Richard

In conversation with Pied À Terre and Prime Collection Homeowner, Richard speaks about how he came to find August and how co-ownership complements his lifestyle. Based in the UK and with grown-up children, Richard was looking for a hassle-free, turnkey holiday home setup that would give him and his family more flexibility to travel to exciting locations. Joining August through a resale in the Pied À Terre, this is his journey through August.

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Can you tell us about how you came to find August?

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I had been looking for a holiday home option for a couple of years or so, and I'm in that stage of life where I've got two grown-up boys who are looking for flexibility in terms of holiday places to go. When I was younger, many of my friends' parents at school had a holiday home, which was a great thing to do. 

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But, along the way, all of those holiday homes got sold for one reason or another. It was often simply because of the hassle factor, the fact that you have to figure out what happens to the residence when there's nobody in it, and what happens when you arrive there if something is not quite right. Because of that, I was reluctant to jump in with both feet to a holiday home setup, especially one that would anchor me in one particular place. And from a budgeting perspective, if I'm going to allocate a certain amount of cash to this, then what can I really get for the investment? 

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I came across August and quite quickly got drawn into the concept and thought, this is something that ticks a lot of boxes for me.

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What did you find appealing about the August model?

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"I really do think of August as an investment, not a cost."

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The way I describe the August concept to my friends is the holiday homes without the hassle, whereby there is a management element to it which takes away a lot of the pain points that I really wanted to avoid. It's been great; I really haven't looked back; it's been something that just ticks so many boxes for me. Also, it's nice for me to think that I've got somewhere my boys can go - even at quite short notice - where there's no hassle, where they can arrive and already know the area.

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What have you particularly enjoyed about the Pied À Terre Collection?

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In particular, with regards to the Pied À Terre option, that was a nice toe in the water for the Collections. For me, the cities that August has chosen to locate the homes in are just so beautifully selected. We're talking about London, Cannes, Paris, Barcelona, and Rome here; these are all cities where you can walk and come across great architectural masterpieces around every corner. I love that aspect.

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There's plenty to look at, loads of great restaurants, and thousands of bars. The culture of these destinations is something I don't think you'd ever tire of, there's just so much to do in each of these cities. Cannes feels more like a seaside holiday resort, and Barcelona is very much a fully functioning metropolitan city, so that was a really quick attraction and a good fit for what I was looking for.

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The fact that the apartments have two beds and two bathrooms means that you can meet friends there, too, which is a really nice thing to do. Plus, you can book for a week or daisy chain and book two weeks together, which is great. It's full of options, really, so I thought, this is a great collection, and it really is.

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How would you say August complements your lifestyle and the way you travel?

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If I visit any of these cities, I'd want to stay in a high-quality hotel, but hotels in these locations have become increasingly expensive. However, with August, my perspective on travelling to these cities has completely changed. It's no longer a cost; it's like I'm using my investment, and I really do think of August as an investment, not a cost.

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Also, quite recently, August has allowed ownership of a share through a limited company, which, from my point of view and in terms of inheritance planning, has become a really useful way of thinking about the legacy that I perhaps leave for my children and my children's children to enjoy these lovely locations with fabulous homes and all the amenities that you could ever, ever need in terms of that kind of lifestyle.

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You joined via a resale in the Pied À Terre Collection. Can you tell us why and share more about the process?

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For me, it was the opportunity to quickly access the entire August holiday experience.

I was quite fortunate in that the resale opportunity came up at the right moment; I'd almost completed my due diligence, I was comfortable with the cost, and having seen the legals, everything looked in order. In fact, that was one of the things that really did attract me to the whole endeavour in many ways, it was that all the legals had been done.

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I love that, just like everything else with the August homes, the legalities are completely taken care of and managed well on behalf of the Homeowners. It's another pain point taken away. There's a blueprint that's already been done. It's tried and tested, and it's been accepted by a number of other shareholders who've all done their due diligence and probably asked all the same questions. That gave me a lot of comfort.

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What prompted you to add the Prime Collection to your portfolio? 

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"Prime was particularly attractive because it gave me the feeling that this was all the property I'd ever need."

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The Pied À Terre Collection gave me a great option for city breaks. It ticked all the boxes, and I've been to all the homes now. I know the really nice restaurants in the area and where I can walk to go to a cool bar. That now is incredibly useful for those short trips where I can just jump on a plane and be there in two or three hours.

