In Europe, Fractional Properties Have Room to Grow

Claus Soerensen became a fractional owner of a second home before the term was even coined. Years ago, Mr. Soerensen inherited a share of a vacation house that had once belonged to his great-grandfather. When other heirs sold their shares, he essentially owned the house in common with strangers.

So Mr. Soerensen, who lives in the Jutland region of Denmark, was comfortable with the idea of fractional ownership in 2005, when he and his wife, Karen Margrethe, went looking for another second home in southern France or Italy. They found French Property Shares, based in the United States, and bought a share of a Languedoc farmhouse.