According to CNN Money Magazine, fractional properties are “the perfect trade-off,” offering a “big, luxurious vacation home in a beautiful resort for just a tenth of the going rate.” Fractional owners may not be able to add their personal flair with photographs and new wall colors, but they get two prime ski season weeks, two summer weeks and two additional off-season weeks. They also never have to contemplate maintenance.

The history of fractional ownership goes back to Utah, circa the 1990s, when Steve Dering of DCP International saw how underutilized the $4 million Aspen ski-country homes were. He figured he could offer an eighth-share for $430,000 instead. Fast-forward to 2007, where more than half of all real estate sales in Aspen involve fractional. The investment proved good for fractional owners too: a Deer Park Valley Club share in Park City that sold for $130,000 in 1998 is now worth $655,000 today, says Dering.

Fractional owners like John Nussbaum say that their luxury properties allow them to keep in touch with family and friends. “You can ask the kids to come to Appleton [Wisconsin] but there isn’t a lot to do here,” Nussbaum explains. Instead he purchased three units at Snowmass, Colorado, one in Cabo, San Lucas and one in Botany Bay, St. Thomas. For the price of one mansion, Nussbaum now has a stake in all his favorite vacation destinations. You could say he’s become quite the popular guy!

While some high-end properties are priced to allow those making a household income of $200,000, the latest Ragatz Associates survey said the average median household income for fractional owners was $425,000.