Worldhaus

Name: Worldhaus
Rating: 5.0 (5 reviews)

Own iconic homes for 1/13th the cost

5.0•5 reviews•

306 followers

Own iconic homes for 1/13th the cost

5.0•5 reviews•

306 followers

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Airbnb is expensive – up 28% since 2019. The result is precarious housing for millions. We made homeownership flexible: fractional, managed, and swappable, for a secure nomadic lifestyle. Worldhaus owners spend 75% less vs Airbnb. It's time to own.

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Launch tags:Global Nomad•Travel•Remote Work

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Worldhaus

Maker

📌

Hi Product Hunters! We founded Worldhaus to let digital nomads escape Airbnb. Although the app will always have a special place in our hearts. Homeownership is the golden ticket to build wealth but it binds you into one place, is complicated to manage, and expensive to buy the entire thing. So we made homeownership flexible! All real estate sellers in our marketplace offer fractional ownership with a property management provided. After purchase you are welcomed into a community of owners with instant time swapping. Owners can use, rent, or swap their time at the click of a button. Help us unlock this next frontier in digital nomadism. The first 1,000 signups receive $100 towards their down payment + $100 more with the Product Hunt promo code <3

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3yr ago

StartupSoft's Teams Digest

@caleb_wursten1 congrats on the launch! the concept is amazing, but can't say I'm jealous of anyone who's going to be responsible for customer satisfaction 🥲 (seems like a huge challenge!) so, a few questions if you don't mind: 1. how long have you been on the market? what's the biggest challenge been so far? 2. does your team manage properties or do you outsource that part? 3. do co-owners interact with each other? can they choose co-owners before they buy a fraction of the property? 4. is it possible to buy a fraction of a property no one else has bought yet? if so, and I am the only co-owner — do I get to enjoy more time at the property? 5. have you had any big challenges with conflicts between co-owners? what was the worst one and how did you handle it?

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@kay_larina more great questions! (1) Self funded for a year so far. Biggest challenge is moving past the perception that fractional ownership is a scammy timeshare. (2) We oversee but outsource operations (3) Yes all co-owners are introduced on Zoom before committing to purchase together (4) It is only possible to purchase fractions of fully subscribed properties at the moment, though we are exploring purchasing fractions of existing properties (retiree sells you her winter months, for example) (5) We are 50% through our pre-seed round which will unlock the sales we are lining up now

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3yr ago

SlashPage

@caleb_wursten1 What a great idea! I'll definitely try it out when I become a digital nomad. I'm rooting for you.💪

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@frida_lee thank you Frida!

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3yr ago

Product Hunt

💡 Bright idea

I've looked at Pacaso and similar home marketplaces. This is taking a unique approach with its focus on nomads and affordability. I'll dive in but it would be nice if I didn't have to signup to view all of the properties, @caleb_wursten1.

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@rrhoover feedback heard loud and clear, removing the sign up wall to view properties

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3yr ago

Product Hunt

@caleb_wursten1 amazing! Appreciate that. :)

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@caleb_wursten1 @rrhoover Hi Ryan, thanks for the suggestion. I am the CTO of Worldhaus, and we agree with you that we should at least let all users view properties for the duration of the Product Hunt campaign. We have removed the signup gate for our properties. We would love to hear more of your feedback! Thanks, Josh

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3yr ago

Horizon

🔌 Plugged in

Love love the space/sector. I've been following and writing about flexible living options for several years now in the GEM. Have been waiting for price points of share to go down. The problem is, just because consumers want something, doesn't mean it'll make business sense to give it to them. This business is basically doing the same...or more...work as Pacaso, but only able to make a fraction of the price per share/home. I do think someone will crack this, but the execution/ops/logistics required is no joke. What happens if WorldHaus goes under? I assume all the houses are their own LLCs, and could in theory be moved/operated without WorldHaus's involvement?

