What our co-owners are saying
Natives of Minneapolis, MN and long time lovers of “all things French”, Chip and Joni decided to purchase a share of a fractional ownership property during the Covid pandemic, sight unseen. This video talks about that experience; their first impressions of Maison Bleue when they finally got to see it for the first time, their thoughts about the village of Quarante and the surrounding areas, some of the locals they met, and how the owner group jumped in to help when an unexpected problem arose. The overall impression? Two thumbs up!
Coming Full Circle — from new fractional owners to buying their own cottage in Umbria
I have known Karen and her husband Erik for a long time as they were International Property Share owners in both Southern France and then in Umbria, Italy, since 2008. At that point, Karen contacted me about one of my new properties in the village of Quarante (near Beziers), asking about the general process of ownership; how time is booked and about management and financial details. As we spoke, I learned that they lived close to Atlanta, GA and so I asked if they would like to speak in person with another couple from Atlanta, also IPS owners in nearby Cruzy, France. Naturally, this was quite reassuring to Karen and Erik.
I arranged for Karen to visit the property in October. She sent me the following message from an internet cafe:
Ginny,
Just a quick note, I’m in an internet cafe in Rustique. I just had to tell you myself . . . . I fell in love with Maison Bleue. Severine, the caretaker, was just adorable by the way. Very lovely. I’ve spoken with Erik and he should be calling you today to start the paperwork! I am soooo excited. You have done an AMAZING job with the house. It’s heaven. And Quarante is lovely. All of the French people that we’ve met have said the same.
A Few Year Later
In 2011, I was encouraged to develop a new fractional ownership property in Italy. After finding a very appealing property in Montepulchiano, I was in a quandary. This house looked like the perfect candidate but I could not get free to travel. It suddenly occurred to me that I had two experienced, competent, capable feet- on- the- ground women who might be my eyes and ears; Karen and Marian (co-owners of Maison Bleue and both in Quarante, France at the same time).
I reached out to ask “Would you be interested in an all-expense-paid trip to check out properties for sale in Umbria, Italy?” They immediately agreed! Unfortunately, the house in Montelpulchiano did not live up to its description and photos but they had viewed another very promising property in Monteleone d’Orvieto- Casa Leone. And the rest is history, as we say… Karen and Eric were among our first owners and eventually Karen became the owner/manager of Casa Leone.
Eleven Italy-filled Years Later
It is incredibly easy to fall head over heels in love with Umbria, its people, landscape, sunshine, food and that is what happened to the Beach/Emgrens. In November 2021, Karen called to say they had made an offer to buy a place of their own, very close to Monteleone d’Orvieto, and asked me to remarket their share. The resale took place in January 2022, the proceeds of which helped in the purchase of wonderful Casa Tramonto (House of the Sunset), a sweet 2 bedroom 2 bath cottage in a small hamlet outside of Fabro.
This April as we sat on their terrace with friends and neighbors, gazing at the patchwork of greens and yellows below, we raised a glass of Prosecco. “Salute!” I asked them if being long-time owners of IPS homes over the years had made it easier for them to buy outright. They both quickly agreed that that was the case. “Decisamente!” Definitely.
Here’s to Casa Tramonta — House of the Sunset.