount of time and really get to know it.
I'm such a huge fan of August because I understand the complexity behind the concept - from the legal side of homeownership to design, construction, the booking system and the software. Every aspect is so operationally seamless. Every aspect has been considered. Every aspect has been consider.
I am very well travelled and have been to over 100 countries but I had to Google Mallorca! It was such a pleasant surprise to find mediaeval cities and Roman architecture on an island that kind of reminded us a little bit of the Caribbean, but with the history of Europe and Spain.
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The August team is fearless in tackling big renovation and design projects — even with real estate experience I don’t think I could have pulled off even one of these homes on my own, with such great results. And with August you get multiple homes — it’s the best of all worlds. Not only are the homes of high quality, there is a real hospitality mindset in ongoing management of the homes. Even though August is growing rapidly, I have a lot of trust in my experiences. The professional manner in which August deals with any questions, queries or issues has instilled a lot of faith.
Hundreds of families trust us with their holiday homes and are a part of the August Community. Hear from them directly and discover their experiences with our Collections.
