Jump to content

Pacaso

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pacaso
Company typePrivate
IndustryReal estate
FoundedOctober 1, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-10-01)
Headquarters,
Key people
Austin Allison, Spencer Rascoff
Number of employees
200+[1]
Websitepacaso.com

Pacaso is a property broker that buys single-family homes and sells them to consortiums of buyers.[2][3] The San Francisco–based company claims it reached unicorn status faster than any other USA-based company.[4][2][3]

History

[edit]

Austin Allison and Spencer Rascoff, ex-Zillow executives, co-founded the start-up in October 2020[4] in Silicon Valley, California.[5]

Pacaso’s valuation rose to $1.5 billion in September 2021 following a $125 million funding round led by SoftBank Group.[6] Other investors include Greycroft Partners and Global Founders Capital.[2] Pacaso is reported to have separately obtained $1 billion in debt financing.[2]

As of March 2022, the company is active in nearly 50 markets in the U.S., Spain, the U.K., and Mexico.[7][8][9]

Business model

[edit]

Pacaso operates by purchasing residential properties and then selling shares of the home to up to eight buyers.[5] The company reports earning a twelve percent service fee on the sale of a share in addition to an ongoing monthly asset-management fee.[2]

The organization claims that its model differs from the traditional timeshare model because purchases count as real estate acquisitions and appreciate in value.[5] Buyers can sell their share after 12 months of ownership.[3]

Pacaso's business model has been criticized as a way around timeshare laws in California.[10] The company had to sell a house it had purchased in Napa after community opposition.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Pacaso". Craft. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Rascoff's Pacaso valults to unicorn status as greycroft invests". Bloomberg. March 24, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Singh, Pia (July 16, 2021). "Unicorn start-up Pacaso seeks to capitalize on surging vacation home prices". CNBC. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Kirsch, Noah (April 24, 2021). "Just Five Months Old, Zillow Cofounder's Pacaso Claims It's Already A Unicorn". Forbes. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Potter, Everett (June 27, 2021). "Pacaso Disrupting Vacation Home Ownership". Forbes. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Lanhee Lee, Jane (September 14, 2021). "Home co-ownership platform Pacaso raises $125 mln in round led by SoftBank". Reuters. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Waldek, Stefanie (March 11, 2022). "The Newfangled Real Estate Companies Making Vacations Easier". Architectural Digest. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Tan, Gillian (September 14, 2021). "SoftBank Vision Fund 2 Bets on Pacaso at $1.5 Billion Valuation". Bloomberg. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  9. ^ "Real Estate Company Pacaso". nshoremag.com. May 11, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  10. ^ Fry, Hannah (March 29, 2023). "Newport Beach battles a new breed of luxury party houses: fractional ownership". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Rosalsky, Greg (August 24, 2021). "A Startup Is Turning Houses Into Corporations, And The Neighbors Are Fighting Back". NPR News. National Public Radio.
[edit]