Owning luxury vacation properties in Florida without being a millionaire? DARIA's co-ownership model is revolutionizing the real estate market and making the dream of owning a vacation home in a premium location affordable for everyone.

The concept of ownership, especially of real estate, has an almost mythical status in our society. In many places, owning your own home is seen as the ultimate symbol of success and security.

But what does ownership really mean at a time when flexibility, mobility and financial freedom are becoming increasingly important values? The traditional way - acquiring full ownership of a property - increasingly seems like a relic from times gone by.

We are already seeing a fundamental change in many areas of life: from owning to using. Streaming services are replacing DVD collections, car-sharing models are making second cars superfluous and software subscriptions are replacing the one-off purchase of programs. This development is not a fad, but a rational response to a more complex, fast-moving world.

Rethinking traditional ideas 

The classic sole purchase of a property brings with it numerous challenges:

• High barriers to entry: Rising real estate prices, especially in attractive locations, are making the dream of home ownership unattainable for many.
• Lack of diversification: A single property ties up a large part of the available capital in a single location.
• High running costs: Maintenance, repairs, insurance and taxes add up to considerable running costs.
• Limited mobility: Owning your own property can become a golden cage that makes professional and personal changes difficult.

Shared ownership, as practiced by the DARIA model in Cape Coral, Florida, represents an innovative approach. It allows people to participate in high-quality real estate without tying up all their capital or bearing the full burden of responsibility.

Lower capital investment
with the same luxury

The most obvious advantage of the shared ownership model is the significantly reduced capital requirement. Instead of buying a complete luxury villa, you can get in for as little as 30,000 dollars. For this, you receive 1/35 of a share. You can live in your villa for at least eight days a year or you can choose not to stay and receive an average return of 5 to 8 percent. 

Cape Coral in southwest Florida boasts impressive growth figures: according to leading real estate portals, the value of the average single-family home in this unique city has increased by an astonishing 128.02 percent. Example: Someone who bought a home without a pool for 140,000 dollars in 2012 can sell it today for a market value of 435,000 dollars.

All co-owners benefit proportionately from this long-term increase in value. In addition, investors benefit from ongoing rental income when they release their usage time for letting. Philipp Hills, Head of Sales at DARIA US, explains a particularly attractive element of the DARIA concept:

"We give our investors a rental guarantee for the first two years. This means that our customers can count on a fixed monthly contribution. In the case of the Sir Henry Villa, for example, this is 200 dollars per month. The total of 2,400 dollars per year results in a rental yield of 8.8 percent per unit with a purchase price of 30,000 dollars.

Carefree ownership

The core of this philosophy lies in the realization that the real value of a property lies not in its mere ownership, but in its use. Particularly in the case of vacation properties, which by their very nature are only used temporarily, the question arises: why bear the full financial burden if you only spend a fraction of the time there?

You don't need to worry about the paperwork and tax consequences. DARIA takes care of the administration and stands by your side. This comprehensive service frees you as a co-owner from numerous burdens:

• No time-consuming search for reliable tradespeople
• No worries about regular pool and garden maintenance
• No complicated tax matters in a foreign legal system
• No need to worry about the rental

Community as added value

When buying real estate, most people initially think of hard factors such as yield, location and appreciation potential. In the DARIA model, the community is a central element - and thus creates added value that goes far beyond financial figures.

All co-owners are connected via an app. You can chat with others, find out who is currently on site in Cape Coral and plan activities together.

Space for entrepreneurial ideas 

A special aspect of the DARIA concept is the deliberate focus on entrepreneurial thinking and collective growth. The community sees itself not just as a passive group of investors, but as an active network that creates added value together:

We support our members who want to cover a need in the community and beyond with a company. To ensure that the company always acts in the interests of the community, DARIA has a stake in the company.

This innovative model promotes entrepreneurial initiatives within the community and at the same time provides a framework that ensures that the interests of all members are safeguarded. Anyone who founds a company with our help through know-how and financing has the community at their side. 

This creates win-win situations: Individual members can realize their entrepreneurial visions, while the community as a whole benefits - be it through tailored services, financial returns or new jobs.

The community's commitment goes beyond purely economic interests: we donate part of the profits from our non-profit companies to socially disadvantaged people. For example, the construction of residential complexes for our employees who look after the gardens and housework.

This social dimension not only strengthens cohesion within the community, but also contributes to positive integration into the local region - a sustainable approach that combines growth with responsibility.

Legal security

A critical aspect of any real estate investment, especially abroad, is the legal structure. DARIA has developed a system that combines maximum security with minimum complexity:

With the co-ownership model, you are registered as a partner in the land register of the property. You own a share in the property via a local community of owners that was set up specifically for your property in the USA.

Each co-owner receives an individual income statement and the US tax return (Form 1040-NR) from a US tax advisor. DARIA has designed the legal structure in such a way that double taxation is avoided.

The DARIA model is deliberately designed to be accessible to people from different financial backgrounds.

Germany is currently in a phase of recession. Conventional wealth accumulation products no longer work. People with a normal income who cannot afford complex financial structures are particularly affected. Our offer is basically affordable for everyone. From young nurses with no equity to teachers, anyone can invest in our villas and benefit from them in the long term.

A comparison

To fully grasp the advantages of the co-ownership model, it is worth comparing it directly with the traditional sole purchase of a property.

A traditional real estate purchase involves numerous costs that are often not sufficiently taken into account in the initial calculation. The purchase price is just the tip of the iceberg:

• Maintenance costs: As the sole owner, you bear the full burden of all repairs and renovation work. Experts recommend budgeting around 1 to 2 percent of the property value for maintenance each year.

• Administrative expenses: The administrative effort can be considerable, especially for vacation properties abroad. Many owners underestimate the time required to organize tradesmen, communicate with authorities or handle insurance claims.

• Vacancy costs: A vacation property is inevitably empty for a large part of the year - yet costs are constantly incurred that are not compensated for by use or rental.

These hidden costs add up considerably and can significantly reduce the return on a real estate investment or even turn it negative.

This is in direct contrast to the flexibility that the DARIA model offers its investors:

• Financial flexibility: You can become a co-owner of a dream property with a manageable capital investment.
• Flexibility of use: You can either spend your time in the villa or release your allotment for rental and receive an attractive rental return - guaranteed for the first two years.
• Exit flexibility: You can sell your co-ownership share at any time. The other co-owners of your villa have pre-emptive rights.

This multi-layered flexibility allows investors to adapt their investment to their current life situations and financial goals at any time - a decisive advantage over the rigid model of sole ownership.

Your first steps

The path to co-ownership of a DARIA villa begins with a personal consultation in which individual wishes, goals and financial possibilities are discussed.

DARIA takes care of the formation of your US company (LLC) and applies for both your personal and the LLC's tax number. From the initial registrations to opening an account in Florida - they will prepare all the formalities for you.

This comprehensive support makes entry into the US real estate market accessible even to newcomers without prior knowledge - a decisive advantage of this innovative concept.

Jutta Burmeister
Jutta has been an entrepreneur for over 34 years and is now a business mentor, author and integral life coach. Her recipe for success is based on the combination of analytical thinking and human compassion. She firmly believes that courage and authentic connections are the key to a fulfilled and successful life. Jutta supports the Daria Project to help people realize their dreams and achieve their goals faster.