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Then, in terms of a more relaxing approach, I felt I was happy to look at the next levels of home ownership through August for something more spacious, where I could go with more friends, bring more family, and take my parents, for example.

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I'm very comfortable with the platform, so looking at Signature, Premium, and then Prime was an easy next step of the journey. In many ways, I was very open-minded about the Collections I was going to consider, but Prime was particularly attractive because it gave me the feeling that this was all the property I'd ever need. 

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Is there something that you are personally looking forward to the most with Prime? 

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For me, that would have to be the location of the French Alps. Skiing is a massively important part of my life; it's my favourite hobby, and it's the most fantastic holiday to have with friends and family. 

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How have you found booking time away in your August properties and securing the dates you want?

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I've got to say that August has absolutely nailed it with the Valeria system; it is fabulous, it really is. This is another really key aspect of what I was looking for - not just a homeowning experience. August's unique booking system, Valeria, makes booking very, very easy in that once you've chosen a month, you can then quite quickly see all the properties next to each other, and throughout the month, they've been segregated by weekend or week and you can quite quickly book it.

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Within five seconds of entering the site, you're onto the booking availability page, and within another five seconds, you booked it and you've got a confirmation email that comes straight through. 

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Again, it makes it incredibly easy, and that's something that I really value these days, that ease of use; it makes the whole experience very straightforward and I commend August on creating a great system because I know that's not easy.

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Is there anything else particularly special about your experience with August Collections and your homes?

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"You feel as though you can completely relax and not have to worry about anything."

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The experience from start to finish, it's been great. A real element of comfort is the fact that when you arrive at the property, you know it's going to be in excellent shape; you know that it's been looked after. And what I find different about the August homes is that because they're being stayed in by the other shareholders that own the properties, they take care of them. Without exception, it feels like I'm almost the first person to have ever used the properties. They've been beautifully cleaned and ready to go.

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You feel as though you can completely relax and not have to worry about anything; it's very much a case of just being able to get to the location, and that's it. 

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As far as I'm concerned, I want to be able to get in there as smoothly as possible, enjoy it properly, and forget about work and all the stresses of life. Equally, it's great to think that if I've got to do a bit of work, there is internet access, and there are nice spaces to work from—whether it's a desk or the sofa, with a nice view outside on the balcony—it's lovely. 

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How has it been with hosting friends and family in your August homes? Have you had friends experience your properties?

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I have, and it's been great to invite friends along as well; it really has. That's such an important part of it, I think. The social environment has been brilliant, particularly the fact that these places are so nice to visit and there are lots of things to do. 

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Naturally, everyone who comes to stay always asks, "What is August, and how does it work?" It's nice to be able to answer every one of those questions over a glass of wine, because I had the exact same questions as well.

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Can you share anything more about the buying process? 

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It's very, very straightforward. It's been a pleasure to go through the process, actually. I will say that no one in the August team ever gave me a hard sell. No one was pushing me for an answer. No one was coming back and trying to sell me some kind of complicated financial plan to do it. It's nothing like that. 

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There's an amazing legal team to walk you through the documentation side of things, and from start to finish, it's been a pleasure. 

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I think what I would say is ask every question you've got because there are people on hand there, within the August community, as well as the team who are, I think, more than happy to answer all of these questions and to talk through the process and the benefits.

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What would you say are the benefits of being a Resale buyer?

" I have every intention of keeping both Collections as they do offer quite different things. August has done them brilliantly."

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Resale shares don't come around too often because there is no waiting time to get in and start enjoying the properties, which means that they really do go quite quickly. But this shows there is a healthy resale market for it and again, it gave me a huge amount of confidence that the asset was a liquid asset and that as and when life changed, then I could consider an exit if absolutely necessary. But I'm enjoying it so much.

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Having had the Pied À Terre Collection first, then adding Prime to my portfolio - I have every intention of keeping both Collections as they do offer quite different things. August has done them brilliantly.

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Are there any tips or advice that you would give someone who is looking to join August Collections?

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From my perspective, August is a genuinely great platform that allows straightforward ownership of holiday homes in wonderful locations that can be enjoyed with friends and family, and for generations to come. It's a brilliant business idea that I wish I’d thought of myself!

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Eager to explore more about European homeownership abroad? Start a conversation with our expert Advisory Team and take one step closer to your August journey today.