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@drewmeyers I'm looking forward to our chat tomorrow where we will go in depth on how we've built a scalable solution to the low price point co-ownership model! If Worldhaus fails, which given our $100 / month burn rate is unlikely, co-owners will retain full ownership of their property and the local property manager. The only change would be a loss of access to our platform with automated time swapping, instant transactions, and the liquidity that comes with aggregating demand in a marketplace.

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3yr ago

What are Worldhaus's thoughts on people owning multiple shares of the same home? I assume that you all would let someone own 2/13th of a home if they wanted 8 weeks. Is this correct?

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@worthsmith yes, that's correct! There is no restriction on purchasing 13/13 shares.

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3yr ago

Just upvoted! I had the pleasure of meeting Caleb at a WeWork in Boston a few months back. He's a really sharp guy, and his vision for the company is awesome - I'm super excited to see where this goes. @caleb_wursten1 - one question - is there a reason to market this only to digital nomads? As we tell people about it, what are your talking points for why it isn't like a timeshare?

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@fran_rogers I remember our conversation well, love the work you are doing at the intersection of music royalties and blockchain. Marketing – We decided to go deep rather than broad with marketing, despite our product very much suiting the needs of vacationers and retirees, in addition to digital nomads. Timeshares – This is a frequent one, timeshare aren't real ownership and often come with opaque rules blocking resale. They are a lifetime lease without investment value, unlike the true ownership that comes with fractional ownership.

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3yr ago

Very interesting idea, Caleb and team. Having worked closely with Dan on several project in the past, I have confidence this is a well-vetted thought. My question is this though: if this is functionally distinct from a timeshare, how much liquidity can I reasonably expect in the event that I want to sell? Must I sell to other members, and if so, will I be in direct competition with the core business to fill new developments? In other words, would I be "stuck" holding on to the deed past a time where I might ideally want to. What are your thoughts around this, and how do you mitigate that concern for buyers like myself? Thank you! Patrick p.s. Great site - to the point, and exactly the information I was looking!

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@pahenn great question. Liquidity – As we grow the marketplace liquidity will improve, in the early sales the Worldhaus team will take a high-touch approach to selling similar to traditional brokerages. High-traffic traditional real estate marketplaces are still in our wheelhouse to market fractions. We don't expect a material difference in liquidity to the current market. There are no restrictions on who one can sell their share to assuming they pass anti-money laundering checks.

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3yr ago

How are you working with local real estate laws about this? No need for specifics, but I imagine different countries may have different laws regarding it.

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3yr ago

Worldhaus

Maker

@runtcpip thanks for asking this, it's important. We worked closely with two U.S. law firms and a top law firm in each of our current markets, Mexico and Costa Rica, to design the right legal structure. Essentially, countries are accustomed to U.S. LLCs purchasing local property, and LLC membership transactions are common, so the transaction is less complicated than it might seem.

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3yr ago

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5.0

Based on 5 reviews

Review Worldhaus?

Worldhaus is receiving positive feedback for its innovative approach to homeownership, particularly among digital nomads. Users appreciate the potential to significantly reduce Airbnb costs while enjoying the flexibility of fractional ownership. The concept is praised for transforming housing expenses into investments, appealing to those seeking a secure nomadic lifestyle. Some users express excitement about the potential for a more comfortable travel experience. However, questions about liquidity and resale options suggest areas for further clarification. Overall, Worldhaus is seen as a promising solution for modern travelers.

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Hi @pahenn, thanks for the great question! Timeshares are lifetime leases with varying levels of legal clauses making them difficult to sell. Unlike timeshares, fractional ownership is as real as can be. Owners have control to buy, sell, make decisions, etc. When it's time to sell you'll have a dedicated team at Worldhaus marketing your property to the community that has recently surpassed 300 interested buyers. We're rolling out marketing partnerships and paid marketing in the coming weeks which will dramatically increase the audience. Commissions from resales and original sales are both central to our business model so there won't be a reason we would ignore a resale seller. The final, and perhaps most important, resale risk mitigation is the fact that we rent the property by default. While the sale is ongoing you will be receiving rental income checks.

Worldhaus

Own iconic homes for 1/13th the cost

Own iconic homes for 1/13th the cost

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